led to the suspicion of poison. This apple-sauce was quite
dark-colored, but tasted well enough.

We have seen, in Chapter XXVIII., that in the use of apple-sauce, or
apple butter, or, indeed, any thing containing an acid, which has been
in contact with the inner surface of red earthen ware, glazed with the
oxyde of lead, people are sometimes poisoned; but for common, plain,
apple-sauce, recently cooked, to be poisonous, is rather unusual.
However, we can hardly be too careful in these matters. Serious evils
have sometimes arisen from various kinds of complicated cookery, even
when the healthiness of the vessels used was quite above suspi. A
powerful argument this in favor of simplicity.

It should also be remembered, with regard to sugar, that this is a
substance whose use, even when known to be perfectly innoxious, is, at
best, of doubtful tendency, beyond the measure which the Divine Hand has
incorporated into the various substances which are prepared for our use.
That sugar, in considerable quantities, leads to fulness, if not to
fatness, is no proof of its healthfulness; since fatness itself is a
sign of disease in man and all other animals, as has, of late, been
frequently and fully demonstrated.

CHAPTER LXVI.

PHYSICKING OFF MEASLES.

The father of a large family came to me one day, and, with unwonted
politeness, inquired after my health. Of course, I did not at first
understand him, but time and patience soon brought every thing to light.
His family, he said, were all sick with measles, except his wife, and he
wished to ask me a question or two.

The truth is, he wanted to consult me professionally, without paying a
fee; and yet he felt a little delicacy about it. But I was accustomed to
such things; for his was neither the first nor the hundredth application
of the kind; so I was as polite as he was, in return.

Another individual stood near me just at that moment, who supposed he
had a prior claim to my attention; and I was about to leave Mr. M. for a
moment, when he said, in a low voice, and in a fawning manner: "I
suppose, doctor, it is necessary to physic off well for the measles; is
it not? The old women all say it is; but I thought that, as I saw you,
it might be well to ask."

This species of robbery is so common, that few have any hesitancy about
practising it. Mr. M., though passing for a pattern of honesty and good
breeding, wherever he was known, was nevertheless trained to the sam