The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-01-24

l ilSNN OA Ntit SONGinOT Ol tue lllipbih09 and invited him to her house for dinner. There he met her brother, who seemed 1 immensely struck with his wit, and pre- dieted great success for him. They showed l Gil Bias to his room with great honors and many bows. When he awoke next morning his thousand ducats were gone. 1 So was the niece of the governor of the Philippines. So was his servant.
 Somewhat shaken in his estimation of l himself as a man of the world. Gil Bias almost had determined to fall back on his l learning after all. when he met an old friend, Fabricio, the son of Nunez, the barber of Oviedo Fabricio was a lackey, and he had prospered so greatly that Gil Bias succumbed to his arguments and became a lackey also.
 He entered the service of the celebrated Dr. Sangrado, tall, cadaverous scientist who had kept deaths scythe restlessly busy for more than 40 years in Valla- dolid. The notaries of the town com plained bitterly that his treatment had such prompt results that they rarely could get to the sufferers bedside in time to draw up the will
 His method was a miracle of simplicity. He bled his patients steadily as they grew worse, and he confined their diet and drink to water with which he deluged them inwardly. He promised to teach Gil Bias, and intrusted him with the duty of keeping the register of patients. Gil Bias soon began to feel like clerk in a post ing office who writes down the names of departing passengers; for almost all the persons registered in Dr. Sangrado's book were booked for the other world His register was, indeed, a bill of mortality.
 The treatment being so simple, Gil Bias was able to practice it very soon, instead of being forced to spend years in studying the intricate and unintelligible branches of medicine considered necessary by other physicians pr. sangrado thereupon turned over to him those cases to which he could not attend himself, and per mitted him to keep one-quarter of the fees that he collected. This suited Gil Bias very well, since he retained one third of the fees before he turned any over to his master Thus" thought he, If arithmetic is truly honest. I get one half the fees"
 : A sickly season made prosperity for them. Smallpox and a malignant fever kept them so busy that they We're saved from succumbing to overwork only by the fact that their patients generally died be- fore their third visit. Gil Bias, who was h tc rnnrdpr- ing. asked Dr. Sangrado if it would not be well to try another method of treat ment; but the doctor had written book in which he proved that blood letting and water drinking were the only cures for everything. Therefore he could not afford to change his treatment, and Gil Bias and his master continued their practice till they made as many widows and orphans in six weeks as the siege of Troy.
 One day wealthy young widow became his patient, which was no less unfortun- ate for Gil Bias than for her. She went the way of all his patients As she had been just about to marry gentleman who loved her fortune no less than her self, the cheated gallant tried to pay the unskillful doctor in full with six inches of cold steel. Gil Bias hastily discarded his physician's gown, garbed himself in his blue velvet suit and fled from Valla- dolid that night.
 He made his way to Madrid, where he continued his career as lackey. His first master was a Casullian, who was so immensely lazy that he would not even manage his estates, and therefore turned them all into cash, which he kept in a great chest, so that he could take a handful every day.
 His next master was young dandy, whose greatest delight was to compete with others of his kind in boasting of his love affairs. He conceived the ingenious idea of having Gil Bias forge love letters from all the rich beauties of Madrid. Gil Bias was kept busy every day writing new missives couched in flaming language which the dandy read to his friends to their mingled astonshment and envy. Unfortunately, a gentleman of a differ ent type happened to be present one day Very quietly he declared that the letters were no doubt forgeries and that Don Matthias was no doubt precious rascal The two retired with their swords and the stranger reinforced his remarks, If he did not exactly prove them, by dexterousy passing his weapon through the young boaster.
 Gil Bias, deeply grieved at this tragic result, for which he largely was respon- sible. hastened home as soon as he was s1ra Dop Mathais was dead and yathered up all his property, packing much of his masters in with his own, in his natural hurry and excitement.
 Gil Bias now became steward for an actress, and saw still more of life and merriment. One day he had sudden at tack of repentance. It lasted long enough to give him time for flight. and he took service in house after house. but failed to make his fortune anywhere. When ever he amassed some pistoles and doub- looms, by hook or crook, someone else always succeeded by hook or crook in relieving him.
 Finally he decided to go to Aragon. On the way he was lucky enough to aid a young nobleman, Don Alfonso, who had been outlawed because he had killed a man in a duel. Gil Bias helped him in his flight from the police and they fell in with two cheerful vaga bonds whose ami able weakness for swinding had made it necessary for them also to hide from the alguazila.
 While they were lying concealed in the mountains they saw some robbers attack