The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1879-10-16
THE BLACK DEATH! !.

/ ! 616 0AakA 0GA i II
It was the summer of 1871, Dubrovo
: district of Viasma, province Smolensk
We were enjoying our evening tea OF
the balcony, in company with Griba
noff Ohe sehoolmaster), when Thilusha
young peasant about sixteen years'o
. age, and the best pupil la our school
ran into the garden aud up The step
(. Of the ebeieonylwhcresw we're sitting
ooh, Dmifri Ivanovitch!'h cried t,
the doctor, 'come qnicb; there. j
. something the matter in The village !
What is it7' we both asked. sHa
an accident happened = u
!. Well yes the boy answ cred sAo
body knows what it is. The old Ak
ultima was oat OH her field, resping
corn. AS she did not return after SIM
set, her little ones at home became IN
easy and ran to, the neighbors, crying
and all in furry. Ny father and i
had just come tome with the, asrt,
when the children came to our ssJa
(cottage). SO we jumped in again and
drove oot to o-wheresAkuiina's fiela is.
And there We fsaad= her, sare enough,
lying on her back motioniess, breath
ing hard and all livid in the face. We
lifted her into the cart and brought
her homer whers shes is now living,
Estin hsen6ibla sNoM Co q. dnefor
Ithesis No dme 4 ~ IS nc l1''
The doctor snatched up h:s cap, ran
4 into the house to fetch i few medicine
bottles, aud 9 moment after we were
all three oniour way to the village,
fatout hsff q mile distant from the
house.
r'wt. do syos ehink about it3' 4
asked my friend in an undertone.
.Choler&p he xanswered, there can
Be ho'doubt shout It. Our turn has
come now, he added with deepsigh
sPoor peoplel
= On reaching the house where the
sick woman lay we noticed from out
side that, according to the supersti,
tious custom of the Russian peasantry
allfhs wisdows I'm the cottage were
closely shut. Fresh Dir is a poison
for the sick, says the movjik. 81
We entered the front reom Of the
hoese. There OF the floor lay the pa.
tiant, breathing hard, and shiver
shaking her body. Her eyes opened
and closed repeatedly with an nncon-
scious, convulsiye movement her face
bore livid hue, and, on touching her
hand, we found it cold as ice. The at
mosphere in the close, miserable room
was sitting and mephitical to the last
degree. The children were all hud-
died together in a corner, crying Bit
terly, and evidently in the greatest
awe. An old woman, TiIusha's grand
mother, had accompanied Us into the
house, but, on seeing the PROSTATE |
body of poor Akulina. she screamed
aloud: God have mercy on us, it il
the Black Death T aud ran out into the
street.
The first thing we did was to throw
open all the windows aud doors and
order ALI the childred-out of the house.
The doctor poured soms opium drops
through the firmly set teeth Of the pa
tienk and then ran olt to fetch the
necessary materials for hot congresses
bidding me keep watch in the mean
while. In about . quarter. Of an honr
heretUrned il sar AWFUL state of wrath
and Excitement. e=I9 a IF .ir'+'
sThe towards T. he exclaimed. eThe
news Of the black death haKing made
its appearance has spread aike light.
ming. through the whole viiiage. -Ev-
cry one ran away from me and bolted
his door against me, as if ! were the
plague itself. .:s-,gss.siT =
: Akulina's children sharedthe same
fate with the doctor: No one in the ,
VilIage consented to sheiteg them. ! I.
was obliged to take them to1fnr house. +,
where intrusted them to the care of II
he Old Gxvffiytcb, the ssrvant, cook,
major domo-in fact Sthe general ty- 1
ant: ofsthe lhoussll6lG-an old PEN
'ioned soldier, who had looked death
n - fa6efn sf fIe6eR - of battles &
m q whem eea u ~ ght of the 9
;holGa VS. doable 70 pduce the {
u bet lmpr( (1si>nH ss.,a 4
.Yon are not afraid, Gavrilytch p ]
'sked the veteran with g SMILE. IL
r r.Afraid2' he answered. laughing
The m5l1te is afraid G
the Dso4iiz is by nature stupid I
md unedpcated, but ueE Che always
poke of himself ss Of q whole regi-
reno are not so easily frighten- /
a. ,-ssiss iSa"i 4 sna .rsdto Oh r
Before retnrping TO- the. village 1 G
sAlnessenger Ia Ahs district i
own with short writte6reportabout r
be outbreak Of the epidspic address b
d to the District Sanitary Depart. a
nes., and requesting the 0immediate d
upply Of medicines, disinfectants, ,and n
he help of an extra physicisn. then a
rdered the teleika (buggy)t to be got
esdy, gathered all the supplies Of car !
ollie and sulphuric acid we had in the i
ouse,7 and drove back to the village. c
1 found the doctor busy with the il
atient. On my askngU what he q
bought of the case he shook his head d
nd said in . low tone: sShe will die
D two or three hours. THERE'S noth- I
ug for us to do here. Let US 60 to v
be priest and the bailiff. She must O
. buried before dawn tomorrow, and
II the village must be thoroughly 4
Ieaused and dlsinfected. - Y
But this was more easily said than
one. A panic had evidently seized r.
N the whole village. The doctor and l,