, 1885-09-15
A STORY OF QUININE.

$50 800 E1f NV ~
establish himself al Mauritius when no
stopped there on his way from Stras
bourg to China. with his chemists di-
ploma. a number OF half-hlled bottles,
and the great phials destined TO contain
colored Luids Tor his drug store win
dow. All know IS that he
had suddenly decided to purchase
an interest in n drug store at
/ ort ! ouis, almost without patron
age; that his partner shortly after
ward died and that he continued TO
carry on the business all by him elf
without even taking the trouble to
change the name on the sign. After a
lew years he had married and his wife
had given him one son. They lived
lumhly-miserably, in fact; but they
we're able TO Ii c at all events, and to
wait for their chance.
Il cumc at last, in a terrible shape
the great fever Of 1887.
on remember 1t. of course. That aw
full visitor leaves his card with us every
on G In awhile, as II for fear that we
m ght forget his name
And the drug store was never empty.
People stoo in line, waiting their turn.
The druggist was compelled to hire an
assistant. her another. Every night
he went to bed thoroughly exhausted;
tut the receipts OF the day ever et.
eeeded those Of the day before. Cuinine,
becoming scarcer and 8 arceF, rose TO
prices dithcult for any one to pay, and
impossible for many to dream of pay
ing: consel uently, under the pretext Of
finding ono substitute for the precious
sulphate. tho most whimsical com
pounds were offered, and each had its
brief period OF popularity in the general
panic. Powders, luleps, opiates, each
found favor for an hour; phials and
masks were emptied rapidly, and yet
the shelves seemed to remain mex
haustiuly full-like the great stretch Of
white sand to the west and the stretch
OF red clay lying north Of the city.
enc evening the druggist wife had a
chill. lie rushed to the shelf on which
he kept his quinine he had still ten
tottles left-a value Of at least 5000
fortune. Ne tday the fever was broken;
but the shock had been violent; the on
yalesccnce would be very slow; and the
least relapse, in the young 5
state of weakness, would probably prove
fatal. hat was to be done.-leave the
cityl-1ee to the healthier country airl
to Curepipe, for instance. IN whose
btllku Illuldlt l0NtI lnu mdlkO bEttN
alike ceased to exist She could go, at
all events, with the little boy, and re.
main there for two or three months
until the epidemic should have spent its
strength and residence IN the city had
become less dangerous. As for himself,
he must remain at Port Louis All,
yes duty you know. Should a captain
desert his post during a naval engage.
manft EaatdaQ ho OanlH naf Anf fhara
for al hour or two on Sundays, to kiss
them.
"Aow here" he said, sis your letter
Of instruction to DR.. Jary. 1 have REQ
commended you TO his care as strongly
as | knew how. Be sure to send for
him at once on the least symptom of
fever; but don't wait for him to come
before taking quinine. Here are five
little packages OF twenty grains each
That means a good deal Of money in
these times. At the least symptom
send a messenger to me, and see how
quick I'll be therel Come now cour-
age, little woman So long as n has
quinine, you know, this wicked fever is
not at all terrible; and, as far as we are
concerned, We will always have quinine.
But mind you take good care of those
five packages, and don't lose them
They are worth money!"
Then he shut the door of the car
riage, after kissing his wife and child
farewell; and the vehicle took its way
toward the region where fever ia un
known.
The house would have seemed to him
very, very lonesome If he had had time
to notice the change but the whole day
lorg he was husy at work, wrapping.
pounding, folding. weighing, selling
and when evening came he flung him
self on I e ed, worn out with fatigue.
and slei like a dead man until morn.
ing.
That evening he had emptied the sew
enth OF the 6ottlos OF quinine. There
remained only three-that Is TO say. one
for the store and three for the custom
ers. Lut atterward-
Ne { night he was too much excited
TO 90 to see He dreamed antastieal
drea ns-dreams Of the marriage feast
at ( ana, dreams Of the multiplication
OF loaves and fishes. The were only
two bottles left. he slept badly.
The following day the business was
tremen ious. cut OF bis TIL bottles
there remained Just sIA-two had beer
emptied during the day. Well, at that
rate he could hold out Just fifteen days
more. But after the fifteen days p
after another fifteen days'-what then
he san to sleep resigned-resolved TO
leave the rest to Providence.
One Tuesday evening, tho wife was
taking an evening walk in the little vii.
lage OF Curepipe, while the colored nurse
followed with the little boy. assing by
a cab she suddenly heard n sound of
passionate weeping; she was brave and
went in. Sad sightl Lying on a miser-
able bed was a young girl of Is,
with eyes staring wildly iuto
vacancy, nostrils dilated, teeth clenched,
all motionless and Icy cold. Beside the
ted knelt an old woman, crying aloud
and wringing her hands in despair. II
seemed they had both been rash enough
to visit Port Louis the 9 ening before.
and the little one must have caught the
fever ihere-she was going TO die, "Ah,
God ah, God OH kind God ha Q pity
on us"
Courageously the lady visitor put her
hand in her pocket the h,e packages of
q~uinine were still there. She took out
two. Some one in Heaven saw her do
1t. She poured some water into an old
broken cup that the aged woman gave
her; she forced open the teeth Of the
dying child and made her drink.
When she came back after dinner the
young girl Was perspiring and sleeping
comfortably. ednesday and Thurs
day the lady brought two more pack
ages Of quinine. Her husband was TO
come on sunday, and he never travelled
without q%uinine.
ut in thu night she heard her little
boy begin TO moan. The cradle lay
within arms reach; she put out her
Another Life saved.
Chamberlain Collie, Cholen and
H. IL - - III.