The Press., 1898-09-01
IA DOCTORS OFFER.

had studied long and hard, but in Cu- | tcnguano, where he had settled, no one hhd faith in him. Meeting him always With @ book in his hand, the Cucugu- anese said:
 always studying. If he studies so much, | 1t means he has need to learn; if he needs to learn, it means he does not know; if he does not know, he is an ig- noramus.
 I A doctor without patients is like @ lamp without oil. Without other re- sources, forced therefore to earn liv- ing by hook or by crook, up to this time the poor devil had not been able to pay even for the water he drank. He decid- ed there would have to be a change, so one day he managed to spread abroad through all Cucuguano the report that his science was so sublime and all pow erful that not only could he heal the sick-mere child's play-but raise the dead as we'll; miracle of God, surely. And this miracle he promised to per- form openly in broad day in the grave yard amid the multitude.
 Few gave credence to the report, yet even the incredulous said: "We will let him attempt it anyhow. Let's see him at work-the proof of the pudding is the eating. He may succeed-he reads so much, and nowadays such won- derful discoveries are being made. If he succeeds, we will applaud him; if not, we will hiss him out of the countryside. Let him bring man to life again and we will say he is the cleverest doctor we have ever had.'
 Finally it was settled that on the fol lowing Sunday, at the stroke of noon in the cemetery of Cucuguano the doctor would raise man from the dead-nine or ten, some old women went so far as 1 to say.
 That Sunday, long before noon, the graveyard was as jammed as is the church on Holy Easter day. True to his word, on the second stroke of the bell tappeared the doctor, all in black. He allowed his way to the steps of the cen- Kal cross There he saluted the crowd,
 pak on the ground, blew his nose and heean:
 sMy dear friends, I have promised to
 1ng one of your dead back to life I Aisz.s6sEd to keep my word Be silent and hearken to me. It will cost me abso- lutely no effort to raise from the tomb Giascomo or Giovanni, Nannina or Betta, Amadeo or Simone. Shall I raise Simone? Simone-what was his last name? Simone Capannaro, who died of pleurisy a year ago9"
 Excuse me, signor dottore," said Oaterina, poor Simone's widow. Ger tainly he was a fine fellow He made h as long as I have eyes for tears. But, pray, do not bring him back; for, you see, toward the end of the month I'm to put off mourning, and, to please my family, I'm to marry Pasqualone. The banns are already published, and I've accepted the presents.
 "You did we'll to tell me, Caterina Then will raise Nina Carota, who died Candlemas day"
 "For heavens sake, signor dottore i'' cried Giacomo Carota "Nina was my wife; we lived together ten years-ten years of purgatory, as all Cucuguano knows. Let her stay where she is, for her rest and mine. What a peppery temper, doctori Obstinate as a mule, lazy and quarrelsome and slovenly and raggedi And that is not all. Wasteful, and 8 tongue-a viper's tongue-that would have set St. Joseph to quarreling with the Madonna. might add But that's better left unsaid.
 i "Yet, my dear fe1low''-
 Excuse me for interrupting, signor dottore. A new. broom sweeps clean. Nina left me three brats, who certainly do not take after their father, and as I I oil hox ried again; so you see 1t is useless" "Well and good. I can conceive 1t would be martyrdom to have two wives in the house. One is more than enough sometimes Then whom shall restore to you, my dear people? must find some one. How about Master Pietro?' | "Ah, my poor fatheri' cried a voice. May God rest his soul. A good man was he But don't bring him back, pray, doctor. He who wished so much to see us a united family would be heartbroken to find our affairs in such @ muddle. After @ dozen lawsuits the six of us-four sons and two daughters have finally divided the property into six little strips. Each of us has swarm of children, each of us has to shift for himself. There is not one of us who has anything to spare"
 "So it cannot be?''
 "No. If you should bring him back, we would have to make up little in- come for him among us all. Only the times are so hard, doctor, you know. The sillzworms don't hatch we'll, no1 spin when they do; the vines are dis. eased, the grain is thin, the olives are wormy, there is no rain, the taxes are heavy''- s-s-4. ! Enough. we will let Master Pietre