OCR Text |
Show A KIND-HEARTED DRUCCIST. Hark Twain Telle an Interesting Story of Him. Mark Twain was present at the banquet of tho National Wholesale Druggists' Association at its recent meeting in Washington, and in return for his dinner related tho following story, given in the Pharmaceutical Era: About a thousand years ago approximately. approx-imately. I was apprenticed as a printer's print-er's devil to learn tho trade, in common com-mon with three other boys of about my own age. There came" to the village vil-lage a long-legged individual of about nineteen, from one of tbe interior counties; fish-eyed, no expression, aud without tho suggestion of a smile couldn't have smiled for a salary. We took him for a fool, and thought we would try to scare him to death. We wcut to the village druggist and borrowed a skeleton. The skeleton didn't belong to the druggist, but ho had imported it for tho village doctor, because the doctor thought ho would send away for it, having sonio delioaev about using (Laughter.) The price of the skeleton at that time was $50. I don't know how high they go now, but probably higher, ou account of the tariff. (Laughter.) We borrowed the skeleton about 9 o'clock at night, and we got this man Nicodeni us Dodge by name we got him down town out of the way, and then we put the skeleton in his bed. He lived in a little one-storied log cabin in the middle of a vacant loC Wo left him to get homo by himself. We enjoyed the result in the light of anticipation; but by and by we began to drop into silence; tho possible consequences con-sequences were preying upon us. Suppose that it "frightens bim into madness, overturns his reason and sends him screeching through the streets! Wo shall spend sleepless nights the rest of our days. Everybody was afraid. Hy and by "it was forced to the lips of one of usthat we had better bet-ter go at once and see what had happened. hap-pened. Loaded down with crime, we approached that hut and peeped through the window. That long-legged long-legged critter was sitting on bis bod with a hunk of ginger-bread in his hand, and between the biles he plavcd a tune ou a jew's-harp. There he sat perfectly happy, and nil around him on the bed were toys and jiiu-cracks and striped candy. The darned cuss, he had gone and sold that skeleton for (Laughter.) The druggist's fifty-dollar skeleton was gone. We went in tears to thednig-gist thednig-gist and explained the matter. Wo couldn't have raised $00 in 250 years. Wo were getting board and clothing for the first year, clothing and board for tho second year and both of them for the third year. ISut the druggist forgave us on the spot, but he said he would like us to let him have our skeletons when we were done with them. There couldn't be anything fairer than that; wo spouted our skeletons skele-tons and went away uncomfortable. But from that time the druggist's prosperity pros-perity ceased. That was one of the most unfortunate unfortun-ate speculations he ever went into. After some years ono of the boys went and got drowned; that was one skeleton skele-ton gone, and I tell you the druggist felt pretty badly about it, A few years after another of the boys went np'in a balloon. He was to get $o an hour for it. When ho gets back they will ba owing him $ 1,000,000. Tho druggist's property was decreasing right along. After a few more years tho third boy tried an experiment to see if a dynamite charge would go. It went, all right. They found some of him, perhaps a vest-pocketful; still it was enough to show that some more of that estate had gone. Tho druggist Wifj getting along in years, and he commenced com-menced to correspond with me. I have been the best correspondent he has. Ho is the sweelest-uatured man I ever saw; always mild and polite, and never nev-er wants to hurry me at all. I get a letter from him ererv now and then and he never refers to my form as a skeleton; ho says, 'Well, how is it getting along is it iu good repair?' I got a night-rate message from him recently said that ho was getting old and the property was depreciating iu value, and if I "could let hiin have a part of it now ho would give time on the balance. (Laughter). Think of tho graceful way in which he does everything the generosity of it all. You cannot find a liner character than that. It is the gracious characteristic of all druggists. So, out of my heart, I wish you all prosperity aud every happiuess." |