The Van Buren press., 1878-09-17
THE SOUTHERN PLAGUE.
Woman's Bravery In Memphis.
Erom !he Memphis Ayclanche.l

From the Memphis Ayelanche.l
There are woman of pluck and unsur.
passable devotion in Memphis, who are
daring everything for those they love,
The faithless are those of the other sex,
of those whom the world In one of its
great misnomers has dubbed the stron.
ger SEX" While John Donovan for
sakcs his wife, and leaves his children
TO dia in strangers hands; while u son
hies to Arkansas Springs and leaves
his mother and two brothers to be borne
by other hands to the grave, i'll contrast
shines out the faithfulness of woman, as
devoted mother, as patient, attentive
wife, AS hfe-risking daughter, sister,
friend. BY the bedside OF the burning
body, inhaling the poison OF the sick
room, foul with that odor which tells
that nature Of the dreadful disease, per-
forming service which none other will
breaking and lifting up the head when
in the last agony, her person is befouled
by the most repulsiNe and horrible of all
substances--biack vomit-she sits aud
watches, and nurses and cares for her
loved enc till he lives again or passes
bes ona her aid. The penalty Of her SER
vice of love is generally death.
Instances come to the writer's mind
faster than he can record them, instan.
ces which are but few of the many which
have become like a part OF heaven in SO
much Of eartt's he'll
A Citizens Relief Committee man
IL ...t n 4
southern portion of the city. There he
found two children i'll, one weak and
listless, but evidently conyalescng, the
other tossing in burning fever. A little
woman in black sat between the two and
was in the act of kissing the brow Of the
little fevered one
Cant send you nurse, madam p
asked the visitor
"No, sir" 1.-THE pale little woman smil-
ed, II have brought one child through,
and shall bring the other"
But you are worn out"
"Oh, no, sir. kind Italian woman
near by comes in and helps me some.
times She would not yield, no other
hand but hers could minister to her lit.
tie ones
An old grandmother told Rev Mr..
Parsons not only Of having nursed her
grandson to death, but in want of come
one else TO do it had with her old hands
prepared for him the grave.
A child was stricken with fever on
Alabama Street GO" said the mother
| to the father, I" shall never leave the
boy, but you must not be endangered
The coward complied, and saw from
over the way short coffin borne out on
his home. The mother is paying the
price of her devotion, and by to-mor-
row will herself pass to her last home in
the city.
A sick mans lady friend wrote "Please
let me come" And when his friends
thought the die was cast. they consented
to his summoning her. Boldly she laid
aside her hat, pushed back her hair, aud
forcing smile to her lips, entered the
room Some Of his male friends stood
outside on the doorsteps "to inquire how
the dear old boy is getting along"
The keeper Of a house of i'll fame on
Gayoso Street dared the loss of "busi.
f'ncss, uareu the uescrtion or her place by
all but one of its inmates, to nurse faith.
fully to the end who was to her com
parative stranger, but whom chance had
brought pague-stcken to her door.
These are few Of hundreds Moth
ers have made their sons leave town and
then relieved apparently of alarm. have
sunk down to die. Wives absent have re-
turned against positive orders and wish
es of their husbands, preferrng to die
with those they love than suffer the sus.
pense away.
God in his mercy has sent these mini.
stering angels to make us foget for
time the horrors OF wholesale death,
and contemplate in them the glory and
beauty of better world.