24 
THE  DRUG  BUSTNESS  IN  SWEDEN. 
behind  it  stand  two  or  three  or  four  gentlemen,  weighing 
and  mixing  and  rubbing  and  pouring  and  writing  with  a 
remarkable  speed.  One  makes  pills  and  powders,  another 
mixtures  and  liniments,  and  a  third-one  plasters  and  ointments, 
and  so  on.  Behind  the  long  counter  on  one  side  are  two  young 
men  running  about  with  scales  in  their  hands  waiting  on  a  dozen 
customers.  On  the  shelves  around  the  walls  is  an  astonishingly 
great  number  of  bottles,  and  below  the  shelves  long  rows  of 
drawers. 
"  Is  the  apothecary  in,  sir  ?" 
^'  Yes  sir.   Anything  particular  ?" 
''Well,  I  am  going  to — to  be  an  apprentice  here." 
"  Oh  yes  !  Walk  into  the  back  room." 
Master  A.  goes  behind  the  counter  for  the  first  time  in  his  life, 
and  marches  on  into  another  large  room,  which  he  thinks  is 
another  drug  store.  At  last,  after  waiting  an  hour  or  two,  he 
hears  the  approaching  steps  of  the  proprietor  of  all  that. 
"  Ah,  good  day  my  boy.  How  is  your  father  ?  Come  along 
in  here,  I  want  to  talk  to  you." 
Oh,  what  an  awful  man  he  is  though  !  ! 
The  boy  is  engaged  to  stay  four  years  in  the  store,  during 
which  time  he  receives  for  his  services  board,  lodging  and  in- 
struction. During  the  first  year  he  cleanses  bottles  and  mortars 
and  all  sorts  of  vessels  and  implements,  waits  on  customers  when 
he  can  get  a  chance  to,  and  makes  up  his  mind  that  he  is  the 
most  unfortunate  wretch  in  creation.  The  second  year  he  feels 
a  little  easier,  because,  then  Master  B.  comes  in  the  store  to  take 
his  place,  through  which  notable  event  he  is  raised  one  step  in 
advance,  and  has  the  sweet  satisfaction  to  know  that  somebody  is 
under  him,  any  how.  But  still  he  is  by  no  means  enthusiastic 
about  his  learned  profession.  The  third  year  he  knows  how  to 
make  a  pill  mass  well,  can  spread  a  first  rate  plaster,  make  de- 
coctions and  infusions,  and  seldom  washes  any  more  mortars. 
The  fourth  year  he  is  first  apprentice,  has  a  chance  to  put  up  a 
prescription  or  two  a  day,  under  the  supervision  of  the  prescrip- 
tion clerks,  when  they  are  busy  or  have  something  too  trouble- 
some. He  goes  into  the  laboratory  back  in  the  yard  and  helps  the 
manufacturing  chemists — aye,  he  is  toward  the  end  of  his  term 
