Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-12-21
BEHIND THE SCREEN.
Human Nature as Observed by the Man
With the Pestle.

The druggist was behind the stained-glass
screen putting up prescriptions. His assistant
had gone to supper and he was alone working
with the mortar and pestle and marble and
knife, scraping. grinding and mixing as fast as
he could while a customer waited. The front
door opened with a sharp click and lady hur-
ried in. She looked in the candy case, the
cigar case, and leaned her hand on the case Of
toilet articles, while she raped on the glass
sharply and stamped on the floor with her
French heels Then she peeped through the
prescription screen. Then she pounded on the
floor with both feet, at the same time pound
ing the marble counter with a package she
found at hand. She was in hurry. But the
druggist was in hurry, too; his knife scraped
more quickly on the king marble. but he did
not come from behind the screen. Directly
the lady, raising her voice to an angry pitch,
called out:
on me?'
I'm a moment;i in moment" came the voice
from behind the screen. and the mixing went
on at double quick. Two minutes later the
druggist came from behind his screen wiping
the perspiration from his forehead.
Give ME Is cents worth then the voice
sank to whisper the lady leaned far over
the counter. The druggist reached up on the
shell where the wnisky Tor medicinal purposes
stands, and poured out a small quantity of that
liquid in phial. Then he fastened to finish
his prescription The lady put the bottle in
her mutt. and began leisurely to look over the
soaps and perfunerv tied up in yellow and
blue ribbons for Christmas. After spending
hve or ten minutes in this pleasing occupation
she went slowly out, and still more slowly down
the street, stopping to look in the windows on
the way
The druggist drew long breath as he
wrapped up the prescriptions. Il presume"
ne SAID to STAR reporter, who was sitting
In the store, there is never any one who
comes into drug store who is not in hurry
lhey all come in as ii there was death pend
ing In the family, and demand to be waited on at
once. II they want only a cake of soap or a
tooth brush, 1t must be had al once. This is the
case with women particularly, but there are
lots OF men who are just as bad. woman who
will spend an hour III a dry goods store 70 buy
three-cent package of hair pins will come in
drug store for 10 cents worth OF perfumery
ana order all work OH prescriptions 20 stop I'M
III she gets II. Sometimes man will come in
Tor cigar and make a great ,uss until he gets
1t. Then he will sit down quietly and smoke il
or go out and talk to a friend in front of the
door for half and hour.
The other morning had just go. out Of bed
ana was washing my face, having unlocked the
mont door first. Just rs i had my head in the
water man came in she store iii It great hurry
ana called out TCr some one to wait Oh him.
SAID would be there in a Inoment--as soon as
! could dry my face. He coald not wait
patiently. but began to grumble. l hurried out
with the water dripping off the end of my
nose and running III cod currents down the
Lack OF my neck. The man wanted postage
he did: He got a very forcloie expression OF
OpiniDn oI him .