Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1901-08-17

THE OFFICE.
Mostly that he could not fail to over
hear what they were saying.
fought for 80 minutes was the
first thing that caught his ear, land
when I landed him he weighted four
pounds and half"
Large mouth?" inquired the sec
oud youth.
mo, indeed. He had small mouth
and the gamiest fish I ever got
hook into
when are you going up?" asked
the first man.
"I'm going on Wednesday evening
to spend four days. You see, Thurs
days Memorial day, and we close at
noon on Saturday anyway, so I'll only
lose a day and half, and I can get
four days good fishing out of it,
That evening when Elliot got home
he took down the big tin box which
contained his fishing tackle and over
hauled its contents. There was a de-
,lightful memory in every reel and
spoon hook. He oiled up his favorite
multiplier and fitted together his pet
bamboo casting rod. His wife had to
call him several times to come to din
ner, and when he came she noticed
that he seemed to eat with better
appetite.
"How do you feel tonight, Will
1iam?" she asked.
Il believe I feel a little better,''
he. said. "The doctor says he thinks
I need out-of-door exercise, and I
think I'll stop in the morning on my
way downtown and make a few casts
at the pool in Garfield park. But he
couldn't decide what was the matter
with me. I'm to see him again in a
week"
But when Elliot got to his office
shortly before noon the next day he
seemed to have suffered a relapse.
He had spent an hour casting a rub
Der frog at the pool in Garfield park
and there was an unnatural color in
his cheeks. He was even more dis
traught and nervous than before, and
several times during the afternoon
he got up from the desk, and, seiz-
ing the light bomboo rod by the butt,
made vicious lunges about the Office
with it and then smiled complacent1y
to himself. His partner looking on
in wonder half questioned whether
or not poor Elliot was mentally af-
fected.
Elliot left the office early and Wis
tied a big downtown fish market,
where he bought half a dozen black
bass, an eight-pound pickerel and
''mess of croppies." When Mrs Ell
hot demonstrated with her husband
for bringing home such a wholesale
supply of fish he was inclined to be
angry.
"You know well enough he said,
'that I have no appetite. I can't eat
a thing, and I'm losing flesh. You
ought to be glad if I can find some
thing which appeals to me. You seem
to think there's nothing the matter
with me. But I know I'm in a serious
condition. I'm nervous and restless.
I've lost interest in my business, and
the doctor is utterly unable to dag
nose the case. And here you are
kicking because bring home a few
fish. You ought to be ashamed of
yourself. Now let's have the crop
pies fried for breakfast don't sup
pose they'll taste like anything-and
the pickerel baked for dinner
When Elliot went to the doctor the
second time he felt that he was fast
going into a decline. The physician
listened to him and then made
thorough and searching examination.
Its strange, Elliot" he said, final
1y, "but 1 can't tell for the life of me
what's the matter with you. You are
certainly suffering from an extreme
ly obscure disease. I'll give you a
tonic, and I want you to telephone
me as soon as you notice any new
symptoms"
The next day was the Wednesday
before Memorial day, and when Ell
lot got to his Office he found among
the mail on his desk somewhat dirty
end rumpled letter which was post