Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1852-06-19
= 9 kctrb j.
A ROMANCE OF REAL LIFE.

The following marvellous and interest,"
ing narrative is given in letter from Par
is, under date Of the 18th January last,
from the correspondent of the St. Louis
Republican: ......r
The venerable Abbess Of the Ursuline
Convent of Nrvere, whose life was, per-
haps, one of the most eventiul on record,
died last week at the advanced age OF nine
ty-eight. For fifty years she has been an
inmate Of the convent, winning the love
and respect of all who approached her.
In the summer of 1862, there broke out
in the city of Paris disease very similar
10 what is now called cholera, and which
was quite as fatal in its consequences. Al
though not contagious, the immense num-
Der Of persons attacked by it led the people
to think it was SO, and terror took hold of
the minds OF all. Mothers abandoned their
children, wives their husbands, sisters their
brothers, and almost as many perished by
flight as by the disease itself. In two
months thirty-one thousand persons were
buried in the different burial grounds around
the city. The hospitals were crowded
nurses passed with difficulty among the
beds, and the demand for admission was so
great that every day long file of sick
might be seen at the door, some supported
by relations, but the most part lying on the
ground, waiting until their turn should
come to be admitted, but often before night
the half of them were carried 10 the ceme-
terry, instead of the inirmary. AS may
we'll be supposed the task of the physicians
was no light one, and, finally they were
obliged to organize their labor, and force
themselves to repose a certain time every
day, and take the service in turns, in order
to be able to bear up under the extraordi-
nary efforts they were called upon to make.
One day, as a young physician, he who
twenty Years later was known as a celebra-
ted DR.. Soulie, was leaving the hospital
to go and take his turn of reposr, a servant
man, breathless and pale, met him at the
| gate and asked him if he was a physician.
! The doctor answered in the affirmative,
and the man begged him, for Gods sake, to
/ 90 10 house in The neighborhood and see a
| sick person. Although against the rule
they had established, the doctor consented
! and was conducted TO the house by the SER
want, who showed him into a large, hand
| Somely furnished room. In this room the
doctor remarked first tall, handsome wo-
man, with her hair all in disorder, and her
face pale as a corpse, Standing near, anc
screening child, who lay upon a soia.-
Around her was collected group o.
twelve young girls, who looked TO the doc
tor to be nearly Of the same age, and made
him suppose il was boarding school, par.
ticularly as these young girls all wore darl
green silk dresses, and had their blond hail
braided and tied with blue rib ons. The
doctor could see no difference between an,
OF them; they all had fair skins, small blue
eyes, light hair, long noses and larg,
mouths; but before he could ask any ques
tions about them, the woman advanced
hurriedly, and seized him by the arm, lee
him TO the sofa, and in a hoarse voice saiC
-''Look at that child" The doctor look
ed--before him lay beautiful little girl O
about ten years of age, but utterly differen
from the others. Her hair was black a
midnight, and hung in ringlets over he
shoulders; her eyes were closed, and he
livid complexion and contracted feature
, showed that the dreadful disease had sci
5 zed upon her.
"Open that window" said the doctor
sand bring some vinegar Immediately
rub the child's body"
"What" cried the woman, "she hi
| not got the plague"