Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1879-04-02
"Pizun snd ki-nine."

olAC hdSA dAbol tOcuttlftc,
scented soap or any of those gimcracks,
but when the druggist had finished
putting up a prescription to cure a
long-faced boy of a hacking cough, she
turned from the stove and asked:
''Do you keep drugs and medicines
and pizuns and so on?"
ooh, yes, We keep all such things"
''And ki-nine?"
''Yes. we have quinine?"
"Well, 1 called to see about gettin'
some pizun and ki-nIne, but l dunno,
SO many folks have been slaughtered
by druggists mistakes that Pm cana
most afraid even to ask for camfur gum,
tho / suppose | can smell camfur gum
farther OFF than any other woman
in Michigan. Have you ever killed
anybody by putin up morphine for
bakin' POWDER"
Never"
"Been in the business long?"
"Only twenty-one years"
"Well, you orter know gum 'Rabic
from sweet oil by this time, but some
men are awful keerless. I've had a
brother pizuned by wrong medicine,
and I'm little shaky. Where is your
ki-nine.''
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 l dunno. Sure
that amt morphine" ?"
Yes, very sure
''Sure your clerk washed that jar
out clean afore he put the ki-nine IN 2"
''Oh, l washed 1t myself"
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 for no ten thousand
dollars ~
81 know it to be quinine.''
"Well, then, gimme fifteen cents
worth, and want down weight, too.
If I'm treated well Pm a great hand to
deal at one place, but the minnit l see
any stinginess or cheatin' a yoke of
oxen couldn't pull me into that store
again."
He weighed out the drug and labeled
it with great care, and then she said:
''Now L want ten 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 if you was used to handling
'em.''
''Do you want arsenic?''
Certainly, bat you want to be pow
erful keerful, I'm a woman of fifty
nine, and I've nuss'd the sick ever
since / was gal, but l never handle
pizun without a chill creeping up my
back. Where is it:''
He handed down the jar, and she
smelt the stopper, shook her head
turned the jar around and Whispered: ::
''That looks powerful sight like
cream-a-tarter.
''Oh, on-that's arsenic and no mis-
take"
We'll, I've got to take the chances,
'spose. I'll take ten cents worth
down weight. Any person that will
be stingy sellin' pizun will be stingy
in other things, and l do hate stingy
person. My first husband was power
full stingy, and he was struck by light
ming
When the poison had been weighed
and labeled she carefully took up the
package and said:
"NOw, 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 XII
uine that it is to be kept in the old cof-
fee-pot in the cupboard, and that it's for
chills."
The Druggist followed orders, and
the old lady put the pizun in her poe
ket and the "ki-nine" in her reticule,
and went out saying:
''It may be all right, but dunno. If
my old man is took off instead of the
rats, I'll begin lawsuit next day after
the funeral"