CURES WHICH WERE NOT APPRECIATED.

Cromwell Argus, Volume XXX, Issue 1514, 17 May 1898, Page 7

CURES WHICH WERE NOT APPRECIATED.

One fine day a poor man might have beeni Been seated on tho Pont-Roynl in I'aris, waiting for alms. The passers-by were bestowing their money liberally, when a handsome carriage stopped near the beggar, and a celebrated oculist stepped out. He went up to the blind inn.ii, examined his eyeballs, and said : " Uume wiih mo ; 1 will restore your sight." The beggar e.beyed ; the operation was successful, »nd I he journals were filled with prxises of the doctor'* skid and philanthropy. The exblind men subsisted for some time on a i mall buui of money which his benefactor had given bim ; aud when it was spent he returned to his former post on the Font-Royal. Scarcely, however, had he resumed his usual appeal, when a, policeman laid his hand upon him, and ordered him to desist, on paiw of being taken up. M You mistake," said the mendicant, producing a paper ; •' here is my legal licence to beg, gr&nt! d by the. magistrates." ■' Stuff," said the official ; " this licence is for a blind man. ond you seem to enjoy excellent fright." Our l»t>ro, in tiespair, ran to tho oculist's house, intending to seek e-omuensatioo. for the doubtful benefit conferred on him ; but tho man of science had gone on tour, and the aggrieved man found himself compelled to adept the hard alternative of working for hia support, and abandoning the easy life of a profe«sed beggar. Some ytais »inco there appeared on the boards of a Parisian theatre an excellent and much-applauded comic actor, who, like many a wiser man before him, fell deeply in love with a beautiful girl, and wrote to offer her hi» hi-nd, heart, tn.l yearly salary. A Oat refusal was returned. Our poor actor rivalled his comrade, the head tragedian of t!:e company, in lis despair ; but when, after a time, his excitemmt coded down, he despatched a friend. a tiusty envoy, with a commission to try and soften the htrd-keatUd beauty. Abe !it was in v:in. " dons not like you," said tho candid ambassador ; " she says you are ugly ; that your eyes f lighten her; and. besides, she is about to be married to a j oung man whom she 11)vejs." Ftush exclamations of despair from our friend. " Come." said his friond, after musing for a whilp, " you mu.sn't ttiko is too seriously ;if thia marriage be, as I suspect, all a chain, jui may have her yet." " Explain ymi!srlf." •• You know you Lave a frightful Bquint Y" •• I know it." " Scicuoe will remove that defect by an easy and almost painless operation.' No sooner said than done. lie underwent tho operation for strabismus, aud it succeeded perfectly. His eyes were now straight and handsome. But the marriage, nfier all, was no sliam —the lady became another's, and the poor actor was forced to seek for consolstion in the exercise of his profession. Ho was to appear in his best character. The curtain rose, and loud hissing saluted him. "Samuel!" " Where is Samuel?"' "We want Samuel 1" was vociferated by pit and gallery. When silence was partly restored, the actor, advenced to the foot-I'ghts, and said : " Here I am, gentlemen ; I am Samuel." " Out with the imposter i" was the cry, and sucb a tumult arose that the unlucky actor was forced to fly from the stage. He had lost the groti sque expression, the comic mesk, which used to set the house in a roar ; he could no longrr appear in Lis favourite characters. The operation for strabismua had changed his destiny ; ho was unfitted for tragedy, and was forced, after a time, to take the most insignificant paits, whioh barely afforded him a scanty sub-ditence. •« Let well alone " is » wise admonition j •• Let bad aloue " may sometimes be wiser.