The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1905-12-13
MY
STRANGE
PATIENT.
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.

About two years ago there came TO
me tall, handsome fellow, who gave
the name of Mr. George Griffiths. He
had q fearless eye, cheerful, even
genial, expression, a well-molded,
aauiline nose, and splendid mustache
trimmed and tended, evidently, with
ecrlfpulous care. There was no OBJ
vious reason, certainly, why he should
require my services. There was no
possibility of making him better-look-
ting.
81 hear that you are a specialist in
dermatology," he began, after | had
STeeted him with the usual formality.
/ admitted the soft impeachment.
WELL" he went on, 81 want you to
perform a surgical feat on me. | want
my nose altered"
expressed SURPRISE and assured him
shat, in my humble opinion, his nose
was best let alone. But he disputed
this proposition, and insisted that he
had reason for being weary OF the
aquiline, and for craving a proboscis
nature had endowed him. See my cur
Iosity, and possibly not wishing to be
deemed a madman, he proceeded to ex
plain them to me-
after several years roughing it in
Texas" he said, 81 have come back
rich, and there is nothing to prevent
my enjoying myself but the pestering
attentions of relatives whom | had
hoped to have done with forever when
] went away. But | cannot escape
them or their opportunities, and so,
however eccentric you may think me,
! must enlist your services. | pre-
sumo there is no danger in the opera
tion?"
mo danger replied, accepting his
explanation as that of an eccentric
man, whose affairs, after all, were no
business of mine, 'and very little pain
practically none, in fact. But you
must keep indoors for a few days after
II is over. When and where shall
call upon you?"
Gould you not operate here, and
now" he asked
Impossible. Your journey home
would not be without great risk"
But could | not stay here? Could
you not accommodate me for the short
time necessary? Doctor, can pay you
literally for the service. Consider; if
go home, my identity would be again
revealed to those from whom | desire
to conceal it."
This speech, one would have thought,
would have aroused my suspicion, but
1t did not. The mans frank and open
expression disarmed me entirely, and
] could but look upon him as | had
done previously, simply as an eccen-
trio individual. 1t so happened that |
had spare room. | could not regard
the question of remuneration with
indifference, and so, to cut long story
short, l consented.
For the purpose OF more conyen-
aently operating, I suggested, some
what timidly, the sacrifice of his beau
uful mustache. To my surprise, he
assented eagerly, and was for the ap-
plicat1on OF scissors and razor forth
with. You would scarcely credit the
difference the removal of this artistic
hirsute appendage-"the crop of many
years. as he jokingly described it
made to my patient. 1t displayed what
mad been concealed before, his mouth,
and the sinister expression of this was
such as to effectually nullify the honest
geniality of his face. In fact the re-
moval OF his mustache constituted as
promptly told him, a sufficient dis
Suise to battle any number of inouisi
nve relatives. But he insisted on the
nasal operation nevertheless.
Well, l performed it, and when
ten days later, Mr.. George Griffiths
left my house, with nothing but a
rapidly healing and almost invisible
scar to blemish the straight nose
which now adorned his face. | would
have wagered my case of instruments
to ten-cent knife that the most obser
want of his previous acquaintances
would never have recognized him.
About a week after my eccentric pa
tents departure, the particulars, SO
far as they are known, of a remarkably
brutal murder were made public The
body of lady named Bates, evidently
stabbed to death, had been discovered
IN house in Mott Haven suburb,
where she had resided with her hus-
band. who had now disappeared, and
whose likeness and description were
now freely circulated by the police. A
brief amount of attention to these pub
iished details was sufficient to convince