n' on an' openin' an' shuttin' his eyes
like he thought he could make me feel pleased at bein' woke up. But I
was n't goin' to feel pleased. I tell you, Mrs. Lathrop, a stitch in
time saves nine, an' I hadn't no idea of encouragin' Elijah to wake me
like that, not while there's maybe a chance of me havin' him to board
more 'n the three months I promised. I saw as I was gettin' into the
duster as all my comfort depended on how I acted right then an' there
an' I was decided to be firm. I stood by the bed an' looked at him hard
an' then I says to him, I says, 'Well, what did you wake me up for?'
'No one ever felt nothin' like this,' he says; 'I've got two appendixes
an' I can feel another comin' in my back.' 'Elijah,' I said, 'don't talk
nonsense. You've been an' woke me up an' now I'm woke up what do you
want me to do?' I leaned over him as I said it an' let a little hot
candle grease drip on his neck an' he give a yowl an' straightened out
an' then give another yowl an' shut up again. 'I'll make you some ginger
tea,' I says, 'an' put a mustard plaster wherever you like best,' I
says, 'an' then I shall look to be let alone,' I says, an' so I went
downstairs an' set to work. Well, Mrs. Lathrop, I made that tea an' I
bet I made it strong; I put some red pepper in it, too, an' poured a
little mucilage into the plaster, for I may in confidence remark as I
didn't intend as Elijah should ever look forward to wakin' me up in the
night again. Then I went upstairs an' he sit up an' took the whole of
the cup at one gulp! You never see no one so satisfied with nothin' in
all your life! He fell back like he was shot an' said, 'Scott, Scott,
Scott,' until really I thought as he was ravin'. Then I said, 'Where do
you want the plaster, Elijah?' an' he said, 'On my throat, I guess.' I
says, 'No, Elijah, you've waked me up an' wakin' me up is nothin' to
joke over. You put this plaster on an' go to sleep an' don't wake me up
again unless you feel for more tea.' I spoke kind, but he could see as I
felt firm an' I set the candle down an' went back to bed.

"Well, Mrs. Lathrop, what do you think,--what _do_ you think? Seems as
Elijah was so afraid o' burnin' himself in another place that he went
an' put the _sheet_ between him an' the plaster an' glued himself all
together. This mornin' when he awoke up there he was with the sheet
stuck firm to him an' I must say I was very far from pleased when he
hollered to me an' I went in an' found him lo