River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1876-01-20

richly aud profus ely adown her delicate
shoulders was ''eng'agcd' to kme of no
mean preposSessing appearance. The
two were deyotedly attached to each
other, bat at length it was discovered
that he was leeor. lie was seized by
the officers and hustled down to the wharf
aud embarked for Molokai. His wahine
followed him to the waters edge, and
would have plunged in after him but on
reflection she thought better of il. Her
face was hathed in foods OF tears she
was bowed down like bullruSh at her II
reparable loss she pinned for her departed
Adouis and would not be comIorted till
she made up her mind to follow him to
his place Of exile. Aud, forsaking al the
friends and sports Of her youth she be.
came a martyr to the lot OF the man she
loved, and now ministers to him such
sweet consolation rs only true.heartcd
woman can give TO n man in distress and
solitude. But with AL it's relieving beau
ties and incidents, the lepers life is sufh.
GENTLY miserable and wretched, some OF
them are
THE MOST HDE0us CREATURES
the human eye ever gaZcd upon. Their
eyes are glazed aud google; their faces
swollen; their features distorted: their
cars, noses, and Jaws gone; their hands
and feet rottng and falling OF by piece
meal their bodies covered with ulcers
and filled with holes and they deformed
and decrepd with age and disease. And
yet these physical horrors are nothing TO
the mental suffering attendant upon the
separation Of husbands and wives, parents
aud children, relatives and friends, and
the everlasting consciousness that they
can never hope for any improvement M
their condition, but must expect to be.
come worse, till they finally fall into the
eyer-open Jaws of the king Of terrors.
But even in this awful abode Of horrors
these poor victims Of dreadful disease
are not destitute wholly of the life and
blessings Of childhood. There are over
twenty children among them, whose merry
play and prattle must drive away some of
the gloom Of those who are more conscious
Of their condition. But the poor ignorant
lnnocents are not aware Of their dreadful
condition till budding into manhood they
find themselves blasted in the bud and
failing out Of life. And who can tell how
crushing such consciousness must be to
those whose minds have been slowly open
ing under the educational Influences about
them TO take in the full scope and pur.
poses Of life. In one corner of one Of
the hospital houses lay parentless babe
II was half white. Its eyes were CLASSY
blue. Its upturned face and playful
smile, seemed to Indicate that it longed
for the kind carresses of some fond and
loving heart. And how could | do less
than the Galilean who nestled in his own
sorow-burdened bosom the coy little
heads Of the diseiple-deserted Hebrew
childreni A parting kiss, aud some
little chit-chat, SO precious to baby hearts,
left the young inOcent with sparkling
eyes and chrruping voice soon to pine
and wither like the faded and fallen
flower. In eight years up to April, 1874.
| eleven hundred aud forty five Iepers were
taken to Molokai, four hundred and
fourty-two Of them died. As rule these
persons are well cared for by those in
charge Of them.