The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1882-06-01

oftheln stared at the we'll dressed gen.
tleman with the troubled face, and some
Of them began question to the doctor.
but the two kept on without word.
Past the kitchen, with its its steamy,
vegetable odors, past the engine room,
with its never resting, polished steel
bars e Vibrating up and ID down. down back
the doctor asked single question
Of the men in charge, and then
went on. Not nook nor cor
ner, not 4 ragged, woful group of women
and children escaped the anxious search
ing glance of the fathers eye. The walk
was repeated on the other side of the
ship, but without result. As they passed
one door, sickening, sulphury odor
crept out, and a few curls Of smoke.
F'They're preparing for the fumiga-
tion," explained the doctor, keenly
watching his companions face, II
thought we'd best do it to satisfy the au-
thorities"
Then they went straight to the head Of
the stairs that led to the dark, ill-ventil-
ated steerage. There the doctor paused
and checked Mr.. Raymond with his
hand.
II wouldn't go down there" he said,
lightly; ''its rather disagreeable place,
you know" Suddenly his face changed.
clark" he said. And Mr.. Raymond
listened.
Family, sweetly, came 4 girlish voice
up out of the darkness. Some one was
singing. All, if the roar of the wind and
dull breaking of waters against the bows
would but stop for one little moment!
Hark-they could hear the words now:
"Jesus, lover Of my soul"
The doctor glanced again at Mr.. Ray
mond's face. It was blanched white as
the foam on the wave tops that could he
seen over the bulwarks as the ship rolled.
doctor, he said, 'let me pass. That
is my little girl, singing"
20, never mind" said the doctor, still
way; "I'll 60 down and get her up"
"poSetor, why won't you let me-you
The surgeon glanced over his shoulder
and saw that they were alone. Then he
looked the other full in the eye and
said. slowly:
Because lt-is-smallpox."
'"Then for Gods sake, let me go by!
Stand aside, I say, or I'll knock you down
and pass over you!" For the tall, wiry
young doctor had placed himself before
him., and was directly blocking the
way.
''You will do no such thing, sir. You
are not strong enough to master Inc, and
if you try I win have you put in irons. /
will 60 down and bring your daughter
up. She shall occupy my stateroom for
the rest of the voyage. If her mother
chooses to share it with her. and keep
away from you until We land, she may
do SO. You can not see her, and after
ward go back among the passengers"
While the pillows near me roll.
Again the childish tones, with little
tired tremble in them, rose above the
sound of the waters. Mr.. Raymond COW
cred his face with his hands for mo-
| ent, then turned away.
''Her mother will come" he said.
The doctor quickly descended the
stairs. The steerage was divided by
rough partitions into small compartments
around the sides Of the open space in
the center, where were the dining tables
| made of pine boards, once clean and
fresh, but now stained to dingy brown.
| In each compartment were six berths,
three on q side, one over the other
These berths were filled with various
untidy heaps of bed-clothing, as their
occupants had hurriedly left them in
the morning, and the air of the whole
place was foul and sitting. In the fur
thest corner, on the edge Of one of the
wide berths, sat Sue, her pretty brown
steamer hood thrown back on her shout
ders, holding the sick child in her lap.
bending over it, and rocking it to and
fro as she sung.
said simply. II was getting tired. Have
little girl? Because if.you haven't am
going to stay with her tonight"
"Do you know what is the matter with
herr"
eyes, sir; one of the steerage passen-
gers told me. There, there, baby
ana the little woman began again to sing
to the child, who was turning restlessly
in her arms.
I will not say what made the doctors
eyes shine just then. Inever saw doc
tor cry, although [ suppose they do
sometimes, like other people. At any
and didn't say anything for half min
ute; then he told Sue he would see if the
''hospitap was all ready, and would be
back presently. In three minutes, he
| thought.
Those minutes seemed very long to
Sue. Her arms ached, and her throat
was tired with singing and talking. And
the sick child, being dressed in clothes
| by no means clean or dainty at the be-
ginning Of the voyage, and still less now,
was not so pleasant to hold as the babies
Sue had loved to tend at home.
But He took them in His arms" she
thought YEARLY; land Palestine babies
we're no nicer than steerage babies, l
guess" Then came thoughts Of
what might happen next. Would
| she, too, be sick Of that terrible disease?
Would it be for long time? Would she
| die?
'"There was no more sea- she went on,
! to herself, as the ship lurched heavily
before the freshening breeze. "That's
| good to think of. Only there wont be
any sunsets. Oh, if He would only come
walking on the water, and make those
great waves stop, and-and-put out His
| hand, and-cure-"
Sue felt great lump in her throat.
She heard tho doctors step on tho stairs.
Her head reeled with the long confine-
| ment and the foul air she had breathed.
| She laid the baby gently on the bed, and
the next face she saw was her mothers.
She was in a funny little
stateroom, which had, beside
the furnishings of her own
room, a cosy shelf of books, comforta-
Die easy chair, and several small, but
brilliant, prints on the wall. The red
unset light just struck through the win
dow, snd rested warmly on the pretty
white coverlet.
| She felt to weak and tired to talk-that
is, by words. But dear me deaf and
dumb people are not the only ones who
talk with their fingers: Sue gave a little
| squeeze to her mothers hand, and sup
| <o1 Ill
page for me to write out what she said
by it. And her mother answered her
another half page, in the same way. On
| ly she did more. She said:
The baby is better, Sue. She is COM
fortably put to bed in the little ships
hospital, and papa has found a good-na-
tured Scotch girl to take care of her.
The doctor says my little daughters nurs-
/ ing, this afternoon, saved his life"