Charlotte messenger. [volume] (Charlotte, Mecklenburg Co., N.C.) 1882-18??, 1886-10-30
face, butt ONE chat betrayed no emotion


of hope or fear to the anxious wife.
SIS it cholera," she asked at last, pro
nouncing the dread word with q shudder
and waiting in an agony of suspense fol
che doctors reply.
1T may be only cholerine. " was the
guarded answer, as DR.. Tyler dealt out
his medicine ''Give him this every hall
hour and l will call again in an hour OF
two."
When he made his &c It visit at 10
o'clock there remained no longer doubt
of the nature of the disease.
The vile needed only the evidence oil
her own senses to convince her that the
dreaded foe mad entered her household.
All through the long hours of that sad
night she watched beside her husband,
fighting the advance of the destroyer
with every means at her command: !:
Katie, in her faithful devotion, standing
ready to second her every wish.
But notwithstaudng their united ef-
fort the work Of death went steadily on.
As the morning began to dawn his bands
grew icy cold. the pulse became weak,
thready and hardly perceptible at times,
his breath short, confined and incon-
plete, the respirations increasing TO over
thirty minute.
Occasionally, when she could raise him
for an instant from his semi unconscious
condition, he answered her inquiries in
vo ce so weak and hoarse that she hardly
recognized it.
The iy chill spread gradually over
face, body and limbs, and when DR..
Tyler came at Z o'clock he found his
patient lying with collapsed features,
hollow cheeks, deeply sunken and closed
eyes, giving no evidence of conscious
ness save groan of pain from time to
time as the sharp spasms seized him.
The doctors quick eyes detected tha
signs of speedy dissolution and gently
broke the dread intelligence to the
anxious wife.
"But will never give him up until
death is really here" she said resolutely,
though her heat grew heavy with the
errible fear that all her efforts would be
lseless.
With renewed energy she chaffed the
ce-cold limbs, applied anew hot wateI
,ottles to sides and feet, but all in vain;
he limbs grew colder, the features, the
Whole body, more collapsed and the
YES more sunken; the weak pulse crept
lowly up the arm to the vitals; the
ieart beats grew fainter and fainter, the
,reath shorter and more labored, until at
1 o'clock it stopped, and the devoted
wife was alone with her dead.
As the sad truth was forced upon her
he sank upon her knees by the bedside,
Ter head resting upon the cold, hfeless
,and of her husband which was clasped
between her own. For a few moments
he lost sight OF everything save the
ense of terrible desolation which filed
Ter heart. At last through the open
window was berne to her ears the rumble
If cart down the deserted street, and
he call Of the dead-bearers: 'Bring out
four dead."
The sound reused all her dormant
.nergies, and a wild hope-sprang up in
ler heart that life might not be quite
extinct in her husband. Springing to
ler feet she rang the bell for Katie,
Who responded to her summons.
Don't let him in," she cried, ex-
.itedly. "Tell him he is not dead. /
know he is still alive, and they shall not
Jake him. can revive him if they will
)nly give me time"
Katie looked from the cold, rigid body
If the husband to the white, agonized
face of the wife, and feared that grief
aad driven her mistress insane, but she
,beyed the request, and the death cart
passed on its rounds.
Mrs zimmerman had by this time be-
come thoroughly possessed of the idea
hat there was life still lingering in the
apparent y dead body of her hus band and
he thought of having him taken away
for burial was too terrible to contemplate.
If she could only gain time she felt sure
she could revive him, though why she
should so strongly hold to such a belief
she could not have explained; but hope
she did, and proceeded to renew all the
efforts which had previously proved in
vain.
With the energy of despair she worked
on, and again the dead bearers entered
the room.
'We must take the body now, madam,
the man said who appeared to be in au-
thority. 1--WE can only hope to stay the
epidemic by the prompt removal of the
lead and thorough disinfection Of the
houses
'But he is not Dead" she persisted.
"Seelp holding a hand mirror over his
lips, ''there is little moisture"
The man looked closely and shook his
head.
"Your hopes deceive you," he said
kindly; ''he is surely dead, and we must
take the body"
With wild cry of agony she fell on
her knees, beseeching them with tears to
give her just one half hour more.
The men gently put her aside, trying
10 reason with her on the necessity Of
their course, but she only plead the more
earnestly. At last, finding reasoning
vain, they attempted to lay hands upon
the body, but thrusting them aside she
threw herself down beside her husband,
and clasping him in her arms declared.
with an agonized vehemence that awed
the men:
If you take him you shall bury me
with him. will not let him gor'
As the men stepped back she renewed
her pleadings.
td,ive me oniv one-half hour II