Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1885-02-20
DR.. TRIFULGAS.
Jules vERNE's LATEST FANTASY.

against the slopes of the mountains of
Crimma. The rock bound coast is rent
and riven by the tempestuous pillows
that surge and foam along the vast Meg
alocrida sea.
In the depth of the bay nestles the
little seaport town of Luktrop. 1t boasts
few hundred houses with greenish mi.
radors sheltering them from the winds of
the main, and four or five steep streets
that look more like the beds of noun,
tain torrent than public thorougbfares.
Not far off smokes the Vanglor, an ac-
tive volcano, which by day belches forth
thick volumes of sulphurous vapor, and
by night fitful floods of flame. The era
ter, seen fully one hundred and fifty
kertses out at sea, answers the purposes
of beacon, and guides home to Lux
trop the coasters-felzanes, verliches, or
balances that plow the troubled waters
of theMegalocrida.
On the other side of the town are
heaped up ruins of the Crimmerian era;
while the suburb, of Moorish aspect, like
an Algerian fortress, with its white walls,
round roofs and terraces calcined by the
sun, seems huge pile of square stones
thrown together at hap-hazard. The
whole mass looks like a cluster of dice.
the dots of which have been worn away
with age.
Among other peculiar structures may
be seen an odd-looking building, called
the SiX-Four, from the number of its
windows, six in front and four behind.
A steeple rises above the town, the
ac+oo of ~
its bells visible through the open stone
work, and when these are swung Gas
they are at times) by the violence of the
storm, 1t is accounted a bad sign, and
the good people of the place are filled
with fear at the omen. Such is Luktrop,
with few stray houses on the heath be.
yond scattered amid the broom and
furze, as in Brittany. Luktrop, how
ever, is not in Brittany. Is it in France9
| cannot say. In Europe? l do not
know.
AT any rate it were useless to look for
the place on the map, .
Tap, tap? A discreet rap is heard at
the narrow door of Six-Four on the
left hand corner of Messagliere street A
comfortable house this, if such word is
known as Luktrop, and one of the thrift
lest of the place, if to earn on an average
few thousand fretzers year be
sign of thrift.
A ferocious yelp, something between
bark and howl, as from wolf, has
answered the rap, whereupon window
! above the door of the Six-Four is thrown
open.
A young girl, shivering in the rain,
with a sorry cape thrown over her
shoulders, inquiries if DR.. Trifulgas is at
home.
"He is or isn't-all depends"
81 come for my father, who is dying. {"
"And where is he dying?"
"By the Val-Karnious, four kertses
from here"
"And what's his name2"
'Vort Kartif."
'Vort Kartif-the cracknel maker"
eyes; and if DR.. Trifulgas would
only"
"Dr. Trifulgas isn't at home!''
| And the window is brutally closed in
the girls face, while the wind and the
rain outside mix their voices in a deafen-
ing din.
* Il
A hard man, DR.. Trifulgas, with but
little feeling for fellow creature, and
one who attends patient only if well
paid in advance for his services. His
Old dog, Hurzof--a cross between a bull
and a spaniel-would have more hea
than he. The door of the Six-Four re-
mains invariably closed to the poor and
open only to the rich. He has more
over, his scale of prices; typhoid fever,
so much; brain fever, so much; so much
for pericarditas and for as many more
diseases as doctors choose to invent by
the dozen. And Wort Kartif, the crack
nelmaker, is poor man, with penniless
brood. Why, then, should DR.. Triful-
gas bedevil himself, and on such a
night2 ''The rousing me from my
sleep" snuffled he, as he went to his
bed again, sis alone worth ten fretzers 7"
Twenty minutes had scarce gone by than
the iron knocker again woke the echoes
of the Six-Four. Grumbling the doctor
got out of bed, and from the window
growled:
"Who is there?"
81 am Wort Kartif's wife"
''The cracknel maker from Val Kar-
niou2"
eyes, and if you don't come he'll
die"
"Well, then, you'll be widow"
'Here are twenty fretzers---n
"What Twenty fretzers to 90 to
Val Karniou, four kertses hence'2
''For Gods sake, comel"
With an oath the window was again
slammed.
Twenty fretzers," muttered he;
"what an idea. Run the risk of catch
ing cold or a lumbago for such sum-
when one has to attend tomorrow morn
ing the gouty-but wealthy -Edzingov,
at Kiltrens whose ailment is worth iifsy
fretzers a visit"
With this pleasant prospect, DR.. Trif-
ulgas sought his bed and went to sleep
as soundly as ever.
x -
Rap, rap, rap!
Three blows from the knocker, struck
with firm hand, have this time added
their rattle to the noise of the storm. The
DOCTOR startled from his sleep, got up in
a towering passion. On opening his
window the hurricane came in like a
whirlwind.
"'Tis for the cracknel MAKER
"What, again that wretch2n