a little saffron and
snakeroot tea. And they had some influence with her; not indeed at
first, but after she became weakened by the disease. Drowning people, it
is said, catch at straws.

I was called to see her late one Saturday evening. She did not know, as
she said, that any medicine was needed, but as she was considerably
advanced in life, and many had sunk under the disease of late, and as
she had such a continual feeling of depression and fainting, she thought
it barely possible I might think it advisable to give her some little
thing to make her feel more comfortable.

There were indeed many things that required attention. Her feet were
cold, unnecessarily so, and her room was not properly ventilated. Then
she needed small draughts of water much oftener than she had been
accustomed to receive them, or had dared to venture in their use. She
needed no snakeroot and saffron, nor indeed any other form of herb tea.
I gave particular orders with regard to the little things so needful in
such cases, and in order to be on hand in case of alarm, I remained in
the house till morning.

More than once during the night, her courage nearly failed her, and I
was summoned to her bedside. In one or two instances, she ventured to
complain of me as neglectful of her case, because I gave her no
medicine. But I cheered and encouraged her as well as I could. Her
disease had made her a child, and she needed a child's treatment. I was
not, indeed, without my fears, but I did not see how her condition could
be alleviated by medicinal agents, unless they become necessary as a
substitute for that faith in Nature, which she was accustomed to
exercise when she had more strength. This faith, as I have already told
you, did indeed sometimes fall a little below the proper standard, but
the depression was in general but momentary.

Early in the morning a near neighbor called, and kindly inquired how she
did; and when assured that she was, as yet, no better, was unable longer
to repress her feelings. "Why, in the case of _my_ children," said she,
"the measles never came out without giving them something, and they
never would have done so to this day." Yet she had a large family. I
might have asked her how she knew what Nature _could_ have done unaided,
since she gave her no opportunity to test her strength; but she was too
ignorant to converse with on such subjects. To have asked her how she
knew whether her children got well in spite of the