The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1891-03-04

And now doublC-name in fantastic
German text mingled with blood-red
colors seemed to dance before bis heavy
eyes. He tried to make out the letters,
but they eluded him, and the effort only
wearied his heated brain. Gigantic let
ters with SPIDERS legs ran across him,
or stood still and Knocked at him.
Henry MCGUIRE" they Sc emed to say,
YOU are an impostorl Halves Mcleod
| is dead and buried. Hal hal"
Consciousness left him as the fever
gained sway. His temperature rose to
one hundred ten degrees, an alarming
symptom. How long he was delirious
| he could never tell. 1t might have
been day, week, an eternity.
AS the fever left him a collapse was
feared. i" He must be watched closely"
/ said the doctor to the nurse in charge;
g the crisis is at 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 auttered feebly,
his skin had that dull lemon-yellow tint
peculiar to the disease. When stimu-
lants were gwen he opened his eyes.
" Am dying?" he said family. "Will
you tell them my nal is not Henry
McGuire-if die?"
1.-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?"
I" If God wills it, yes. Do you think
| am going to die, sir2 l have reason
for wishing to get WELL"
L" l cannot say. l hope you may
live"
"You see they do not know me here.
They-think-I am-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"
CAT Palatka-mother lives there,
and Mina-they do not know 1 am
sick"
He was getting faint. The doctor
stopped on his rounds.
" Must die?" the boy whispered.
"Courage, MCGUIRE" said the doc
tor, feeling his pulse; "you are going
to pull through all right, my an"
They do not know me at this place.
l gave them the wrong name. | was
afraid mother would see it and take the
| lONSI, III hllCW SllC WOulu COlilO.
n
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; L 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; I am afraid he
has the fever, mother: But then he
would let us know"
" He has the plague; l know feel
it'll"
eve must go to him at once"
Ny heart cries out for him.
"Do you think they will let US in?n
"Refuse mother in search of her
child? impossible, Minnal"
"Why not telegraph first to his en-
ployer, mother?" suggested Minna.
1t was done and reply brought to
them. d" Your son left the office well
three days since. He did not return to
his work. We can find no trace of him.
He may have gone north"
I" He would have come to u.s. said
the girl, proudly. " Halves is not
coward-he is i'll, perhaps dying. We
must leave on the next train. But
there may still be letter at the post"
There was no letter, but the post
master eyed her curiously. Halves
is down with the lever" he said,
slowly, 81 have seen his name in The
Times. Union."
Minna turned pale. Let me see
it,"
The paper was three days old; she
hastily ran down the list, at the bottom
she found her brothers. name.
1--WE are going to him now," she
said quickly, " but where shall we find
him if he be living?''
Fortunately the ride between Palatka
and Jacksonville is a short one, and
the same afternoon saw them at their
destination. They went first to the
office, then to the clearinghouse, and
lastly to the hospitals, but no Halves
was to be found. No one knew any
thing of yonng Mcleod. Bafiled, they
turned away in despair. The mother
was ready to sink with fright and
anguish,
" He is dead my boy is dead, and
know not where they have taken him"
she said, wildly. - shall never see
my bonnie Halves again" She sat
down on the steps of deserted house
to rest.
" They may have overlooked him ;"
said Minna, Why didn't we think of
that2 or he may have been too i'll to
give his name. l am going back,
mother. l am sure we will find him. -
Z" I am looking for my BROTHER" she
said to the official, who tried to force
her back.
"You are risking your life, miss"
"God will protect us. Come,
mother"
Oh, it was fearful sight. At every
turn collins empty and filled met her
eye. Sulphurous odors assailed her
! scent. Tears, grOans, rawlings fell upon
! her ears. The dead and the dying met
| Der vision.