New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-09-02
ESTELLINE.
THE BLIGHT OF DEATH on THE BEAUTY
OF THE INDIAN SUMNER.

Reading Of the ravaccs Of yellow fever AZ Jackson
vie. Florida brings 20 ms mind m outbreak C.
smallpox far ont on a newly settled norton Of th'
pra.e in Dakota a few years ago. Tho Situate!
Isolated at tho time that II was bnt lft'
heard Of by tho world, but whc It lasted the hi'i'
community was Al rs mercy, and many a hardy
settler found a lonely ard perhaps unmarked grave
beneath dry, gray surface of the rolAng, endless
plain
II IN tho carly part Of October, 1890, that
the fatal disease made is appearance q few mile
from Estcloc Hamn County, then now and
struggling village far removed from any other towns
4 lonesome and uncertain Inc Of railroad through
the place. along which c,cp freight train every Other
day. With ancient passenger coach ataccl TO tho
roar end. IN the circulars Of The company his
train was referred n as a fast eni well appointed
express. maMng close connections East and Nosf, -
and It more than probable that the train would have
made much closer connections in all directions II the
track Lad been so sldclng7 I'm many places that
occasionally 'or-hcavy cor would ID over and roll
On rs back the prairie in perfectly helpless
! condition. 1loic uo otAcr communication with
the outside world except BY teams across the country,
and this not much rcsortcd to- Estclllne was an
ISLAND In tho silent. lonely. rolling prairie
How the smallpox no knew. II did
| break out in town. but made its appearance In
half dozen different places IN The surrounding cOun
try. from five miles distant almost Al the
time. Tho settlements IN the country scattering
The nearest neghbcIs some families hal three
four miles away. The creator part Of the land vas
unbroken prairie.
II was but fcv days whcn Inc cases were reported
On all sides None Lal yet appeared IN town, md . =
authorities decided on a rigid quarantine to keep Il
out According civ. stationed tai. milo ont
on al roads 20 stop people coming m and II they
wished anything from town. to get n and take
! to them. Other towns on tho lne OF the raslrr al
! learned Ct The outbreak, and guaranteed thcni-
selves against had quaraniincd ourselves
/ against the country Tho mails ceased TO como AMI
! 60 The fast and wellappointcd express train was
ordered 10 rush through Estelnc without Stopping
| which II IA With great amount of putting by the
locomotive and rolling ont Of black smoke the stlll,
hay. Indian summer air ono day, In the very heart
OF the city. IT ran and Killed pumising year
oil pig hclor siug to sam C0cgrove though In Jus
t!cc 10 tho pig ought TO state that II going In
the opposit" direction to the train the time. our
only telegraph operator wont twenty miles into tie
country 70 nurse brother sick of tie disease I'm
little SQUARE box OK house on his homestead I'D on
tire Sirayhorsc Crock. our little Island was cu oil
from the rcst IF the world Many went ont from the
town to help nurse thc ill., or bury the dead our
Only physician out working night and day
The soft smoky October days slipped away and
tho dread disease RACED on ali sides. TAcrr vcre
great number Of foreigners among the settlers
many Norwccisns. some from Finland. others from
i.us-ia, few even from Iceland and vaccination was
not common among them. 1t was two WEEKS before
any vaccine points coGld be obtained and then a man
brought them overland horseback, The mellow
Indian sumner weather. with III lazy Sky and with
just a ghost Of ~ott south wind only enough 70
make thu great yellow ranks Of Wild sunaowors nod
their heads ag'lv-brousht no hints OF anything but
health The streets or The town were deserted almost
aS still As tho prairie without There the grass was
dry and chung close to the ground. more gray than
brown. and the stiffness oppressive. You
mounted to the top Of one Of The prairie waves and
tho miles you could of across the bllowy roIins
soa Of dry and withercd grass showed YOU nothing
except two three LITTLE board or sod houses over
which, perhaps, death lowering ard coming,
It might be, one lone inmate unable to help himself
uncared for By others. No sound came 10 your ear
save possibly the chlr6 OF a cricket harsh note ot
n Gra>Shoppcr perhaps once I'm a long while fright.
encd jack rabbit might bound away flock Of pral
RE chickens oil with whirr, then
again you might find convenient seat on the great
broad whtencl skull u buffalo which found all
over the prairie, and listen for hour and hear 40
soand, lest happily you OF that gentle nature
which could cafch TIC shadoNy strains Of that low
sweet music which sometimes family comes in the
soiudes Of the great plains-a spirit OF some lost
wandering melody. coming over the golden rod ard
purple prairie balm from nobody knows where-kc
the ringing Of faroR church bells. or dying strains
OF some invisible orchestra far away In the hay
vault above YOU
Tie sun in IL" morning twice It's natural
sizc through the hazy atmosphere. sometimes
trd, sometimes Ike gold only In the middle OF the
day for few hours did II shine with anything like rs
accustomed md-contnent clearncss. As It sank
toward the west again It grew red and largo. Ike the
iull moon: It did not hurt your eyes look al H.
and it grew SIN larger and rich bloodred Z
sank to the faraway horizon. sometimes there
might be a small bank Of clouds a little above the
horizon, or perhaps long, narrow cloud, which would
lie Ike bas hr suns fasc for a moment As
It sank lower IT seemed more and Ike a great.
plying eye looking down at us and its broad
blood red disk just touched what looked Ike tho
western edge of the world II seemed To pause for a
moment as Il TO take one last look And a fair land
It was to look at though lonely and half out of the
world Down by the river, which wandcr eerrcntine
course but lte depressed below the surface Of the
prairie grew acres Of Wild sunhowcrs. higher than
mans head. making great fields OF gold which, when
the wind came. and fell in golden pillows They
seemed to grow everywhere but rankcr near iio
river, where they made landscape In yellow occa-
slonal nochs Of garuious hackins pcrchcd I'm their
stout branches and rose and fcn with thcr and held
spirited discussions concerning their approaching
Southern tIip. Other Bird, were fow. Sometimes a
hawk happcd his way In great crclc, 80 FAR up a. 10
seem liu!e but sicck against the light blue sky.
Besides the surhoweis there was a sodcn-sod grow.
Ing almost every where. half dozen varieties. and
other yellow flowers, many Of them not very distant
relatives, aud enough purple, 10 lend variety the
purple balm, and great many Of them grow
Ing in sim purple spikes, and with \
deep. cup like purple flower nestled down among
the dry grass which Is unmelcss. Ana over all day
after day there Was that dreamy, shadowy, SLEEPY
Hollow touch Of Indian summer the sui, peaceful
bewldcring- rolling prairie
Those who GENE UP to Quarantine told strange
sonnet mes horrble-sioiics OF the plague without OF
strong who die alone, perhaps houses far of of
the road, and where It is not supposed there is any.
body, and therefore are not gone TO by any one til