The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1851-10-23
"REMINISCENCES.
b LAURIE TODD.

rs | never left town while it was raging
was sitting in my tent door ia The cool a
tac day, and lifting up my eyes ! behcid
stranger, n rare sight in fever times. lie
was moving from Cedar street along Mas
sau, having his face set towards Maiden
Lane. lie walked in the middle of the
street, and was reading the sign boards on
The right and left. lie paused in front Of
my open door, and mine was the only opsu
store IN the block. As he stepped in he
said," Mr.. Thorburn?''
Where did you learn my name?" in
quired.
+" saw il over the door," said he. g
ISL came on shore from the ship Draper
from Liverpool. | nm a carpenter by
trade; my name is Rober, Hoe; am now
in my eighteenth year."
SAYS ! "Robert, was your indenture
fulfilled before you left England?n
Says he, 81 never was bound. learn
ed my trade with my father; can't find
work; | have no money; can you recon-
mend me to a house in the healthy part d
lhe city, where may board till can get
employment, when viii pay them hon
csll, p
knew the hear, of stranger, having
been a stranger m self, aud there was SO
much Of homes, simplicity in his speech
and department, that my heart warmed
toward him. gave him chair, and ran
Up stairs; says |, .Gude wife, stranger
iandeth AZ our door; shall we take him in?''
If thee plcasos,' she replied. "lf he takes
the fever, vii! thee help me to nurse him,
dear? for this God will bless you. Now
SAYS |, come aud look on his honest Eng
Ii.h face" The impression was favorable
Says ]. Robert, this neighborhood is ac-
counted the mos, heal,hful in the city; you
will lodge here; if you take the fever my
wife and will nurse yon; YOU shan't GO
to the strangers hospital" His eyes spoke
thanks more eloquent ,h,n words. As he
bad no business abroad, advised him to
stav al home.
The fever, however, seized him in less
than a week. procured an eminent ply
sician; my wife and nursed him. II
seventeen summers that | have nursed a
mong the sick, do not think ! ever saw ;
case so violent but i, terminated in death
his only excepted. On the fourth day
generally the crisis. the burning fever wa.
coursing through his vnins and drinkin,
up his English blood. His skin burning
dry and yellow; heartsick, home sick, ant
his spirits sunk dewn TO his heels. sa
hy his bed side; he fastened his restless
eyes on mine.
"Oh, Mr. r., MIR. T.. shall die, | shal
.lie-l never can stand ihis;" and he threw
his brawny arms across the bed, as if going
to grapplc with death. "Dic" says
=" Robert, to be sure, VIC must all die, bu
von're not going 10 die this week." 10 this
spoke unadvisedlv with my lips; but
thought, OF Pope Plus and his bull, to vii
that the end would sanc,ifv the means.-
He was under the influence Of powerful
medicine at this moment. knew there
would be lulI, as the sailors say, soon
and meant to take advantage of the cir
cnmstanccs, TO persuade him to live, il pos
sible. Fancy kills, aud fancy cures.
left him for fifteen minutes On my re-
turn felt his pulse; said |, "Robert, you
sre fifty per cent better already. hope
to see you walk from the bed and sit by
The window to marrow.o ] sat BY his bed
conversing 10 cheer his spirits. contin
ed, "deaih is nigh at hand at all times.
and 10 all places; but my impression is
that you will not die with this attack.
hope TO see you thriving master builder.
married TO one of the bopny Yankee lasses
and to bold your grand-child in my arms
From this hour the fever left him. Short.
~ after this tho fever disappeared from the
city. lie became n master builder, and
died in 1913. aged 56. But his name will
never die while types are set or printers
breathe. Hoes Printing Press isprobabls
the most useful discovery that has blessed
the world, since the first sheet was struck
from tho press. Formerly We paid one
hundred and fifty cents for a bible; now
we buy one as good for twenty five cents
It may be said Of his sons, IN rare occur.
renee in this country.) that they are bet
ter mon than their father, inasmuch as
they have sddcd many Improvements Il
their fathers plan. Mr.. Hoe dwelt in N
York for thirty eight years. After his re-
covcry from the fever in 1905, we met
times without number; his never falling
salutation was, 4" Grant, as the instrument
under God, have TO thank you for my re.
covcry from that fever" have received
many tokens of kindness from his worthy
family Of sons and daughters. And moth.
ing in my past life affords such pleasing re-
Election as this act of duty and humanity
TO stranger. When his aching head lay
on my breast, MS held the cooling draught
TO his parched lips, | little thought that in
that head lay the germ Of machine dcs-
tined TO rcvolu,ionize the world of litera-
ture, and shed light on the dark places Of
the earth, whose hablations are full 0! hcr-
rid cruelty.
About seven years ago, stepped from
tho cars into country town. Among
those who were locking on, stood man Of
gen,ecl appearance: said l." Sir, wish
to stop here for a week; don't like 10 put
up in hotel; can you direct mo where
may lodge in a private family :" He said
he could. We entered the next street, he
stopped in front of a respectable two story
brick tenement; on the front s,oop Of which
sat comely matron. She might have
seen twenty eight summers; on her lap
sat babe. Said my friend. "Gude wife,
this IL Mr., Thorburn from New York. he