The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1890-08-16

w w eH0 S<saASo sAaA wy ~" "f~S'StA0
more Of the best PAID man on the
road.
And the very next day Rodney Ship
ton, instead of tramping back to his
fathers farm, took the train to Snow
flake City.
Tue friendly words of the official who
was now his chief had encouraged him
greatly, and he resolved to stick il
OUT at Snowflake, no matter what
might happen, until his ability should
be recognized by his employers.
If the picture Of Snowflake City,
which Superintendent Stebbins had
outlined, was a dark one, the reality
was still more black and unattractive
to Rodney. The ne.ghborhood itself
was most uninterestlpg. Nature had
done as little as possible, 1t seemed;
and the inhabitants were even more
uncouth than their surroundings. The
men were Of the roughest and most ig-
norant type, While such women and
children as graced-or disgraced--the
settlement were nearly akin to the men
in their tastes and habits. Not that
there were great many of these peo-
pie, for within very wide radius Of
Snowflake station there were not more
than a hundred human beings, who.
were about evenly divided between
blacks and whites.
AS for Rod, he made his headquart-
ers at the cabin, which was known as
the Station At first be tried board :
ing at the store,' which was also q
hotel and saloon, but he finally came to
the conclusion that he had better Keep
house, in the little cabin, which low
became for him kitchen, rarlor, bed
room and Office all rolled into one.
It was truly lonesome spot, and
through the long early summer days
and the weird nights, when the breezes
soughed and sobbed over the dismal
swamp, Rod often got homesick for the
old farm. He did not have much work;
hardly enough to keep him from grow
ing weary; but, remembering the SUI
perlntendent's words, Rod did his work
promptly and well, and not a single;
reprimand came to him over the wire
from the train dispatcher.
Rod saw few people, for passenger,
trains stopped very seldom at Snow
fake, and the boy did not encourage
visits from the rou b and-generally-
half drunken men from the sawmill.
Three months passed away that were
long and dreary ones to Rodney Ship
ton, and one August day the lad awoke
to find himself important.
Yellow fever had broken out at
Snowflake City! The state medical
officer had been down from Jackson
and pronounced four cases Of serious
sickness as yellow fever Of the most
pronounced kind. Forthwith doctor
and nurse were dispatched from The
capitol to Snowflake, and the district
was laid under quarantine. No one
dared leave the fever district now until
the pest should be driven away, and,
for all the communication the wretchej
people have with the outside world,
they might as well have been living on
a desert island in the midst of the Pa
ci6c Ocean. Stay, there was the tele-
graphl Touched by the deft and will
Ing fingers of the young operator, the
throbbing wires carried all over the
country the tale of misery which Snow.
fake City now told.
In the columns Of the great daily pa
pere Of the north were printed Rodney
Shipton's dispatches, wherein folks
learned how the poor wretcbed, ignor-
ant people Of the forest and swamp
were dead and dying; how the four cases
speedily increased to fourteen and then
to forty. Rodney's messages, calling
for aid, brought nurses from the hos
pitals Of the great cities; Rodney's
messages brought nourishing food and
healthy clothing to those who were for
tunate enough to recover; Rodney's
messages brought medicines for the
sick and even casksts for the dead. And
many cofHnJ were needed in the stricken
district for fully half the people died;
and through it all Rod stuck to his
post. The other folks Of the settle
ment moved away as far as they could
within the quarantine boundary, but
Rod stayed right on at the little tele-
graph cabin on the edge of the swamp.
and close to the huts and novels of the
sawmlll people.
He knew that the people and the
doctor could not do without the tele-
graph; he knew that no one would
come form outside if he should desert
his post, and he knew quite well that
there was not soul in Snowflake City,
besides himself, could operate the tele-
graph. SO, with a brave heart, he did
his duty. Rod did not complain now
that his work was light; dear mol He
could hardly give information enough
with bis title clicking hammer. The
eyes of the whole country were upon
Snowflake City. The people were sorry
enough for the unfortunates shut up
by themselves, but they wanted to keep
the dread plague at Snowflake.
No trains stopped now. Most of