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lucjan þórketill had trouble describing his condition & why it made it impossible for him to attend his friend’s funeral without causing a worse stir than would occur from his absence. ¿how could he explain, specially when the specific science ’hind it went o’er his own head, how his heart’s beats needed to feed his body with its needed oxygen was powered thru a weird mutation in his nerves by his smile, so that he had to constantly smile to keep from fainting. he didn’t have to smile all the time, but had to smile a certain amount within e’ery hour — too short a time to go thru a whole funeral procession without smiling & causing discomfort for those who had nothing for which to smile.