Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1878-12-11

l
me weeks time. | have a STRANGE
ioreboding that startling events are go-
ing to happen.''
ohe startling event has already
happened" said NJ. DeCouras. ..Tbe
plague has broken out i'm MarseiIles ,,
he piague.' she echoed, with dis
tended eyes.
les; everybody is alarmed"
Anu well they may be-" she said.
soiemnly. Few cures can be effactad
where the plague appears in its most
malignant FORM"
Many people have died this after
noon, Sephronia"
Then God have mercy upon Mar
seiiIes. You must forwith leave the
city, Antoine.r
He laughed.
why! | am not afraid, he said.
DO not laugh. Antoine. Twas born
ana brought up in Aleppo. and my
Whoie family would have been swept
away by the plague if my father. who
was a very learned man. had not nos
sessed an infallible remedy for the epi-
demic.''
Have you got that remedy" >" An
toine asked eagerly.
Il have, she replied.
why then do you not give il the an
thorities, Sephronia?"
IAN be broken on the wheel as n had
witch. ~ she exclaimed bitterly. "No,I
no. And what good would it do?
They would never apply it,
81 must go then, Sephronia,, he
SAID. Il shall be back in a week and
get your final answer
Stay minute; I'll give you some
OF my fathers plague arcanum.'
She went into an adjoining room and
returned soon afterward with LARGE
crystal bottle, a jar. and two empty
vials.
One of these yials she filled with the
yellow fluid whice 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.
"lf you should get the plague she
said, rub 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 desper- !
ate fellows, who knocked him sense
less.
Is it not curious that, when all good \
people shut themselves up in their hou-
ses in order TO escape the pestilence. |
desperate criminals prowl about fear
lessly, bent on murder and robbery.
They rifled the pockets of the inani-
mate young man. They found on him
a well-filled purse and two vials. The |
latter they flung away contemptuously.
Then they hurried away.
VI. De COuras awoke ten minutes la
ter. The night was verv dark, but he
groped his way 20 a thoroughfare, and
speedily reached his fathers palatial
mansion.
There terrible news awaited him.
his father, his mother. and his two
lovely sisters had been attacked by the
plague.
All their cowardly servants had fled
from the house.
Antoine bethought himself of the two
walls Sephronis had given him. He
was bitterly disappointed when he
found that they were gone.
Suddenly ne felt that his own head
began TO reel, and he sank senseless to
the floor
He, too, had the plague.
Twenty -four hours later he reawOke
to consciousness. At his bedside sat
81 have heard that you and your fam
lily were down with the plague, so i
came to your house. Your parents an
sisters were dying. You will live
He did recover, and a week later was ;
able to be about. He persuaded Seph- {
ronia to let him have quantity of the {
panacea- t
She remained at the house, while he I
went into the streets and effected many r
cures. Ii
Earseilles was in IA truly horrible
condition. OF the one hundred and
twenty Thousand inhabitants, sixty
thousand succumbed in three weeks TO
the pitiless seourge. F.,
Everybody was in despair, The ply I
,icians did not know anything about
the plague. A stupid rumOr had been
circulated that the wells were poisoned.
People refused to drink water. The 4
good bishop of the diocese, Monseig-
1eur DeBelzunoc, made superhuman
.fTorts to relieve the suffering, but all o
o no purpose l.
There were no hearses, and no COT
ins. Vast numbers of corpses were
,iled up in the streets. In front of one &
IF these CHASTITY piles Antoine de Cou- Z
as one day met the bishop. The noble n
,relate's courage was evidently giving {
way.
ANTOINE saw at once that the epidem- b
. had singled him out as fresh VIC d
i'm.
The yocng man poured few drops p
# the elixir down the bishops throat. s
.sIt reyiyes me- said the bishop, r
leaving deep sigh. e
.sLet me rub your hands and face d
With this ointment, Monseigneur. Ii n
will save your precious life." d
"A thousand thanks, young man. "
low can / reward you?" 5
.swill you stay here few minutes. Il
will be back presently b
In few minutes Antoine returned \
With the blushing Sephronia. u
.sMarry US, Monseigneur- Let that o
,e my reward" "
And they were married in front oil =
N those dreadful corpses. :,
The corpses were finally pushed INTO V
he sea by galley slaves that had been +
iberated for that purpose. !,