The daily Alaskan., 1915-05-05
CURED BY A LAUGH
1t Was a Hearty One and Better
 Than a Dose of Medicine.
A STORY ABOUT A LECTURE.

It Ought to Have Been Funny and
 Seemed at the Time to Be Funny and
 Yet Afterward There Was Grave
 Doubt as to Whether It Was or Not.
 "Whats your book?" Squire Dumont asked or a ueighbor as they sat wait ing their turn in the village barber shop.
 "TnnocentS Abroad by Mark Twain" was the reply. 'I just got it out of the library. I suppose you would call 1t pretty light reading"
 You needn't be a bit ashamed of 1t, Mir. Pinkham." said the squire, heart fly. Its a book that has done q lot of good. It has made thousands of peo- pie laugh. and a good laugh is often better than a dose of medicine"
 i've seen that proved" said MT, Pinkham. q went to hear Mark Twain lecture once," he added, with a reminiscent chuckic.
 You don't say soT exclaimed the squire. q never had that pleasure myself. It must have been q great treat"
 "Ycs, it was. I'm great admlrer of Mark Twain and have been for years. 1 had always wanted to see and hear him. and when I saw in n Port land paper that he was to lecture there on a certain evening 1t came over me that that was my lime to go. and hear him.
 T had just lost n lawsuit, and my wife was away from home with a sick sister l was pretty blue and lone some and felt the need of being cheer ed up.
 q took the afternoon train, calculat- ing to get to my cousin Jim's in time for supper and then go to the lecture. But, as tuck. would have 1t, a freight train had been wrecked near Bruns- wick, and we never got into Portland until s o'clock. However, hurried to the hall and paid my way in and got good seat right up in front l had missed some of the lecture, but l was thankful to get what was left It wasn't so much what he said, though. as the way he said it that tiCkled me. I laughed more that night than l had for a year.
 "Wel, after the lecture was over made my way to my cousin Jim's. He has means, and they live in some style, but I got a cordial welcome. Clara, his wife. told me that I couldn't see Jim that night. He was poorly. and she was q good deal worried ahout him. But while We were talking he found out was there and sent for me to come to his room. never saw any one more in the dumps than he was. ] guess hc complained steady for as much as half an hour. He was a very sick man. He didn't relish his victuals, and what he did eat distressed him. Night after night he got hardly wink ot sleep. and nothing interested him any more. Moreover. what the Doctor gave him didn't do mite of good. It was pitiful to hear him 90 on Finally he asked mc how l happened to be In Portland.
 "'So you came up to hear Mark Twain?' says he. and his face bright ened up. Did you like himT says he, and I said, Of course did
 "'Now tell me honestly says he, was that lecture as funny as you ez- pected|
 "'Well. says |. it was funny, of course. and I guess when I have had chance to think it over it will seem funnier Put there were parts of 1t that didn't seem SO dreadful funny
 Then all at once Jim fell back in his chair and began to choke, and for a minute l WAS scared As soon as he cnulI snpHk ho S1vS That wasn't Mark
 A AA,