Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1853-04-07
MIS- ELL A n e 0 y S.
From the N. Y. Scalpel.

From the N. Y. Scalpel.
SCENES IN SOUTHERN PRACTICE.
KING DEATH IN HIS YELLOW ROBE THE PROUD
MERCHANT; THE LOVELY CREOLE WIFE.
"And fever'd larum rung with furious heat
From all the watch towers of ]ife's citadel.
Anon it's low and painful, like the toling bell.
The days were very beautiful, though
intensely hot, and the sun dried air brought
bu, little refreshment as it came sweeping
off broad gulf and bay. 1t had not raincd
for forty days! God help the fever-sick
Green leaf Of plant and tree was scs.hed-1
the ground cracked open, and became an
>sskSn das.. iha. rose xhillwiad. high in lhs
Parehed air-and the little birds no longer
Gang, for there was no early morning dew
to sparkle, and bid welcome the great red
SUM- Vegetable end animal life were op-
pressed plsn'-sap and blood were dried up
by that feveIed atmosphere.
Is there any one who passed through this
dreadful season Of 80, that will cease to re-
member it,? Will he forget the weakening
nights, The scorching days, and the hub-hgh
dus, to graveyard, where cofins Of unbu
ried dead lay in offensive heaps, awaiting
IDe tl.ne WITH dUu NouIu
find strength and hear. TO hide them in the
yet undug earth To the piny woods ran
some-to the gulf and bay shore, TO the
north, to the highland plantations, fled 9th
cs, in The hopes Of escaping the dread fever
peslience that moved them down like can
non.
When The frost came, some returned to
tell how others had died when rot far on
their flight, and how others, whose safety
seemed secured, had hid within them The
seeds IF the plague, and died most miser-
ablv, un,enred and unhoused.
Some, when the fever first broke ont, shu,
up their houses, and departed Immediately.
whilst Others remained, hoping it would no,
rage high, aud that they would escape. But
in few days such hopes were bl;ghled. for
all were fast loosing relatives and friends.
Young and old, new conner end The native,
alike fell before The increasing pesilence.-I
Some scarce lived six hours from the in
vaslon! In the night before, perhaps, they
had made merry with their friends-ha,l
carelessIy passed the jest, that whoever died
the others would bury and before the Sc
cond night had come, their sporlive speech
was verified! In one instance, five had so
merrily jesled; on the fifth day one remain
ed 10 tell the tale. Where some two lived
together, their friends, alarmed al seeing the
windows remaining closed, would enler,
and find The work Of death was doing, or
had been done.
Life seemed sport! The wine-cup or
card table was sought, to drown narrowing
care; and many died in rooms, in which
the crosses. dissipation was entered into, TO
drive away the horrors Of the scene.
With many others J had fled to P,
near The gulf, where beautiful bay, on ,he
shores of which The hotel was situated, Of
fered both amusement and security. The
rainless days and de wless nights were rapid
ly drying up all signs of vegetation here
and there the wide-spreading bay-,ree re-
m aimed ,riumphan, in dark green leaf, whilst
The tall pine end lowlier cedar, day by day
were losing their color, and pafchlng BY the
heat Of the unrelen,ng sun.
When fores, and wood, streamlet and
spring, wi,hered and wasted, is it a wonder
,hs, mans blood should grow thick and
fever-charged Yet, free from the infected
cities, The traveller, when he arrived, would
thank God for his escape, and bear brsvely
with the heat, for the bay waters were
sparkling in The right merry sun, and the