Grandma had never before
treated such serious conditions, yet strove heroically, and helped to
restore Miss Sallie to health, but could not keep the cruel imprints
from her face.
The other was our arch-enemy, Castle, who seemed so near death that one
night as grandma was peering into the darkness for signal lights from
the homes of the sick, she exclaimed impulsively, "Hark, children!
there goes the Catholic bell. Count its strokes. Castle is a Catholic,
and was very low when I saw him to-day." Together we slowly counted the
knells until she stopped us, saying, "It's for somebody else; Castle is
not so old."
She was right. Later he came to us to recuperate, and was the most
exacting and profane man we ever waited on. He conceived a special
grudge against Georgia, whom he had caught slyly laughing when she
first observed the change in his appearance. Yet months previous, he
had laid the foundation for her mirth.
[Illustration: MRS. BRUNNER, GEORGIA AND ELIZA DONNER]
[Illustration: S.O. HOUGHTON, Member of Col. J.D. Stevenson's First
Regiment of N.Y. Volunteers]
[Illustration: ELIZA P. DONNER]
He was then a handsome, rugged fellow, and particularly proud of the
shape of his nose. Frequently had he twitted my sensitive sister about
her little nose, and had once made her very angry in the presence of
others, by offering to tell her a story, then continuing: "God and the
devil take turns in shaping noses.
Pages:
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
260
261
262