The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1891-01-22
A KIND.AEARTeO DRUGGIST.
Mark Twain Tells an Interesting Story
of Him.

Mark Twain was present at the
banquet of the National Wholesale
Druggists Association at its recent
meeting in Washington. and in return
for his dinner related the following
story. given in the Pharmaceutical Era:
About thousand years ago approx
imately, | was apprenticed as print
cr's devil to learn the trade, in COM
mon with three other boys of about
| my own age. There came to the viii
lage long-legged Individual of about
| nineteen. from one of the interior
counties; tish-eyed. no expression, and
without the suggestion of n smile
| couldn't have smiled for salary. We
| took him for fool. and thought we
would try to scare him to death.
We went to .he village druggist and
| borrowed a skeleton. The skeleton
didn't belong to the druggist. but he
had imported it for the village doctor.
because the doctor thought he would
send away fer it, having some delicacy
about using Uaughter.) The
price of the skeleton at that time was
$50. don't know how high they 60
| now, but probably higher. on account
of the tariff. Uaughter.)
We borrowed the skeleton about 9
| o'clock at night, and we got this man
-Nicodemus Dodge by name-we got
him down town out of the way, and
| then we put the skeleton in his bed.
He lived in little one-storied log
cabin in the middle of a vacant lot.
We left him to get home by himself.
| We enjoved the result in the light of
anticipation; but by and by we began
TO drop into silence; the possible con-
sequences were preying upon us.
Suppose that il frightens him into
Madness overturns his reason and
sends him screeching through the
streets! We shall spend sleepless
was afraid. By and by it was forced
to the lips of one of us that we had bet
ter go at once and see what had hap
peued. Loaded down with crime, we
approached that hut and peeped
| through the window. That long
legged critter was sitting On his bed
with hunk of gingerbread in his
/ hand, and between the bites he played
a tune on jew's-harp. There he sat
perfectly happy, and all around him
on the bed were toys and jinl-cracks
and striped candy. The darned cuss,
| he ifad gone and sold that skeleton for
s.. Uaughter.)
The druggists fifty-dollar skeleton
was gone. We went in tears to the drug
gist and explained the matter. We
| couldn't have raised $50 in $50 years.
We were getting board and clothing
for the first year, clothing and board
for the second year and both of them
for the third year. But the druggist
forgave lis on the spot. but he said he
would like us to let him have our
skeletons when we were done with
them. There couldn't be anything
fairer than that; we spouted our skele-
tons and went away uncomfortable.
But from that time the druggists pros
perity ceased.
That was one of the most unfortun-
ate speculations he ever went into.
After some years one of the boys went
and got drowned; that WAS one skele-
ton gone, and tell you the druggist
felt pretty badly about it. A few years
after another of the boys went up in
balloon. He was to get s. an hour for
it. When he gets back they will be
owing him $1,000 600. The druggists
property was decreasing right along.
After few more years the third
boy tried an experiment to see if
dynamite charge would 60. 1t went,
all right. They found some of him.
PERHAPS Il sest-pocketful; still it was
enough to show that some more of
that estate had gone. The druggist
was getting along III years, and he COM
menced TO correspond with ne. | have
been the best correspondent he has.
He is tie sweetcst-naturad man | ever
saw; always mild and polite, aud nev-
er wants 10 hurry me at ALL
| Get Il letter from him every now and
then and he never refers to my form
as Il skcleton; he says. We'll, how is
it getting along-is it in good rcpair?
got niglit-rate message from him
recently-said that he was getting old
and the property was deprcciating in
value, and if | could let him have Il
part of it now he would give time on
the balance. Uaughter). Think of
the graceful way in which lie does
vcrything-the generosity of it all.
You cannot find finer character than
that. 1t is the gracious characteristic
of all druggists. So. out OF my heart,
wish you all prosperity and every
happiness"