The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1879-02-15
Pizun and Kl-Nine.

She wasn't after hair-dye. cosmetics, scented
soaps or any Of those gimcracks, but when the
druggist had finished putting up q prescription
to cure 4 long-faced boy Of hacking cough, she
turned from the stove and asked
$40 you keep drugs and medicines and pizens
and so on ?"
"Oh. yes we keep all such things"
" And kj-nine-'
Yes. We have qu%inine-'
2. Well, | called in 10 see about gettin pIzen
and some ki-niue. but | dunno. 81 many folks
have been slaughtered by druggists mistakes that
I'm eanemost afraid even 10 ask for camfur gum,
tho [ surpose I can smell scamfur gum further
of than any other woman IN Michigan. Have
you killed anybody by putting up morphine tor
bakIn powder -
Never"
" Been in the business long?@
Only twenty-one years.
d /" Well, YOU ornr know gum Rablc from sweet
lie by this time, but some men arc awful keeriess'
I've had q brother pizuned by wrong medIclne,
and. I'm a little shaky. Where is your XII
> This is it," he replied, as he took down the
jar.
She wet her finger, pushed it into the jar and
then rubbed it on her tongue.
TASTES like it, but dunno. Sure that ain
morphine?"
" Yes, very sure"
.Sure your clerk washed the jar out clean
afore he put the ki-nine in
-" Oh, washed IL myself.
q IF this shouldn't be ki-nine you'd have the
law put to YOU the worst kind. We've got
money in the bank, and we'd never settle Tor no
0,000!'
Il know it to be quinine.
- Well, then, gimmie Is cents worth, and L
want down weight, too. II | m treated well III
a great hand TO trade at one place, bat the min
nit | see any stinginess or cheatin' q yoke of oxen
couldn't pull meinto that store again"
lie weighed out the drug, labeled it with great
care, and then she said
Now l want 10 cents worth of pizun to kill
rats"
"What kind"
"Why the pizun kind of course. Pizun is
pizun the world over.
Don't seem as-you were used to handling
EN-"
ADO you want arsenic?
:" Certainly, but you want to be powerful keer-
full I'm q woman of fifty and I've nuss'd the
sick eyer since [ was a girl, but l never handle
pizun without n chill creepin up my back.
Where is it?"
He handed down the jar and she smelt of the stop
per, shook her head. turned the jar around and
whispered
g That looks a powerful sight like crcam-a-tar-
ter!"
sob, no-that's arsenic and no mistake"
"Well, I've got to take tho chances, | s'pose.
III take ten cents worth-down weight. Any
one who will be stingy sellin' pizun will be
stlngy IN other things, and L do hate a stIngy
person. My first husband was powerful stingy,
and he was struck by lightning
When the poison had been weighed and la
beled she carefully took up the package and said
snow, then, write on this that it is to be
kept in the old china teapot, on the third shelf
in the pantry, and that it's for rats. Then write
on this that it is to be kept in the old coffeepot
in the cupboard, and it's for chills."
The druggist followed orders, and the old lady
put the ''pizun'' in her pocket and the "ki-nine''
in her reticule, and went on saying
g 1t may be all right, but dunno. If my old
man is took off instead of the rats. III begin a
lawsuit next day after the funeral !'-DetrOit
Free Press.