Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-10-24

HEolueu skill, ana called IN consultation
the only Oth"r practitioner in the town,
DIR. Horace -kincaId. or course, as they
were of the same school, and the elder
man was great stickler for the etiquette
OF the profession, the diagnosis of the
case perfectly coincided with that al
ready made by his learned brother, DR..
Ladue, and the course OF treatment was
all that could be desired. 1t was SIM
pie case OF malarial fever. and, OF course,
qulnlne must be the great reliance, etc.,
etc. ,rr s
So Or. Iiadue went on treating his sick
samuel Yardley kept the only drug store
m the town. He was a quiet, courteous
pttle man with deprecatory air-as If be
were always upon the verge OF an apology
Tor the highwayman-like profits OF his
business. People liked him-especlally
the ladies, who said he was $50 nice"-
but he was shy, and made few acquain.
tances except in the way of business.
One evening he had the unexpected
pleasure OF visit from an old friend
whom he had not seen for years, Archie
henfrew. They had been piaymates to-
gether In boyhOod, classmates in college,
ana, though their paths in life had since
then widely diverged, their old friendship
had been kept alive by a few meetings
ana frequent correspondence. Archie
mad, by this time, become reporter on
New FORK newspaper. Business for the
journal by which he was employed had
taken him down south, and, finding him.
sell within hundred miles OF his friend,
with couple of days to spare, he had
made this visit. He was welcomed with
enthusiasm, and that evening the former
cnums sat late together talk ing over old
times. Renfrew had some good cigars in
mis- pocket, and the druggist, in violation
or MS custom, permitted himself the in
diligence OF smoking one or two. Yardlev
had IN large bottle labeled 'Vini CAL
lIcP' t1uld that seemed gratifying to the
reporter. and the druggist himself
smacked his palate it. They sat in a
little back room behind the store.
From time to time patrons dropped in
TO make purchases or to get prescriptions
hlled. but as the hours grew later their
calls were at longer intervals. Each time
when the Druggist came out from the
back room to serve customer he closed
the door behind him. He had just waited
upon an old colOred woman who wanted
"a bottle of anarchy for Mars'r Johnson :
sprained ankle" which he, of course. un
derstood as a demand for arnica rattle :
than anarchy, when DR.. Ladue entered.
''You are keeping open late tonight.
are you not, Mr.. Yardley !" remarked the
doctor, as the colored woman went out.
Yes, a little later than usual, but re-
naming up seems to have saved me from
getting up"
Gas feared my call would require"
"Ah!is Mrs. Ladue wOrse?'
81 can hardly say worse; but-are you
al0ne:"
YES" replied the druggist, thinking
only OF there being nobody nut the doctor
and himself in the store and quite forge t.
ting Renfrew in the back room.
sit seems to me that | smell tobacco.
/ thought you did not smoke, Mr.. Yard
ley
81 very rarely do, but tonight 1 in
dulged myself little"
mo, can hardly say she is worse, :"
said DIR. Ladue, resuming the thread of
conversation about his wife, ''hut she has
| a good deal of nervous excItability and
cannot sleep. L shall have to give her a
sedative."
He was nervous evidently and spoke
with hesitancy.
''BrOm. pot? or chloral?"
"NO. morphine will be better for her."
AS he spoke he stepped to the end of the
| dispensing desk and asked for prescrip-
ton blank. A tall partition of white
| painted glass with a peephole in it's CEN
ire, stood in front OF the desk, at the back
| OF the store. Receiving the bit OF paper
| he wrote:
"Morph. Sulph., grs. X"
The druggist glanced at the prescrip-
tion. put glass weight upon it and
turned to hand down the morphine jar
! from shelf. Then he weighed out the
drug on his delicate scales, folded it up
| neatly in a package, took blank label
| from the label drawer and wrote upon it q.
"Sulphate Of Morphia, 10 grs.;" number
ed and compared the label with the pre-
scription; pasted the former on the
package and went to the counter, at the
side of the store, where the string was
kept, to tie up the little package. DR..
Ladue had watched in silence, with keen
expectancy, his every movement, and the
instant that the druggist went away to
get the string, dld something with his
hands upon the desk, something as noise
less and quick almost as thought, and
then stood quiet and unconcerned in man
ner-waiting and watching.