Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-02-04
DAILY SHORT STORY
An Urbane Man.

man Dy man realize tnat JOnn HICKS
stands alone at the head. There We're
various rumors as to Hicks former
avOcation before he reached Sandy
Cove and opened drugstore. 1t was
said that he had been a blacksmith at
Turkey Bend. Il stage driver on the
Pine Hill route and Il shyster lawyer
over at Lame Mans Valley. but it was
against custom to question man per-
sonally.
1t was with our best wishes that Mr..
Hicks bought out the two drugstores
and made a consolidation and opened
business. For few days the three
doctors were a little shy of him. but
after discovering that he knew no more
about drugs than they did about medi-
cine they naturally "cottOned'' up and
made a strong quartet. Luck must
have been with these doctors for the
preceding six months. as no patients
had died on their hands, but things
were different soon after Mr.. Hicks
opened up. \ miner named John Shine
wanted some Quinine, and three hours
after taking a dose he was dead. The
news was borne to the druggist, and
there was n cloud of sorrow on his
brow and n lump OF pathos in his
throat as he said:
REALLY, gentlemen. but l am grieved
to hear 1t, much grieved. 1t may be
possible that l gave him arsenic or
strychnine. as 1 was busy at the time
and my bottles were not labeled, but
If so hope the public will excuse me.
Poor man, 1 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 Il row about 1t.
The doctor laid it on the druggist, and
the druggist met the kickers with:
Really, now, but I'm sorry such Il
thing should have occurred, very sorry.
The prescription called for only two
ingredients, but as the patient has
been my friend 1 threw in two or three
more to prove my appreciation. Con-
vey to him my sincere regards and as
sure him that my object was in every
sense a worthy one.
1t was an open question with the pub
lie at Rocky Bend rs to whether the
doctors or the druggist knew most
about drugs, but it was not an open
question with Mr.. 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.
4 Chinaman was taken ill, and one
of the doctors prescribed calomel.
Death followed the dose in a few
hours, and certain people who were
down on the doctor began to talk. He
cleared his skirts, and when they came
to Mr.. Hicks that urbane and sympa-
thetic druggist rubbed his right hand
over his left and mournfully exclaimed:
"Ah, another soul has assembled to
heaven from Rocky Bend. Gentlemen,
l grieve. Yes, l really grieve. No. it
is not DIR. Whites fault. His prescrip-
ton called for calomel; but. knowing
that his practice among the heather
had been very limited, took the liber-
ty of changing it to morphine. Nor
phine always pulls Chinaman through
any sort of sickness, and how this fell
low came to die is a puzzle. Gentle
men, please bear my coincidence TO his
friends AID assure them that / felt
was acting for the best
We didn't exactly know what to do
with Mr.. Hicks. In three months he
made about twenty plumbers, half of
them fatal, and the only Offset was
that he neither lied nor sought to ex-
cuse himself He finally got morphine
and quinine mixed up again and caused
the death of Sam Barlow, and the
mayor of the camp felt it his duty to
go over to the store and say:
Look here, Hicksl You've killed an
other man."
But with the best of intentions. as
sure you," replied the urbane Hicks.
Darn your intentionsI Didn't Sam
Barlow send for quinineT'
"He surely did,
"And you must have sent him NOR
phine in place of it."
VERY likely, as the two bottles stand
side by side and are not labeled. Yes.
1 must have sent him morphine, and, as
he was a good customer, 1 gave down
weight. Please bear to his surviving
friends my assurance that
"But this has got to stopT' yelled the
mayor.
Eyes; it 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 syInpathies.'
We gave him one more chance. For
three or four weeks all went well. Then
he mixed things on the boss again, and
he was taken out and suspended to
Smb and his estate parceled out for the
benefit of the ailing community.
Gentlemen" he said as he stood
with the moose around his neck, Il
thank you for having selected such
beautiful day In some way or other