Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1883-05-05

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door-bell twice without evoking any
sign of life from within. looked ap-
pealingly toward his fares. r.
"What am to do?" said he.
"Ring again." said Mrs. Horatio.
And the hackman rang again, this
time with so much. energy as to pull
the whole bell-wire out, and precipi-
tate himself backward on the pave
ment, like Hamlet at the first sight of
his fathers ghost, at which the little
boys laughed engagingly, and hat
box tumbled down from the Leaning
Tower into the gutter, where it split
open like an overripe nut, revealing
Mr.. Horatio Biggs' best black felt hat.
"Boys, boys, do set steady up therep
screamed Mrs. Biggs. "Lookl There's
some one coming at last. Is it Hiramp
Or is it Elizabeth ?"
1t was neither one nor the other, as
it happened, but a stout old woman in
a flannel dressing-gown, carpet slip
pers, and a red nose.
"Mr. Biggs' folks to home?" shrilly
inquired Mrs. Horatio, who had con-
stituted herself spokeswoman for the
party, without any formal appoint
ment.
"Oh, yes," answered the old woman,
in a snuffy, confidential sort of tone.
"they're to hum. But p'r'aps the
children hadn't better come in
BY this time the hackman had
opened the door of the vehicle and the
tide of Biggses had begun to flow out
on the pavement. But Mrs. Luke
stopped abruptly on the carriage step,
with her father-in-law's bronzed visage
peeping over her shoulder.
"Not come in!" said she "Why,
we're their relations-come to visit
'em."
"Not but what they're deal better,
and the doctor says there amt no more
danger of contagion," reassuringly
added the old woman.
"Contagion r echoed the Biggs
family.
Hadn't you heard ?" said the old
woman, with the solid satisfaction
which old women generally evince in
communicating any startling piece of
information. "Well. it amt no se-
cret in the neighborhood, especially as
people amt best pleased with the
board of health's concludin' to insu-
late 'em here instead of sendin' 'em to
hospital. They've every one of 'em
had the smallpox. And that's the
reason the store is shut up. I'm here
to nurse 'em. / amt afraid of the
smallpox, bein' as I've had it Already"
(Which was a self-evident fact to
any one who looked upon her broad
and smiling countenance.)
"Bless mel'' said Mrs. Luke, prompt
ly retreating into the hack. Very
thoughtless Of Hiram's folks not to let
us know. Motherl Josepha! Harriet
Ami come in at once. Pick up the
hat.bo Tell the man to drive back
to the ferry as fast as he can. Pr'aps
we'll be able to catch the 4 o'clock
train back to Biggsville."
at didn't know" suggested the old
woman, rather disappointed at this
sudden withdrawal of the invading
forces, "but you might have come to
help nurse EN-"
"Nothing of the SORT" Mrs. Horatio
answered, as. forcing herself into the
already overfull hack, she slammed the
door with an emphatic bang, and
shouted to the driver to go on r
"The-smallpox y groaned Mrs.
Biggs senior. "And not one of the
children has been vaccinatedl"
"We'd better stop at the nearest
drug store and have it done at once"
said Mrs. Luke, breathlessly.
"It'll be dreadful expensive" said
Mrs. Horatio.
"But it'll be cheaper than having
the smallpox" argued Mrs. Biggs
senior.
So, after this important sanitary
ceremonial, during which the Biggs
boys bawled as if they were being fayed
alive, the family returned, without
loss of time. to Biggsville.
And H;ra us folks did not have the
pleasure, then or ever, of entertaining
their reations. In fact, they never
dreamed how near they had been to
that happiness. The Biggsville Biggsss
declared over and over again that they
never should forgive their city rela-
tions, but as Hiram's folks did not know
it. they were saved from any over
whelming pangs of conscience. They
wrote a letter to the board of health,
reproacUng them bitterly with the bad
management Of the varioloid case in
Thirteenth avenue, but they never got
any answer from that august body. In
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