The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1878-10-17

happened" said NJ. De Couras. "The
plague has broken out in Marseilles."
The plaguew she echoed, with dis
tended eyes.
Eyes; everybody is alarmed"
"And well they may be-" she said,
solemnly. Few cures can be effected
where the plague appears in its most
malignant FORM"
Many people have died this after
noon, Sephronia."
"Then God have mercy upon Mar
settles. You must forthwith leave the
city, Antoinep
He laughed. r
"Why? am not afraid" he said.
"Do not laugh, Antoine. was born
and brought up in Aleppo. / and my
whole family would have been swept
away by the plague if my father, who
was very learned man, had not pos
sessed an infallible remedy for the
epidemic"
Have you got that remedyT An
tome asked, eagerly.
"I have" she replied.
"Why, then. do not you give it to the
authorities, Sephronia?'
And be broken ON the wheel as a
witchp she exclaimed, bitterly. "No!
| mol And what good would it do? They
would never apply it."
/ must 60, then, Sephronia," he
said. II shall be back in week and
get your final answer"
"Stay minute; shall give you some
of my fathers plague arcanum."
She went into an adjoining room and
| returned soon afterward with large
crystal bottle, jar, and two small empty
| vials.
One of these vials she filled with the
yellow fluid which she poured from the
crystal bottle. The other vial she filled
with an oily substance, soft salve,
which she took with an ivory spoon from
the Jar.
eff you should get the plague" she
said, Grub your body with this salve,
and drink few drops of the fluid. You
will speedily get WE'LL"
| They parted most tenderly, and An
toine left the house.
He had passed on but few steps
when he was attacked by two desperate
fellows, who knocked him senseless.
Is it not curious that, when all GOOD
people shut themselves up in theil
houses in order to escape the pestilence
desperate criminals prowl about fear
lessly, bent on murder and robbery?
They rifed the pockets of the inani
mate young man. They found in then
a well-Glled purse and two walls. Th'
latter they flung away contemptuously
Then they hurried away.
M. De Couras awoke ten minutes later
The night was very dark, but he gropec
his way to a thoroughfare, and speedil,
reached his fathers palatial mansion.
There terrible news awaited him-hi
father, his mother, and his two Lowell,
sisters had been attacked by the plague
All their cowardly servants had he,
from the house.
Antoine bethought himself of the tw,
vials Sephronia had given him. III
was bitterly disappointed when he foun,
that they were gone.
Suddenly he felt that his own hea
began to reel, and he sunk senseless t.
the floor.
. He, too, had the plagued
, Twenty-four hours later he reawok
to consciousness. At his bedside sa
II heard that you and your Who'll
family were down with the plague; S
, I came to your house. Your parent
and your sisters we're dying. You vii
, liveT'
He did recover, and a week later wa
able to be about. He persuaded Sep1
ronia to let him have a quantity of.,th
? panacea.
She remained at the house, while b
, went into the streets, and he effecte
/ numerous cures.
/ Marseilles was in truly horrible COZ
dition. OF the one hundred and twent
thousand inhabitants, sixty thousan
: succumbed in three weeks to the pitiles
q scourge.
Everybody was in despair. The ply
: sicians did not know anything about th
3 plague. A stupid rumor had been Gil
a culated that the wells were poisoned
So people refused to drink water. Th
{ good Bishop of the diocese, Monseigneu
{ De Belzunoc, made superhuman effort
to relieve the suffering, but all to n
r purpose.
There were no hearses, no coffin
e Vast numbers of corpses we're piled U
/ in the streets. In front of one of thes
CHASTITY piles Antoine De Couras one da
a met the Bishop. The noble prelate
Q courage was evidently giving way.
"a Antoine saw at once that the epidem
d had singled him out as a fresh victim.
v The young man poured few drops
/. the elixir down the Bishops throat.
E, cit revives me-" said Monseigneur /
Benzunoc, heaving deep sigh.
If "Let me rub your hands and yo1
face with this ointment, Monseigneu
IN 1t will save your precious life."
d "a thousand thanks, young maj
ID How can / reward your
s, "Wil you stay here minute Mo
! seigneur? I will be back presently"
In a few minutes Antoine return
with the blushing Sephronia.
in MARY us, Monseigneur? Let th
m be my reward"
ed And they were married in front of
those dreadful corpses!
ly The corpses were finally pushed in
g- the sea by galley slaves that had be
er liberated for that purpose.
wv Such an appalling calamity ne,
befell civilized city in modern times.
y. Singular Facts About Yellow Few,
n New York Herald.l