The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1883-08-03
CHAPTER Xvn.-CoSrINuEp.


Rds,"" Cecirs Secret" a Mcr.
elcss Foe etc., etc.
CHAPTER XvIl.-CoSrINUEp.
"Leave them for those who need then
more. They will do me no good. List
en- to me, doctor. / shall save her ant
die, do what you will. Here is hel
purse, which have found, with money
in it. Send her away when she is able
to be moved. There is no safety in this
poisoned afr. For me. I neither feal
death, nor would 1 avoid it; only wait
for my release"
"Holy mother! it is the priest she
needs more than me-" muttered the doc.
tor, angrily. LET them believe they
are going to die, and they will die in
spite OF u.s."
He saw his successor as he had prom
ised and urged his interest in these two
cases, but with victims multiplying with
every passing hour. with the bravest
flying from the stricken city, with the
death-cart rafting all night long through
the streets, and only handful of de-
voted men and women to minister to
overwhelming numbers, it is not sur
prising that those two were forgotten.
When, days later, the new physician
came opposite the house and suddenly
remembered the charge he had received,
the death-cart stood before the door.
A priest came down the stairs as the
doctor assembled.
ut is the nurse who is gone" he
said, in answer to the latter's inquiry.
Found dead at her post by the lady's
bedside. The Sonora Oliphant will live,
so far as can Judge, but l will wait
for your opinion and report it to Sonora
Alverez
..Were you here while Almedi at
tended them?" DR.. Flores inquired.
Twice. He gave me a charge to
thought it advisable"
Ill news travels apace, but the second
week was well advanced before the fatal
sweep which the epidemic was making
came in vague rumors to the ears of
that party in the interior of the island.
Power Oliphant, assaulted by the sharp
est anxiety on account of his wife, left
them immediately, and, attended by a
native servant, sat out on his return to
Havana. The road was the merest
Sbridle-path through hilly wilderness,
and on one of the steep descents, a
stone turned under his horses hoof: the
beast stumbled and came to his knees,
pitching his rider over his head upon
the rocks which lined the way, where
he lay a bleeding and unconscious heap,
with no bones broken fortunately, but a
dislocated shoulder, bruises and loss of
blood from a small artery which was
severed, made it five long weeks before
ne reached the hacienda where the
Senior Alverez had meanwhile rejoined
his family.
Here he was informed of his Wife
favorable condition. She had pinned for
the little Dana, and Father Nicola had
himself come for the child a few DAYS
before. He was strongly advising her
TO leave the island without awaiting her
husband return, the time of which had
been reported TO Senior Alverez as most
uncertain. Power pushed on with all
haste after hearing this, quite unmind-
full of a package of letters and papers
which had been given him at the
hacienda; but he reached the city to
learn that his wife had already departed
by the steamer TO New Orleans.
He followed by the next, which started
that same evening, and when he was
alone in his state-room examined the
package of mail matter he had thus far
neglected There was sorrow in store
for Rose. A black bordered missiye
announced the death of both her parents,
one sorrowful event succeeding the other
by very short interval. He must be
more than ever a tender and devoted
husband, Power thought, with increas-
ing impotence to be at her side once
more.
1t was an impotence which turned 10
wonder and anxiety when New Orleans
was reached, and he found no trace of
his wife at any of the leading hotels,
but an address which had been found in
a notebook belonging to the nurse, re-
Cured TO his mind. He called car
riage, drove to the place. and sent in
his card. A moment later he was adj
mitted and ushered into a spacious
drawing-room, where woman in dead
black turned to meet him, with look
Of apprehension in her haggard eyes.
"You have come for my baby she
-said. in a quick, startled way.
II have come to make inquiry re-
garding my wife. / have reason to
suppose that she would call here after
arriving at New Orleans. She-and L
owe debt of gratitude to one who was
a member of this family, one Rose
Mignon Almont, lately a nurse in Ha-
vana. Perhaps you do not know that
she was in attendance upon my wife
when she died, that she saved Mrs. Oil
phant's life at the expense of her own,
1t may be, though the doctors seem to
have had no hope of her from the first.
If you are her sister"
A change had gone over the woman's
face. Awed and shrinking, she had
stood listening to his eager explana-
lions. but now as he half-paused she
looked at him sadly, and spoke:
lyon did not receive the letter then
which left with the Consul, Mr.. Oil
phant? There was mistake made; it
was the nurse who lived, and am she.
HesFan knows, / would rather have
died, but Death passed me by and took
your wife. 1t IS very hard for me to
deal you such blow as | must do in
telling you this. | did not mean that