St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1891-05-28

/ suffused, and the fever gaining rapid
/ ". The usual remedies were tried,
but all night he tossed in ever-burn-
ing anguish, and by morning fear
/ full delirium had set in. A fearful
| doubt assailed him, what if he should
! die and no one knew his real namel
Would it not be terrible to drop out
of life SO suddenly, to be thrust into
strange grave-unknown, with an
alias carved upon his maidstone. if
it were ever marked at ALL He had
left the office well; he had never
reached his landlady; he no longer
had a name!
Halves Mcleod was as good as
dead and buried already, and he
could feel the clods falling upon his
painting chest. He was lost, but his
mother and Minna would be saved
And now a double-name in fantastic
German text mingled with blood-red
colors seemed to dance before his
heavy eyes. He tried to make out
the letters, but they eluded him, and
the effort only wearied his heated
brain. Gigantic letters with spiders
legs ran across him, or stood still
they seemed to say, you are an i'm
postor! Halves Mcleod is dead and
buried. Ha hal'
Consciousness left him as the fever
gained sway. His temperature rose
to one hundred and ten degrees, an
alarming symptom. How long he
was delirious he could never tell. 1t
might have been a day, week, an
eternity.
AS the fever left him a collapse was
feared. He must be watched close
ly," said the doctor to the nurse in
charge; the crisis is al hand. A little
beef-tea would be well, or crushed ice
if he shows symptoms of vomiting"
The patient was very weak. His
eyes were closed, his heart futtered
feebly, his skin had that dull lemon
yellow tint peculiar to the disease.
When stimulants were given he
opened his eyes. Am l dying?" he
said family. "Will you tell them my
name is not Henry McGuire-if |
die 20
"The fever has crazed him,
thought the nurse, as she passed on.
A minister paused at his bedside.
Are you prepared to die, my young
friend ?''
IF God wills it, yes. Do you think
l am going to die, sir? l have rea-
son for wishing to get we'll"
81 cannot say. [ hope you may
live"
"You see they do not know me
here. They-think- an-another
boy"
Poor child, is it so bad as that?
He does not know his own name.
Have you no friends, my son? They
should be with you"
"At Palatka-mother lives there,
and Minna-they do not know am
sick"
He was getting faint. The doctor
stopped on his rounds.
Must 1 die" the boy whispered.
Courage, MCGUIRE" said the doc
tor, feeling his pulse: you are going
to pull through all right, my man"
"They do not know me at this
place. Igave them the wrong name.
Twas afraid mother would see it and
take the fever, for knew she would
come"
In their cottage house at Palatka
the two women sat still and waited
for tidings from the absent one.
81 wonder why Halves doesn't
writer" said the mother, nervously.
"He is always so prompt, and he has
written regularly since the yellow
fever set in; 1 am afraid he is sick.
He promised to write every day, and
it is three days now since we have
heard
He never failed us; 1 am afraid he
has the fever, mother. But then he
would let us know"
"He has the plague; know-I feel
it,
1--WE must go to him at once"
my heart cries out for him.
DO you think they will let us in ?"
''Refuse a mother in search of her
child ? impossible, Minna !"
why not telegraph first to his
employer, mother?" suggested Min
ma.
1t was done and a reply brought
to them. Your son left the office
we'll three days since. He did not re-
turn to his work. We can find no
trace of him. He may have gone
North"
''He would have come to u.s." said
the girl, proudly. Halves is no
coward-heis i'll, perhaps dying. We
must leave on the next train. But
there may still be a letter at the
post"
There was no letter, but the post
master eyed her curiously. Halves
is down with the fever" he said,
slowly. 81 have seen his name in the
Times-U Union"
Minna turned pale Let me see it,"
The paper was three days old; she
hastily ran down the list, at the bot
tom she found her brothers name.
1--WE are going to him now" she
said quickly, but where shall we
L.. L L