The daily morning Alaskan., 1902-05-14

"All so to the ball game on me-" Mfr Methuselah repeated.
 "Say 1t again. win your said Billy Reynolds. with hls hand behind his ear.
 "All go to the bah game on me" Mfr. Methuselah reiterated. q hope it's a bargain" he added eagerly.
 "suye thing" said Ed Frost. "Never meanE any oifense, you know. Names are an one to us. Quite as soon call you Mr. James as the other, Mir. Meth-er-Mr. James, I mean"
 Thanks" with evident relief. And you'll join me at the gameT Mir. Methuselah made his exit amid a va ried chorus of Certainly" "of course" !" with pleasure"
 Billy Reynolds was down early next morning. lounging in the window, as usual. with the morning paper He glanced over the upper edge and saw Hardy come in
 "Strikes me. George" said he. that MethuselaA was pretty lively for man just getting over rheumatic fe- yer"
 "AppendicitIs. you mean," Hardy corrected.
 'He told me himself it was rheumat- ic fever" Billy protested.
 "well, he described the rigors of ap- pendlcltls very vlvidly to me-" said Hardy.
 Billy Reynolds gave a low whistle of surprise. ''The old fossll's been strlnging us," said he, "and botching lt like an amateur too"
 Let's find out what he told the oth- CTS" @id Hardy.
 The following day was overcast, and at closing time great sheets of rain were rattllng down. The paying teller had just slipped Into his oyercoat when he found half dozen very solemn faced young men before him.
 eve are here." began Sam Paine as spokesman of the group, "to state few facts as given out by yourself, Mir, Methus-er-James, and to ask you to reconcile them if you will" Paine cleared his throat, and Methuselah, looking very much like an animal at bay. mumbled, "Go on"
 Tt seems" Paine continued. "that while away recently you had a serious attack of appendicitis, according Co your statement to Mir. Harvey, and at the same time you had the misfortune (thls Is what you told Billy Reynolds) to be laid up with rheumatic fever. Moreover. if we are to take Into con slderatlon statements made to Mir. Frost and myself respectively, you suf' fered the pangs of heart failure and were threatened with pneumonia of the right lung. We want to congratu- late you on a constitution which could bring you safely through these compli- cations. But, with Rll these Ills your aesh was heir to. you enjoyed im- mensely a hunting trip in the Adiron- dacks (remember what you told NIT. Clark), and. although you spent the en- NlLt NMN MNNhn AANAN AAAAia ANAA ID AANtA Mir. Gray), it did not deter you from passing a most delightful fortnight at old Orchard. Pardon us lt we question how you managed"
 At first Mir. Methuselah's face was a study of wrath. Then his eyes roved about wildly. as if he were contemplat- Ing flight. At the end of the speech he leaned against the wall. white and shaken.
 IF he began. "It's none of your confounded buslnessp he blurted out He turned on his heel and angrlly snatched the cover from his umbrella. As he did so a stream of small white kernels fell to the floor.
 Rice, by Jovew some one gurgled. On one side Mir. Methuselah and on the other the group of a half dozen stood staring stupidly at the white grains, Ed Frost was the first to rise to the situation. He stepped forward, slipping hls arm through Mir. Methuselah's, and as he led him away he told the boys over his shoulder that he knew a quiet place down the street.