Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1883-04-30
For the Monitor.
TRIALS OF A DRUGGIST.

incident I shall relate is founded prin-
cipally upon facts. The only addi-
tions / shall make, or extra dressing
I shall give them, will be just enough
to make them acceptable and reada-
BILE in print. The first incident relates
to the young man who
WANTED IT FOR HIS SISTER.
One morning an apparently inno-
cent looking young man, with red
hair, and comparatively red nose,
sauntered leisurely into my store,
walked mp to the counter in front of |
me, and said:
ssYou keep sardents' here?'
"Keep-what?'
.sArdents s. ardents spirits, you
know; liquors for medicine purpos-
es."
ssOh, frumenti, vini gallici, alcohol
dilutum-''
ssThat's it-that's it-alcohol di-
clutum; that's the genuine article
I'm after. You see, somethin' peers
to be the trouble with sister, [ don't
know sometimes think sister won't
be with us a great while longer
seems to be runnin' right down every
day; got an awful cough, an looks
Jest like a shadder. / don't s'pose
you could think of anything that
would sort of lift her up on to her
feet again-ain't in your line, is 2"
"Really, sir, not being acquainted
with the technical points of the case,
/ am afraid not.
"Well, I thought like as not. Any
how, you can put up the alcohol.
Let me see; they said aid-yes-they
said a pint; you can put up a pint.
Poor sister; / left her coughing
dreadfully when started, an they
told me to silver right back. Makes
me feel so bad to hear her cough
sometimes, that / almost wish |
could take it upon myself. You can
put it into this bottle
Il cannot put it up" | replied;
1.-the law will not allow it,
''Law-law won't allow it? Why,
it's for medicine purposes, you
know"
'.The law makes no distinction
.sThe law don't? don't make no
distinction? Well, now, that't too
bad. What'll sister do; She has to
have it every day. Seems like as
if nothin' else benefited her so much
as alcohol. An the law makes no
distinction? Now, say" said he after
moments reflection, "it'n be all
right don't drink no sir; not a
drop. don't s'pose | ever swal-
lowed pint of liquor in all my life;
| don't knows / could tell one kind
from another. There is different
kinds, arn't they?''
80, yes, several
"Well, / thought like as not. /
don't care, though, if / never know
their names. | think drinkin's an
awful bad habit. Strange what lots
of young men there are who do drink,
though, amt it? Poor sister; l don't
s'pose she'd use drop of alcohol if
it wasn't for that dreadful cough.
Now if you can't put up pint per-
haps a half'll do. Sister don't use
it to drink, you know, she only uses
1T to battle in.
81 have no right to put it up even
for that"
sNo? Well, now, I'd like to know
what poor sisters goin' to do. Say
you couldn't put it up by putting
something into it, could you,-some-
thin that wouldn't hurt it, you know,
if sister wanted to take some for hel
cold. Seems like as if l had smat-
term of cold myself -
NO." / replied, beginning to get
a little nervous, 81 can't put it ul
in any form whatever
"What not for my poor, dying
sister?''
"No, not for your sister"
"Not if you mix it?''
ssNo, not if / mix it.
"And you can't put it up?"
81 said no, didn't I?''
, "Well," said he slowly turning
5 toward the door, 81 s'pose it's al
| right. Anyhow, | amt got any sis
ter, OF never did have one but
here he edged through the door anc
: placed his finger to his nose, eff
did have one, the poor thing nigh
V cough-an' cough-an' cough
e He was gone.
: DAVID HILL.