The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-04-12
A Run on Blue Pills.

Gimme good big dose of mercury"
said traveller, dropping his valise on
the counter of Chestnut Street drug
store last night.
How much, five or six grains?" in
quired the clerk.
''Do you call that a dose?"
Eyes. "
well, then, give me about double
that quantity"
"But--" interposed the pill COM
FOUNDER.
Young man. interrupted the bill
ious traveller, II don't want your adj
vice, I've got to bolt this pill, and
want it big enough to do its work.
every WE'LL" answered the clerk,
and he brought five-grain pill.
''How many grains?" asked the
traveller, cycling the mercurial morsel.
Twelve and half" replied the
clerk, unhesitatingly, as he filled a
tumbler with water
The travellers face assumed martyr
like expression. He threw his head
back, fixed his eyes on the ceiling,
opened his mouth and cast the pill into
the cavern. Then he washed it down
with water, paid ten cents to the clerk,
grabbed his valise and departed.
'Do you have many such callers"
inquired the reporter.
"Well, L should say so. Why, you've
no idea how many people have mania
for taking pills. We have customers
that come here regularly once week
and take pill or two. We sell more
pills between nine o'clock at night and
two in the morning than we do all day.
.+About this time of the wear we have a
run on blue pills. Men who take cathar-
tics all winter get it into their heads
that they become bilious in the spring
and must doctor their livers with mer-
curry. There's hotel clerk who comes
here regularly once a week in March
and each time swallows dose of mer-
curry.
Another man drops in here every
other night and bolts a single cathartic
pill each trip. / said to him the other
night, why don't you buy box OF
those pills and take them home with
you?' No he replied, If did that
every one about the house would think
| was breaking down, and he took the
pill and went away. He'll be here to-
morrow night between nine and ten
o'clock. 0, he's taken so many pills
that he don't seem to mind swallowing
them. Most people, however, never
grow to like pills. Last night man
and woman came in and asked for
two sugar-coated quinine pills. | put
them in a box, and he said: Never mind
the box, We'll take them here He
swallowed one and she dropped the
other into half a tumblerful of water
and drank it. The water went down all
right, but the pill remained in her
mouth. and she chewed it up, and with
awful grimaces swallowed the bitter
particles. Women and children invari-
ably chew pills before swallowing them.
"A man dropped in the other even
ing and asked for castor oil in gelatinC
capsules. He took three capsules from
the box, sat down in that chair, called
for glass of soda-water, and put The
globules into his mouth, but was unable
to get them down without chewing
them. Yes, it made him very sick, bul
he Strengthened up on some soda-water
and two cathartic pills.
"Most people take water with their
pills, but there are many who insist on
having lemon juice, or honey, or candy,
or sugar, or coffee, or beef tea to take
the flavor of the pellets out of their
mouths. If man would just walk in
and get his pill, swallow it without feel.
ing and examining and thinking of it,
they would not make as many wry
faces as they do. l have seen man
tumble and fool with a pill for ten
minutes before he mustered up courage
enough to put it in his mouth. No, il
isn't pleasant to look at the face of a
man who is struggling with a pill in hi:
throat"
A mild-looking old man entered and
interrupted the conversation. ''Rhu-
barb pill, " said the newcomer. As ii
was handed to him he said: Now q
spoonful of honey" The honey was
brought in measuring glass. Into il
the old man dropped the pill and swal
lowed the mess with a shudder.
''He comes here every few days ex-
planned the clerk, as the old man went
out. Il never saw him take any but
rhubarb pills. He told me he had been
ldhlHg Iuelll lOf WE'VE years. Every
now and then there will be Il great run
on some pill made according to ply
sician's prescription. Last year we
had pill of that kind for rheumatism
and neuralgia, and after they became
known we sold from one to two hun
dred Il day. Fifteen years ago old DR..
Gross compounded liver pill that made
great deal of money for an Eleventh a
Street druggist who had the prescrip.
ton, and hundreds of people still buy
these pills at the same place. Every
prominent physician at one time OF
another prescribed pills that become
popular with ailing people.
Il cannot say exactly, but l think we
average forty pill takers in this store
every night. Yes, drop in some night
between eleven and twelve O'Clock and
you will see me dealing out pills by the
dozen. Business is trihe dull this
evening. Phitadelphia Times
One of the most singular accidents
on record recently occurred in a mill al
Nashville. Tenn A workman nv somf