The daily morning Alaskan., 1903-04-05

made strong quartet LUCK uluNl have been with these doctors for the preceding six months, as no pauenta had died on their hands. but things were different soon after Mir. Hicks opened up \ miner named John Shine wanted some Qulnine, and three hours after taking a dose he was dead. The news was borne to the druggist, and there was a cloud of sorrow on h!s brow and lump of pathos In his throat as be said:
 Really, gc.lemen, but am grieved 10 hear jt. much gricvcd. It may be possible hat gave him arsenic or >trychnine. as was busy at the time and my bottles were not labeled, but lr so hope the public will excuse me. Poor man! hope he did not go out of the world blaming me"
 A few days later one Of the doctors sent in a prescription for fever, which nearly killed the patient, and some of the sick mans friends were pigheaded enough to want to raise row about lt. The doctor laid it on the druggist, and the druggist met the klckers with;
 Really. now. but I'm sorry such a thing should have occurred, very sorry The prescription called for only two ingredients, but as the patient has been my friend l threw In two or three more to prove my appreciation. Con- vcy Co hin my sincere regards and as- sure him hat my object was in every sense a worthy one"
 It was En open question with the pub lie at Rocky Bend as to whether tho doctors CT the druggist knew most about drugs, but 1t was not an open question with Mfr. Hicks He knew that he could give the three pointers all day long and far Into the night, and he soon displayed his willingness to do it.
 A ChinRman was taken m, and one of the doctors prescribed calomel Death followed the dose fin a few hours. and certain people who were down on the doctor began to talk. He cleared his skirts, and when they came to Mir. Hicks that urbane and sympa- thetic druggist rubbed his right hand over his left and mournfully exclaimed:
 "Ah. another soul has ascended to heaven from Rocky Bend. Gentlemen, grieve. Yes. really gricve. No it is not pr. Whites fault His prescrlp- tion called for calomel; but, knowing that his practice among the heather had been very limited. took the fiber. ty of changing 1t to morphine. Nor phine always pulls Chlnaman through any sort Of sickness. and how this fel- low came to die is a puzzle. Gentle men, please bear my cOndolence to hls friends and assure them that felt I was acting for the best"
 We didn't exactly know what 10 do with Mir. Hicks. In three months he made about twenty blunders, half Of them fatal, and the only offset was that he neither lied nor sought to e1' cuse himself. He finally got morphine and quininc mixed up again and caused the death of sam Barlow, and the mayor of the camp felt 1t bis duty to go over to the store and say:
 Look here, Hicks! You've killed an. other man"
 But with the best of intentions, as. sure you," replied the urbane Hicks.
 "Darn your intentions! Didn't Sam Barlow send for QuinineT
 "He surely did"
 And you must have sent him nor phlne in place Of it."
 "very likely, as the two bottles stand side by side and are not labeled. Yes, l must have sent him morphine, and, as he was a good customer, I gave down weight Please bear to his surviving friends my assurance that
 "But this has got to stop" yelled the mayor.
 "Yes; 1t ought to stop"
 "You evidently know nothing about drugs"
 Next to nothing, but in case of any death through my ignorance shall al- ways stand ready to tender my heart felt sympathles."
 We gave him one more chance. For three or four weeks an went we'll Then he mixed things on the boss again, and he was taken out and suspended to a limb and his estate parceled out for the benefit of 1he alling community.
 "Gentlenen," he said as he stood with the moose around his neck. 'I thank you for having selected such a beautiful day. In some way or other I have caused the death of about dozen people and had about decided to sell out and 60 to freightinG hay - but please don't allow anything to inter rupt the proceedings. To the dead l extend my sympathies; to the living, my congratulations. May now TOu. ble you to kick the barrel from under my feet and bring this affair to an endT
 The barrel was kicked, and John Hicks went hence to return no more and when we had had time to think over his urbane way we felt sure that 1t had gained him entrance Into a bet ter land NJ. QUAD.