THE KOCH CRAZE.

Bruce Herald, Volume XXII, Issue 2263, 8 May 1891, Page 6

THE KOCH CRAZE.

AS AMUSING SIiSADVENTTJBE

A little while ago the resident doctor of the little Polish towtf of Pabiania T^ceiyfejij a /teljegrpqi from Berlin, wjth the following, significant words,, ''. Koch, comes immediately^ No sooner had the' youn£ telegraph official spelt ont tnefee '.words than' he left the office to the ' care 0 , , Hf itpelf, and hurr,ied like lightening from house to house to inforni > hi* friends and acquaintances of this great piece of news that Robert Eioch would' ap^eiar in Pahiatiia. ,The news, spread Jikg wjidfire through, the , 'town, and- ,met ; .with all 'the; i more credence 'as i it-was b'nown that Count P.y'who re^ide^m^a splendid castle j 'near Pabiania, wap -.Buffeting, from ;a weak cheat, ,aqdj h^d interested himself; greatly in Koch?s> discovery. It was inferred J that Gaunt P., through the

mediation of Pabiania physipian the had invited Profeßßor Koch : id attend him. - The dever~T)Bopte of considered ii a dii£y ; ab^yiMonour to give the g r eat O-^rman man of science, A worthy; re jeptioa* « ■■•' •-. .v ,[ ." At a meeting 'promptly held 4 ri one of the best resttfuraiils 1 in t\e plape it l^a^rsplemnly respiyetl.to" .receive Jura,, at the entrance of. $he, towa and bo invite him to a splendid 1 banquet. l Thespeeeh of welcome in r the temporary absence "of the ! physiciah," wab entrusted to the apothecary of. the town for delivery in French, or, . if necessary, Latin. The great day arrived: In swallowtails J and white ties, their fur coats thrown lightly over their shoulders, the town dignitaries, under the leadership of the Burgomaster, waited , : on the bi»h road for the coach which jwas to bring the great man from the next railway station. :

At one o'clock the carriage came in sight, aud in it a man with « Q-erman fur cloak. The apothecary, who had gained the nocessary courage by drinking several glasses of home-made brandy, stepped courageous y forward, cleared his throat, and began : —

" H'm, monsieur, j'ai Jl'honneur de vous dire voli bonjour! Hrn, h'm, monsieur! Djminua luqum vincit! Lnpus non esfc in futuro ! "

" Merci ! Merci ! " echoed all the quality of Pibiania.

Meanwhile tbe stranger, much frightened, drew his passport out of his. pocket, and holding ib under the apothecary's nose, made it plain that the new arrival was a new cook from Berlin engaged by Count P. ! The notabilities crept home ashamed ; each one laid the blame on the other, but the telegraph official suffered most. ''Koch" means in German "cook," and the telegraphist had jumped tp erroneous conclusions.