, 1885-02-01
DOCTOR TRIFULGAS.


tuoAulauA OF AfiuiulAs Inc fuOAtuutAl
coast Is rent ana 1ven BY the tempestuous
MerAlocridn ga.
In the depth OF the bay nestles the iiffls sea-
port town Of Lakfrop 1t boasts q few bun
drsd houses win greenish miradors sholtsr-
ing them from the winds Of the main, and
four OF 1--WE steep street. that look more Ike
the beds OF a mountain torrent than public
th~oroughfaroN Not far OF smokes the Van
glor. an active volcano, which BY day
belche- forth thick volumes Of sulphurous
vapor. and BY night htfui foods Of flame
Tns crater. seen fully 100 ksrtses out at sea,
answer the purposs Of n beacon. and guides
homu 20 Luktrop the Observation-Disclosures. ver-
lchet, or balanzos-that plow the troubled
waters Of the Megalocrida.
On the other side OF the town arr heapsd
up ruins Of The Crimmarian ara. while the
suburb, Of Moorish aspect. like a casbah or
Algerian fortress, with is white walls.
round roofs, and terraces calcinod by the
sun. seems a hugs pile OF square stones
thrown tosether at hap-hazard- Tha whole
mas looks like n cluster OF dice tho dots Of
which nave been worn nwny with ago.
Among other peculiar structures may DO
sen an odd1ooking building called the Six
Four from the number OF its Window, six In
front and four behind
A steopls rises above tho town, the squaro
steeple OF Saint Philhlene. with its bells
visible through the open stone-worlr and
when they are swung las they are at tines
by the violence Of tho storm. Il Is accounted
n bad sign, and the good people OF tho place
arc nlled with fear az the omen Such Is
Luktrop, with a few stray HOUSES ON the
heath beyond, scattered amid tho broom n
furze, asin Brittany. Luktrop, however. is
not In Brittany. Is it in Francsi-I can not
Eay. In Europei-f do not know.
Al any rate Il were useless 20 look for the
place on the map.
Tap, tapi A discreet rap Is heard at the
narrow door Of the 6ix-Four. on the left
a corner Of Messagliarc street A com
Portable house this, II such a word Is known
at Luktrop. aud Of tho thriftiest OF the
place, II 70 earn IN an average a few
thousand fretzers a year be a sign Of thrift.
A ferocious yelp, something between n bark
and a howl, as from a wolf, has answered
the rap wheroupon n window above the
door OF the SIx-Four Is thrown opan, and an
angry voice bawls OUT:
ITO tho devil with all ~intruder4H
A young girl, shivering in the rain. with a
sorry cape thrown over hor shoulders, in
qulrcs n DR.. Trifulgas Is at home.
~He Is or isn't-all depends"
Il como for my father, who Is dying"
"And whore Is he dyingTn
by tho valKarniou, four kertses from
here1
"And what's his nameg"
wort Khrtif.r
wort Knrtif-tho crackmol-mnkerT'
yes; and II DR.. Trifulgns would only"
@Doctor Trifulgas isn't at homoi"
And the window Is brutality closed In the
girls face, whili the wind and the rain out
aide mix their yoices in a dsatening din
:
A hard man be, DR.. Trifulgas, with but
little feeling for a fellow-crsaturo, and one
who attends a patient only II well paid in
advance for his services. His old dog, Hurl
sof-a cross between a bull and n spaniel
would nave more heart than no. The door
OF tho Six -Four remains invariably closed TO
the poor, and opon only othe rich. He has,
moreover, his scale Of prices; typhoid fever,
70 much; brain fever, 70 much; 20 much for
n pericarditis, and for ns many moro diseases
rs doctors choose to Invent by tho dozen.
And Wort Kartif. tho cralnol-maker. Is a
poor man, with a ~penniless brood. Why
thcn. should Or. Trifulgns bedevil himself.
and On such a night @The rousing me from
my sleep" snufiod he, as be wont to his bed
again. lis alone worth ten fretzsrsl" Twenty
minutes had scarce gone by than tho iron
knockor again woke tho echooa Of tho Six
-Four. Grumbling, the doctor got out OF
bed, and from the window growled:
Who IL tharefH
Il am Wort Kartirs wife,
The cracknel-maknr from Val- KarniouF7
-Yos; and n you don't come hon die"
We'll, then, you'll DO a widowlu
Here are twenty frotzorsnA
What twenty frotzsra 10 20 to VaiKar
niou, -four kertsea hanceiH
For Gods sake, eomor7
go to tho doviiir And, with an oath, the
window was again slammed. Twenty
fretaersi" mutterod ho; @what an Ideal Rnr
tho risk Of catching a cold or a lumbago foi
such a sum, when ono has TO attend to-mor
row morning tho gouty-but wealthy
Edxingov, At Kiltrona. whose aIlment Il
worth fifty fretzera n visit"
With this pleasant prospect Doctor Tri
fulgas sought his bed and went to Sleep o.
soundiy as ever.
Rap, rap. rapi"
THREE blows from the knocker, struck will
n firm hand, have this time added their rat
tie TO the nolse OF the storm. Tho doctor
startled from his Sleep got up in a towering
passion On opening his window the hnrri
cane camo in like n whirlwind
ATS for the eraclnol-makor-"
what again that wrstchF
Il I'M his mother"
May his mother, wife and daughter al
die with himl"
ATS a fit
"Ay, and a tight one, no doubt chucklot
the doctor.
-wo have a little money" said the OK
woman, -an instaliment on the house sold I.
Dantrup the drayman, Of Mszsagiers street
hyou don't como, my granddaughter will b
without a father, my daughter without
husband, and myself without a & mr.
1t was ~heartronding and horrible to hea
tho old hag's voice, and to think that tn
wind froze the blood in her vions, an
drenched the very bones under her skin.
"A o., say youi The fec Is 900 f~rstrsrs,l
re1olned the henrtless leech.
HWe have but le0n
Good night, thenin And once more tn
window was closed
On second thoughts, however. be came q
the conclnsion that for an hours trot AM
half an hours attendance. leO fretzers mad
90 fret1ers an hour-1 frofzar a minutei
was small profit at best, but not quite to b
despissd
30, Instead OF getting into bed, the doutol
slipped himself into his velvet suit hurric<
down stairs in a pair OF thick ,safer-proo
boots, muiiod himself up in a largu ovurcoaf
put on his gloves and sou'wester, and, leav
Ing the lamp lighted on the table near hi
Codex opened at page 1871, pushed opened tl
door Of the six-Four, and appeared on tn
threshold.
Tho old crono was there, leaning ON a stick
her frame smaciated by eighty years o
misery.
arhe money said hA.
foldl-
-oeai-.hs money OF GodI Has any ou'
Every smoker should Try Ltd.
The Canal In the World.
/. the alimentarv canal. II rncs siniehl