South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1891-09-11

4
habits. Not that there were great
many OF tbeee people, for within .
very wide radius Of Snow fake station
there we're no. mnre than Q hundred
human beings, Who were about even.
~ divided bet ~sen blacks and whites.
AZ for kod. he made his heado GUAR.
tsrs ut the cabin, which vac known
as the station. Al 6rss he tried
boarding NJ the store, which was also
. ho:el and saloon. but he finally
came 10 the conclusion that he had
better keep houee. in the little cabin,
which now became for him kitchen,
parlor, bedroom and ONCE all rolled
into one.
1t was truly lonesome spot and
through the long early summer DAYS
and the weird nights, when the
bres zss soughed and sobbed over the
dismal swamp. Rob often got home.
sick f,r the old farm He did not
have much work hardly enough to
keep him from growing weary; but
remembering the euperintendeut's
words, Rod did his work promptly
aud we'll, and not o single rep Inland
came to him over the wire from the
train dispatcher.
Rod saw few people, for passenger
trains stopped very seldom at Snow.
lake. and the boy did not encourage
visits from the rough and-generaliy
half drunken men from the saw
mill.
Three months passed awsy that
were long and dreary ones TO Rodney
ShiptonJ and one August day the lad
awoke to find himself Important.
Yellow fever bad broken out at
Snowflake City! The state me1ic,l
ofhcer had bcel down from Jackson
and pronounced four cases of serious
sickness as yellow fever of the most
pronounced kind. Forthwith a doc
tor AMI nuts, were dispatch ed from
the capital to Snowflake and the dis
trict was laid uuder quarantine. No
one dared leave the fever district
now until the pest should be driven
away, and for all the communication
the wretcled people could have with
the outside world. they might as we'll
have been living on desert island in
the midst OF the Pacific ocean. Stay,
there was the telegraph Touched
by the deft and willing fingers Of the
young operator, the throbbiag wires
carried all over the country the tale
OF misery which S owfIke City nov
told.
10 the columns Of the grea' daily
Mt 4
! Rodney Symptoms dispatches where
in folks learned how the poor.
wre' ched, ignorant people OF the for
est and swamp we're dead ard d Ing {;
how the four cues speedily increased
TO fourteen and then TO forty. Rod
ney's mossae calling for aid. brought
nurses from the hospitals of the great
cities; Roduey's messag's brought
nourishiog food and healthy clothing
to those who were fortunate enough
to recover, Rodney's messages bought
medicines for the sick and even cas-
kets for the dead. And msny coffl 10
were needed in the stricken district
for fully half the people died, and
through it all Rod stuck to his post.
Tho other folks Of tie settlement
moved away as far az they could
within the quarantine boundary. bnt
Kod stayed right on at the little iele.
graph cabin on the edge of tho swamp
aud close TO the hu's and bowels Of
the sswmill people.
tie knew that the people and tue
doctor could no, do without the te!e.
graph. he knew tina. no one would
me f.om outside il he should desert
Ills post. and he knew quite well that
there was not soul ia Snowflake
City, beside him self. who Gould ope.
rate the ,eIeRrs ph. So, vi h a brave
heart, he did his duty. Rod did not
complsin now that his work wss light I;
dear, no lie could hardly give infor.
nation enough with his little clicking
hammer. The eyes OF the whole
country we're upon Snowflake City.
The people were sorry enough for the
uDfortuuates shut up by themselves,
but they wanted to keep tue dread
plague At Snowflake.
No trains stopped now. Most OF
them went flying past, and even on
the hottest days the passengers would
shut down all the windows, as IL they
feared to breathe the air in passing.
Even the local freight ooly slowed as
she went on her way, AMI the train
men carelessly dumped the barrels
and boxes CT clJthing aud provisions
on TO the little platform for Rob TO
gather as bes; he might.
50 the days and weeks dragged
slowly along, and one morning the
papers bad these words at The foot Of
heir usual dispatch from Snowflake
| CITY.
The only telegraph operator ia
tho place has Ibe fever and is fast
falling
Then for days there was no news
at all oyer The wires from the unforlu.
nate village. and the stricken people
bad TO shout the news and their Goeds
20 the train men as they passed
through The station.
But Rod did not die he was one OF
the very few who recovered from the
fever, and shortly after be was strick'
en- down the FIRST frost came TO gla1-
den and cheer the besrts OF the south.
Who feared for The spread Of The ter
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