A WONDERFUL TALE.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume X, Issue 1050, 18 March 1882, Page 4

A WONDERFUL TALE.

j A Manchester paper calleci Titbits is giving a prize weekly for the best “•tit-bit’’ forwarded to them. The sender of the following was awarded the prize last week:—lt is of great importance that the wa’er wo drink should be free irom all impurities. One fact as an illustration will sullice. A young lady was in the habit of drinking water in large quantities. In a short space of time after she felt a gnawing sensation in the region of the stomach. The more solid food she ate the more thirsty she became. What | she did eat never did her any good, but she really grew thinner, till eventual Iv she became very ill. A doctor was consulted. He came, and asked her the symptoms of her illness. .She told him that whatever food she took did not nourish her, but she was always thirsty, lie asked her if she gratified her thirst? Yes. lie guessed her ailment, and said if she would follow his directions he would cure her. She must abstain from all food or water for three days —in fact, starve herself. She did as requested, and at the end of the third day the doctor came to see his patient. He found her very weak and feeble, scarcely able to stand on her feet. He ordered some meat to be brought, and told her to hold one piece about an inch from her mouth, but she must resist the temptation to eat. Another piece was placed on a table opposite to her mouth. They waited. In a short space of time a live crab came jumping out of her mouth, seeking food. It seized the meat and jumped about the table. The starving of the stomach had tempted the crab out to get what it was supplied with before in the stomach. It was a medium-sized crab, and had formed in the stomach through drinking impure water I The lady was perfectly well in health, and her food nourished her, after the emission of the crab. In the foot-note the editor of Tit-bit says: — “ Some persons may be disposed to doubt the possibility of this story being true. The opinion of a medical man has been taken, who states that it is | quite possible.”