bork and their family could happen in your child right next door to you it could happen to the rich man and to the poor man the office worker or the farmer a white man or a negro it could happen to the young and it could happen through the ages it could happen to anyone it is a story of a willful man who refused to believe the truth because he stubbornly and perversely rejected the truth he brought prejudice to those closest to him he turned a deaf ear to experience then of medicine who sought to help him in his fight against tuberculosis instead he chose to rely on the advice of charlatans and quacks it is the story of peter the story opens on a tender note for clara and johnny carson the young farmer who manages the boric farm in his spare time are in love they hope to be married to johnny as her childhood sweetheart is regular jobs before he took over operation of the boric farm less driving a milk truck for a large dairy company nearby he still does this when he is able now however bitter bark is that written most of the time and unable to work a life of drudgery and ever constant fear that clara and agnes and perhaps johnny might fall victim to the disease that peter borg carry it's time for lunch and johnny has been invited to eat for the family peter cannot leave his bed he will not go to a sanatorium he does not believe their work it also says catching he believes he can get well by staying in bed he wants to be near his neighbors so they can drop in and see him he likes mrs barak's cooking he wants to be home so he can call his wife or his daughters at any time of the day or not the father's absence at mealtime is evidence that is influence both physical and spiritual is felt by the entire family every time they eat the door beyond the kitchen stove leads to his room from that room he can hear the familiar voices of his family at one time it was in a sign a terrarium it was not a cooperative patient he felt there were too many restrictions that he did not feel sick he left against medical advice and since doctors market as patients through his ignorance he left behind all hope and brought home a disease which was to bring immeasurable sorrow to his family peter's presence in the borg household has not changed the whole making routine though it should have to ensure protection for the family dishes used to serve his food mixed with those used by the rest of the family is better than and goes into the family laundry the handkerchief the uses and never have any symptoms in recent weeks peter borax increasingly bad condition has intensified his stubborn streak he talks to his family all the in irritable commands is raucous coughing has increased the room plate which mrs boyd serves him three times a day return to the sanatorium ever alert for cases such as these tuberculosis workers are certain that peter boric will return in order to protect his wife and daughters courteous and professional they that he'll be able to receive visitors frequently in the sanatorium but mrs barak will have none of it she is too familiar with the rest of her husband and with his ideas of mrs bore keeps the visit of the tuberculosis worker a secret both from peter bart and from her children that's what johnny and clara go ahead with plans to get married each new day brings to them new happiness as they plan for the future they are ignorant of the cloak of disease that is enveloping the boric household and their lives or how long can the human body stand up under the strain of bombardment of the tuberculosis germ these exposed for months to the germs discharged by peter bore is one or both to be a victim perhaps the had come in contact with tuberculosis by touching an article contaminated by peter bori in the spring johnny and kyra are married peter boric is too ill to attend the church ceremony but unknown to all the mark of his willfulness is with them it is a threat to their happen is that could have been avoided as johnny takes clara for his wife and promises to protect her in sickness and in health little does he realize that she lived with open tuberculosis in the household whether or not she has escaped that attack remains to be seeing their friends are equally ignorant of what is going on in the borg household they can see only the beautiful bride and the dashing handsome groom too healthy they give us young people who are now back at the borg household usually stomper and quiet the borax and our guests gather for our wedding festivities everyone has theirs that and paid his respects to peter boric in his sick room preparations are made to have the bride cut the wedding little does the happy couple suspect that this ceremony is the backdrop for the tragedy that is to follow but johnny and claire are unaware of the danger as they take over the operation of the boric farm where they now live his life with clara is a happy one one day more than a year after their marriage johnny comes home from the fields to find that cla is not feeling well he questions there and find she is suffering from headaches becomes the t v easily and is running a slight fever that as time goes on johnny wonders could it be that in some mysterious manner peter's disease might be causing kairos illness it's kyra symptoms grow more evident daily she tires easily the fresh foreign foods cannot tempt her appetite johnny has made a decision he is no longer satisfied with peter's advice that clara eat lots of food and stay out in the fresh air johnny wants clamor to go to a competent doctor he fears for her life and that of their child clara has just had an doctor also points out that the earlier tuberculosis is detected the easier the disease is to cure the body must build up a resistance to the germs clara has followed ben's tuberculosis if you don't become to a doctor he didn't realize that he should be willing to remain hospitalized so that his family would be protected against the disease he didn't believe what the doctors told him one night peter left the sanator surgery would be recommended if necessary the progress of her disease would be noted regula clara has paid with her life johnny is not very expressive but he misses clara terribly they've had so little time together none of their plans the plans of youth had come to she has urged johnny to prevail upon agnes to have a chest x rays she pointed out to johnny that your record also takes its greatest toll among young people from fifteen to thirty five years of age johnny tells  your case becomes hopeless it's he tells her that many people have a to back it also durham in their bodies as long as the resistance is kept up the germ remains inactive he told agnes she has been working hard at her factory sister died from it i will too it's just a matter of time and i might as well enjoy life it's secretly agnes feels that she too might have the disease are a constant source of danger to the people who come in contact with them it's that big old life we on their way either unaware that they have the disease or unwilling to do anything about it is afraid she does not want to know the truth the truth cannot be denied and shut out forever it must come out and i guess despite her stubbornness cannot refuse to acknowledge that she is sick many industries have case finding programs industry wants to protect its workers against  an x ray as painless and takes only a moment's they find her disease in the factory x rays and as is true in industry when you break it off as is found she is required to leave her work to have a chest x ray herself johnny will have one too agnes is finally reconciled to going to the sanatorium she sees that her father is not getting any better at home and that clara came home only to die happily agnes's disease has been caught early she will be able to recover from tuberculosis and lead a happy normal life she now realizes tuberculosis can be cured it is not a death it will not be a simple matter to return peter to a sanitarium but their minds are made up they know he is wrong in staying home he must go back to the directly doses hospital last year more than fifty thousand american men women