The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-03-04
Selected storm.
The Young CompOsitOr---An Incident
OF Jacksonville.

tense lurid beat peculiar to lands lying
upon tropic seas. There was little
sign of life in the plague-stricken city.
Only here and there feeble pulse
seemed to culver like that of adying man.
The red and blue globes still glowed in
the apothecary's windows, while at the
sorner shops bread and meat were dealt
out to the necessitous with reckless
haste. One-half of the city had fled;
the other half were down with the
fever which had swept across seas to
tester upon the doomed town of jack
sonvile, Florida.
The trains could not carry off the
fugitives fast enough; the hospitals
sould not take in all of the victims;
the earth could not cover its dead
Yet, in the midst of terror and bewil-
derment, here and there a man, a
woman, or a child, stood at his post and
waited for help to come in.
The whole country wrung its hands
and prayed; aid was sent-volunteers
came pouring in. Nurses, doctors,
ministers, philanthropists, responded
to the cry for help, and after months OF
struggle, of fighting, nursing and
watching, the Death Angel folded his
wings and passed on. All, it was a
fearful time to try mems heartsl
And deeds were done which shamed the sun;
And deeds were wrought which should be known
On the day when my story opens, a
young printer stood at his desk in the
compOsitors' room at The Times Union,
busily engaged in setting up type. He
was barely sixteen, and his cap was
pushed back from resoute young
brow, shaded by thoughtful gray eyes
aud q firm, boyish mouth and chin.
There was only slim force at work
this warm afternoon, and all had double
duty to perform, for the pestilence was
at its height, and the outside world was
waiting for the latest news from the
fever-stricken city, and for the names
Of the latest victims of the pest.
A long list was spread out on the
form before him, and the boys fingers
were busy setting them up, but his
thoughts were swifter than his hands
this afternoon. He had spied the name
of young friend on the list, and it
naturally saddened his occupation.
Poor Fred" he thought, and only
three days since he was working by my
side. james Burnell, M. D." he
spelt; "must be a stranger, | guess.
Mrs. Charles Graham and child;'
Judge Newman, distinguished man >
Rev. DIR. Beale, good man taken;'
Tom Rice. Jessie Brown, colored;'
high and low, no one seems TO escaped"
He passed his hand over his brow. 81
wonder who will be the next. 1t must
be fearful to see familiar name in the
paperl Suppose ii was minel l Won
der how it would look? And what
scare it would give mother and Minna-
bahl What put such a notion into my
head? | am not going to take the fever;
l must not take it for their sakes, for
they would be sure to come to me,
"And there would be three instead of one
The fiery gauntlet of death to run"
Strive as he would he could not shake
off the impressions; the jingle ran on
in his head, and his name written in
letters of fire seemed to hover in the
air above him. 1t danced before his
eyes like mote in the sunbeam. Me-
chanically he took up his stick and
picked out the letters H-aw-e-s NC
L-e-o-d.
"There, will set it up, and perhaps
the banshee will out!" he exclaimed
aloud.
Halves Mcleod. 1t stood out boldly
before his eyes. Whatever comes,"
he muttered, CT will not let them
know till the worst is over"
Copy" shouted the foreman, COM
ing in; while Halves, for such we may
now call him, brushed off the type and
swept them into drawer. His work
for the day was done, and he turned to
leave the office and seek his boarding
house-there was no temptation to go
elsewhere in those dark DAYS. So
Halves took off his apron and was soon
hurrying along the silent streets, which
echoed loudly to his quick footsteps.
Presently he slackened his pace, 81
am walking too fast" he thought;
"my heart beats strongly and my
limbs ache all over. | believe L will
stop at the drug shop and ask for some
thing to quiet it,"
A trembling seized him; the fever
lay masked in his veins. He staggered
on, pushed in at the half-open door,
and leaned heavily against the counter.
"Can you give me anything?' he
said, huskily. believe | am taking
the fever"
The clerk mixed something in a
glass and handed it to the boy. 6 Drink
this" he said, and get nome and to
bed as quickly as possible"
{" | have no home here," murmured
the lad unsteadily.
"Then you must 90 to hospital l
will call an ambulance. Give me your
name, please?"
Hawes-no, Henry MCGUIRE" said
the young printer, slowly, whilst 6
deadly sickness came over him.
He was shutting himself out from
home and friends; he was gazing dCwr
into darkness, perhaps death, and he
knew it. Put the thought of his reso
luton not half an hour back sustained
him, and with quick breathed prayer
to God for help, he was carried out ant
placed in an ambulance. He coult
hear the clerk saying; "Tell the chic
his name is Mcclure, Henry Mcclure.
Then a rigor seized him, and the pro
test which stirred at his heart died ava,
on his flushed lips. Mother, Minna,
he moaned. PLEASE God they mus