The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1861-04-03

The music struck cheeriv up, the dance
went on, supper succeeded, "a very sump
tuous affair." and theh followed more dan
ces, out by degrees the mirth languished,
and a sort of uncomfortable feeling or ap-
prehension and gloom pervaded the guests
Strange whispers, muttered hints, went
round the very Chinese servants had AN
ominous look By degrees almost every
body became aware lha: some mischance
had 5eiallen the the fair young EngIishwo-
| man whom they had just welcomed among
! them. None knew the exact truth, but all
had some inkling of it. Then, too, there
was fellow-feeling, perhaps half selfish,
among exies in sickly cline the insd-
lous pest that strikes one to-day may strike
another 10 morrow. Accordingly the high
spirits OF all ebbed away, and ball SO gaily
begun came to an untimely close. Two or
! three officers went 10 see The doctor in his
quarters, late as il was, 10 learn the truth.
The doctor was absent. He was at Capt.
G--'s bungalow, his servant said. He
had sent for his portable medicine chest
Also the physician 10 the forces, and the
marina surgeon, had been called up. The
next morning, when most Of The officers
were at breakfast in the barrack mess room,
a subaItern entered hastily.
! "Have you heard about poor Mrs G-W
! "What Dead ~
| 1t was even so. She had been cut down
in the very pride Of her beauty, like some
queenly beauty. 1t was awiully sudden
IL threw a gloom, for a while, even over
merry, sickly. festival-loving Hong Kong
| II broke her husbands life and hope at a
/ blow. He never was seen to smile after
! her loss, he shrunk away from his old
| friends he left the Raes, exchanging into
a regiment that was serving in Upper India
and died of fever in ferai Poor Geordie
| | have taken some Liberties with the names
| of those concerned, but there are not few
/ living who will be able 10 recognize, dnder
this mask true tale.
Now, to clear mp the seeming mystery of
I the Black Spot. There is fly which Tor the
mischief it does is known and feared thro'-
out thd East, and which is usually called
the Baal Fly or Jupiter Fly. lis bite il gen.
orally most fatal TO cattle. 1t is identified
with the Baal Zebub of Scripture, the type
under which the arch enemy was depicted.
The fatal Tseise Fly OF Central Africa,
! which DR. Livingston has so well described,
the BaaI Fly OF Syria, and the Baal Use of
( China are akin in appearances and effects,
/ while the names, even, are singularlY iden-
/ teal. This fly is seldom very hurtful 10 the
/ human race, except when 1t has lately been
/ feeding on carrion, and thus communicates
marbid virus o! decomposed animal matter
( 10 the veins of living being This occa-
sionally happens in Europe, and in the
case of the common house fly and the buzz,
or greenish carrion fly But this is rare in
deed, and only three or four cases of death
ensuing from such bites ar recorded within
the last six or seven years on the continent
of Europe. In the East, with a sun pecu-
liarly adapted TO the Fastening of disease,
the deaths from this insidious administered
poison are more frequent, and the poison
itself is more vrulent and rapid. 1t was III
this manner that poor Mrs. C net her
death. The black spot. unnoted at first by
all eyes save her own. and neglected by
herself, was the mark of incipieni moT;ifi>
cation. the centre of the gangrene that
spread and spread panlessly but inevita-
bly,, until what had been a scarce seen
speck proved sufficient to cut short that
fair young life. The doctor took blame 10
himself tor not having insisted, i'll defiance
of ordinary rules, on the young ladys quit
ting the ball room at once, but the hope
that he might be mistaken, and a wish to
spare c. as much as possible, made
him hesitate in speaking out. But it was
the opinion of all the medical men on the
island tha, when the comprador first called
the DOCTORS attention TO the mark of death
on the face OF the doomed beauty, the mis-
chief was beyond remedy. At length, all
that skill and care could do was done but
this was one of the saddest of the many ca
ses when science stands by, impolent to
save, watching the death bed.