Tillie: A Mennonite Maid

or and Sammy arrived. The other children had all been put to bed, and Mrs. Getz, seat

ed his patient's tongue, felt her pulse,

y turn to till morning, I can't tell TILL morning. Give her these powders e

down," said Mr. Getz, doubtfully.

them, anyhow. She's

inquired. "Mister was afraid it might mebbe be smallp

. Getz warned the doctor. "We don't want n

"It ain't smallpox. What did you giv

e boiled m

a?" he inquired,

lie she didn't drink none this evening. Some says store tea's bad fur the nerves. I ain't got no nerve

s cheaper,"

he doctor shot a keen glance at the father; for Jake Getz was known to all Canaan Township as

fur her workin' in the fields. I guess," he speculated, "it was her settin' up in bed readin' last night done it. I don't know right ho

the doctor inquired, holding

too hard, her bein' a girl that way. But a body's got to learn 'em when they're young, you know. And here it was a NOVEL

s I read in such a 'Home Companion' paper, and here this winter I read a piece in nine chapters. I make no doubt that was a novel. Leastways, I guess you

ntained. "Anybody knows novels ain't moral. Anyhow, I ain't

pin like that, still, to pass the time when there ain't mu

op, I 'll tell him he better

d restlessly

f that there novel, Til

Mr. Getz answered. "Yes, I ch

Elviny must of borrowed the loan of tha

eyes upon his face, b

ed Mr. Getz, "that Teacher l

ready invention, "what am I talkin' about! It was Elviny lent it to Aunty Em's little Rebecca at th

lars wouldn't stay long at William Penn if MY wote could put her out

he romanced, "Rebecca she lent that book off of Elviny Di

t time I see him, how Elviny's lendin' a

s pop he GIVE Elviny that there book last Christmas. I d

or, now, half in bewilderment

Getz here broke in, "would she mebb

ght in the face of the doctor to know wha

e doctor inquiringly repeated. "Yes, if she took the

They didn't HAVE to have no such pest-houses when I was a boy. Leastways, they didn't h

ur opinion us doctors don't know more now than what th

r. "Nor nobody knows as much now as they did in a

rgued the doctor, "that they

omobiles and all the

g his scorn with a mighty effort, "

so many words, 'There's nothing new under the sun.' There! You can't come over that there, can yo

y, but I don't hold to

tor. "I wanted to go over oncet before the rewiwal's done. But now Tillie's sick, mebbe I won't get to go fur all. When they have rewiwals at Bethel they always ma

ed too?" the doctor asked, "and

monotonously repeated. "I wasn't never conwert

your unconwerted state?" th

's nothing to think,"

etz, "they don't stay conwerted. Till re

hemselves. They don't jump nor nothin'. I don't like their meetin's. It's onhandy Tillie got sick fur me just now. I did want to go oncet. Here 's all this mendi

"Well, Tillie, good-by, and don't set up

rally do somepin like that again after I once ketch 'em at it.

ll till I've saw h

it go till yo

er-ain't? If it rains and the roads are muddy till morning, so

o school? Can't I? I'll be well enough, won't I? It's Friday to-morr

her father said, "even if you're some better; I'

her father had covered her and throwing out her arms. "I want to go to school! I want t

face had turned pale at her outcries, delirious they seemed to him, coming from his usually meek and submissive

o-morrow?" she pleaded piteously.

a good girl, mebbe I 'll leave Sammy ast

contentment she sank back again on her pillow. "I wonder w

sure wi

h she sets store by Teacher! And a lot

ch fur Teacher," said Mr. Ge

in' to me about it ne

good-by, then," said the

st some day come between the warm-hearted teacher (whom little Tillie so loved, and who so in

akin' her trouble and she's gettin' chased off her job. I passed my word I'd stand by her, and, by gum, I 'll do it! When she's ou