Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1853-04-07

run I'd AOOO, NA -
no hope for the poor man, and yet cannot
say so to that loving wife poor thing, she
will too soon know it,"
My room was upon the other side OF
DIS chamber, separated by mere la'h
partition. Every deep breath he drew
could hear during the night-the very steps
Of bis Creole vile fell upon my ear. The
mex, day broke-,he sun rose in his fire
chario,-ihe fever-sick gasped, and prayed
for change in vain the air was oven-hol.
Ice smoked and melted over the sick mans
head and bowels still the fever fire remain
ed. Cool drinks gave n" refreshing respite
to his psrched ,hroat-'he brain hammered
on; Death was at bis forge, burning up flesh
sud blood.
The night a, length came on. and the
breeze ,ha, had failed during the long day,
s,reamed gently into window and wide-open
door; For time the sick man reused up;
he seemed hed--and his breath, though
rapid and oppressed, grew deep aud deeper.
| Hope sgsin sal radiant upon his poor wi'e's
brow! Alas how many have thus hoped,
and hoped in vain The nigh. wore on,
am, ten o'clock came. was passing the
door, when out rushed Mrs. D., and
seiz,ng hold of my arm, che cried, "Oh,
God he is worse; do something 10 save
my husband"
Gently relaxing her grasp, and begging
her TO 9uiel her fears, approached the bed.
Nv God hat d change day had wrought.
The features were sharp and hsggard,-'he
skin ,igh. drawn and glazed over bis fore
head and cheek bones,-'he natural swalhy
complexion had become an orange yellow
the eyes, with pupils contracted To their ut-
most, were widely open,-his fine teeth, COW
cred with dark sordes, were exposed by the
Withdrawn lips, willis. up and down with
every breath moved the dry black tongue.
Two or three wax candles were casting
long dismal shadows on the walls, and just
above the sick mans head, upon the ceiling,
waving 10 and fro, was The outline of funeral
plume and s,reamer, forteIllng The mig COM
ing of dea,h.
took the scorching hand within my own,
as D. fixed his wild-staring eyes upon
me. 81 hope, Mr.. D., you are be''er.'
"Hope, sir, hope ~ he cried, whilst every
word hissed from his dry mouth. "Y ou
do NOT hope,-you know that am worse
! burn am parched up ~
I fell bis pulse,-il aOas quite natural
perhaps lille more rapid, bu, soft like ,
/ went 10 the DOCTORS chamber. ] said to
him though, his patient. was better. "How
is his pulse ?" he simply replied. Ianswer.
ed him. "Then he dies. The forge will
soon stop, and by ten Tomorrow all will be
over"
Putting his arm through mine, the doctor
proceeded with me 10 my chamber. "You
Think" continued he, taking seat by the
table, "ihat death works fast in his yellow
raimenls; well, in this case he has not work.
ed so rapidly as in some others lha. have
fallen under nv notice. In P. the fever
in The year '93, ragged furiously all nigh
The dead carts would roll heavily along, with
men crying out, pass ou. your dead;' and
collins would sometimes be lowered from
upper stories Of lodging houses, so fearful
OF inspection were the occupants Of the low
er rooms. One day, abou, noon, | was
hastily sent for to visi, one of my old pa
,ien,s. found him walking up and down
the parlor floor, good deal sglla,ed.
"sAh, doc,or,' he cried, my wife would
send for you,-she is alarned,- II am no,
sick, excepting an excrucia'ing spo. of pain
n The back part of nv head ! fell his
| pulse, il was over 100, and his coun,enance
seemed changing whilst we were talking
| 10 vain persuaded him to go TO bed. He
had gone about two hours before into the
| centre of the infected disific, TO obtain some
money, had no, remained fifteen minutes,
aud returned home to dine with his lille
family. His speech became less coherent.
and most decided alteration Of coun,enance
had now taken place. Dnnee was served.
and TAX ing a sea; al the table, he said he
, would ca, lItle rice. He raised The spoon
TO his mouth, when suddenly his teeth clos
ed spasmodically on it, and with an out
stretching convuIsive movement Of his arms
and hands, he fell sideways upon the floor,
We quickly raised him, and laid him upon
sofa, but he was quite dead 20
At this moment The figure of the Creole
wife glided in, her features pale as ashes,
and her deep dark eyes wide open with ter
ror upon the palm of her hand she held a
white napkin, in the midst Of whose white
folds lay dark brown spot.
"Wha, is this, doc,or?" she cried, holding
the cloth before his eyes.
"My daughter" he answered, "it looks
like cosguased blood"
With convulsive sob she left the room
Presently she rushed in again, bnt the nap
kin was no longer white, it was completely
covered with dark coffee ground fluid.
@What is that 2" she almost shreked.
The old man took the stained towel from
her hand, and in a low voice said, ,"lt is The
black vomiI, my child"
Oh, what a sob of unu,,erable despair
broke from that loving wife's pallid lips
All nigh, the work Of death was going
on; splash, splash agains. wainscoat and