"Never mind," said I, "the sun's old enough to have learned to be patient."
Breakfast over, the boys moved reluctantly away to the play-room, while I inspected the house and grounds pretty closely, to see that everything should at least fail to do my management discredit. A dollar given to Mike and another to Maggie were of material assistance in this work, so I felt free to adorn the parlors and Helen's chamber with flowers. As I went into the latter room I heard some one at the wash-stand, which was in an alcove and, on looking in, I saw Toddie drinking the last of the contents of a goblet which contained a dark-colored mixture.
"Izhe tatin' black medshin," said Toddie; "I likes black medshin awfoo muts."
"What do you make it of?" I asked, with some sympathy, and tracing parental influence again. When Helen and I were children we spent hours in soaking licorice in water and administering it as medicine.
"Makesh it out of shoda mitsture," said Toddie.
This was another medicine of our childhood days, but one prepared according to physician's prescription, and not beneficial when taken ad libitum. As I took the vial—a two-ounce one—I asked:—
"How much did you take, Toddie?"
"Took whole bottoo full—'twas nysh," said he.
Suddenly, the label caught my eye—it read PAREGORIC. In a second I had snatched a shawl, wrapped Toddie in it, tucked him under my arm, and was on my way to the barn. In a moment more I was on one of the horses and galloping furiously to the village, with Toddie under one arm, his yellow curls streaming in the breeze. People came out and stared as they did at John Gilpin, while one old farmer whom I met turned his team about, whipped up furiously, and followed me, shouting, "Stop, thief!" I afterward learned that he took me to be one of the abductors of Charlie Ross, with the lost child under my arm, and that visions of the $20,000 reward floated before his eyes. In front of an apothecary's I brought the horse suddenly upon his haunches, and dashed in, exclaiming:—
"Give this child a strong emetic—quick! He's swallowed poison!"