The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1884-05-08
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 dosep"
Yes
''Well, then, give me about double
that quantity"
"But--n interposed the pill COM
FOUNDER.
young man." interrupted the bill
ious traveller, II don't want your ad-
vice. I've got to bolt this pill, and
want it big enough to do its work
''Yery well,', answered the clerk,
and he brought a five-grain pill.
''How many grains9n asked the
traveller, cycling the mercurial morsel.
Twelve and half, replied the
clerk, unhesitatingly, as he filed
tuTnbler with water.
| The travellers face assumed a 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.
swell, should say so. Why, you've
no idea how many people have mania
1 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 year 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 lfvers with mer-
curry. There's hotel clerk who comes
here regularly once week in March
and each time swallows dose of mer-
curry.
another man drops in here every
other night and bolts 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 ter
o'clock. o. 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 box. and hesaid: 'NeVer mind
the box, we'll take them here He
swallowed one and she dropped the
other into half 3 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 gelatine
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, but
he Strengthened up on some soda-water
and two eathartic 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 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 q
man who is struggling with q pill in his
throat.
, A mild-lOoking old man entered and
interrupted the conversation. "Rhu.
barb pill, said the newcomer. As il
/ was handed to him he said 'sNow 3
} spoonful of honey The honey wa;
, brought in a measuring glass. Into i
the old man dropped the pill and swal
lowed the mess with shudder.
"He comes here every few days" ex-
planned the clerk, as the old man went
out. II never saw him take any bu
t rhubarb pills. He told me he had beer
taking them for twelve years. Every
now and then there will be great run
4 on some pill made according to ply
t sician's prescription. Last year WI
Q had pill of that kind for rheumatism
Q and neuralgia, and after they became
known we sold from one to two hun
dred day. Fifteen years ago old DR.
Gross compounded a iVerpill that mad
: great deal of money for an Eleventh
g Street druggist who had the prescrip
Q tion, and hundreds of people still bu,
8 these pills at the same place. Ever,
+ prominent physician at one time 0
9 another prescribed pills that becom
6 popular with ailing people.
n Il cannot say exactly, but think W
g average forty pill takers in this stor
r every night Yes, drop in some nigh
i. between eleven and twelve o'clock an
l. you will see me dealing out pills BY th
d dozen. Business. is tride dull thi
II evening. - Philadelphia Times.
( "A certain nj. Bibbero is reported
bein training on nTyneside, in England