The Land Claim — page 18: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

14 THE LAND-CLAIM. “The wolf-bait! strychnine!” cried Squire and Flag, in tones of horror. “What do you say? Was the meat poisoned?” asked Ed, piteously, his face and limbs fairly rigi th terror. “What do you give for strychnine poison, Doc?” inquired Squire, with a sudden appearance of hopefulness. “It may not be too late to save him yet.” “But strychnine acts almost immediately,” groaned Flag, despairingly. 3 “Oil! fat Mage grease !” ejacul “We've got some lard and some oil; I'll While Doc plunged an iron e lard-can, Ed sat rocking himself to and fro on his hands on his stomach, and an expression of agony upon untenance. “Oh, it’s no use,” said he, as Doge Hemeg xin, a large spoonful of cold lard; “it’s too late ; the poison has done its work. Oh, I am in such aw ! Oh, dear! oh, dear! how could you be so careless ?” “ Forgive me, Ed, before you die, if you you won't die, after all, old fellow,” said affecting cheerful manner. “Come, take this lard, quick—there’ s no time to lose; swallow it right down.” Dying though he believed he was, poor Ed found it hard work to get a quarter of a pound of cold lard down his throat. Afte ing a on of it he laid down easier to swallow. Come, now, don't give up.” Thus urged, Ed made an effort, and swallowed the contents of an oil-cruet at one gulp. “Isn’t that enough to save me, Doctor ?” he asked, writhing with imaginary pains and real sickness of stomach. “TI don’t know ; don’t you feel any easier since the lard 7” “Oh, no, I don’t feel any better at all. I believe if the lard was melted I could take it easier. Somebody rub my stomach for me, can’t you ?” Squire and Flag proceeded to rub him as requested, while . Doc melted some more lard in a tin cup over the flame of a candle, for the fire in the stove had all gone out. ss *T believe the Tubbing does me good,” gasped the poor Conmmicloooks.corn