Grandma Deering

When I was  fourteen years old I found a lump under my tongue. Grandma Deering was going to burn it out.  She put a piece of tissue paper in some coal oil , and  lit the paper with a lamp, then she put the burning paper in my mouth and tried to burn the lump out.  The second time she did it, she burned my mouth and lips so bad. I said “No More”  When I got home I told mom if she made me go to grandma Deering’s to have it burned out again that I would run away.  When my lips and mouth were healed, mom took me to Dr Gershaw who said it was a cyst and he lanced it with a scalpel. (a sharp knife ) The doctor tried to cut it out twice (Doctor Gershaw came to Irvine  from Medicine Hat  once a month to treat all the Farmers in the area) He would bring boxes of apples for his patients. The boys liked the apples, my mouth was too sore to eat any. Finally Dr Gershaw said that I would have to go to the hospital in Medicine Hat and have the cyst removed. under anesthesia. So pop took me to Medicine Hat and left me at the hospital. Pop told the doctor that when I was ready to come home to put me on the train for Irvine and someone would pick me up. I was still pretty dopey from the anesthetic when I was put on the train and so I went to sleep.  The conductor was supposed to put me off the train when we reached Irvine.  He must have been busy or forgot.  Pop met the train, but I was sound asleep and didn’t get off.  The train started up and was two miles out of Irvine when  the Station master  flagged the train to back up.  Pop was sure mad.  I  asked him why he didn’t come on the train and find me.

Martha Salway