Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1891-04-03
THE YOUNG CONPOSITOR
An Ineideu, Of jacksonville.

TIfE YOUNG COMPOSITOR.
An Ineident Of jacksonville.
1t was hot blazing September afternoon.
The sun shone with that intense urid heat
peculiar to lands lying upon tropic seas
There was little sigu of life in THAT plague
stricken city. Only here and there feeble
pulse seemed to quiver like that of dying
man. The red and blue globes still glowed
in the apothecarys windows, while at the
corner 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 Jacksonville, Florida
The trains could not carry off the fugi-
tives fast enough the hospitals could not
take in all of the victims the earth could
not cover its dead Yet, in the midst of
terror and bewilderment, 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,
phianthropists, responded to the cry for
help, and after months of struggle, of fight
ing, nursing and watching, the Death Angel
folded his wings aud passed on. All, it was
fearful time to try mems hearts
And deeds we're done which shamed the sun:
And deeds were wrought which should be known.
On the day when my story opens,
young printer stood at his desk in the com
positors' room at The Times-U nion. busily
engaged in setting up type. He was barely
sixteen, and his cap was pushed back from
resolute young brow, shaded by thought
full gray eyes and firm, boyish mouth and
chin. There was only a 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 wait
ing 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 fast
er 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, NJ D. >" he spelt must
be stranger, guess. Mrs Charles Ora
ham and child : Judge Newman, distin-
guished man : Rev DR.. Beale, good man
taken : Tom Rice, Jessie Brown, colOred ;
high and low, no one seems TO escape ="
He passed his hand over his brow. 81
wonder who will be the next. 1t must be
fearful to see familiar name in the paper
Suppose il was mine | wonder how it
would look And what scare it would give
mother and Minnabah What put such a
notion into my head | am not going TO
take the fever | 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 impression 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. Mechanically he took up his stick
and picked out the letters H-a-w-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 be-
fore his eyes Whatever comes, " he NUT
tered, Il will not let them know till the
worst is over.
Copy" shouted the foreman, coming
in while Hawes, for such we may now
call him, brushed off the type and swept
them into a drawer. His work for the day
was done, and he turned to leave the office
and seek his boarding g-house-there was no
temptation to 20 elsewhere in those dark
days. So Hawes took off his apron and
was soon hurrying along the silent streets
which echoed loudly to his quick footsteps.
Presently he slackened his pace IL am
walking too fast he thought my heart
beats strongly and my limbs ache all over.
| | Ngi str af ha Ar-ufr rchp ay,A
ask for something 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 y he said
huskily. ~ believe | am taking the
fever"
The clerk mixed something in glass and
handed it to the boy. Drink this, " he
said, and get home and to bed as quickly
as possible
Il have no home here murmured the
lad unsteadily.
Then you must go to hospital will
call an ambulance. Give me your name,
please -
"Hawes-no, Henry Mcclure said the
young printer slowly, whilst deadly sick
ness came over him.
He was shutting himself out from home
and friends he was gazing down into
darkness perhaps death, and he knew it.
1 But the thought of his resolution not half
an hour back sustained him, and with a
/ quick kbreathed prayer TO God for help, he
was carried out and placed in an ambu-
/ lance. He could hear the clerk saying
Tell the chief his name is McHuire Henry
Mcclure" Then a rigor seized him, and
4 ~ &. l. n 4
away ON his flushed lips. Mother, Minna, -
he moAned. Please God they must not
know ~
He was carried into a large, crowded
ward, and laid ON narrow cot, aud a doc
tor was informed of this fresh arrival His
face was suffused, aud the fever gaining
rapidly The usual remedies were tried,
but all night he tossed in er-burning
anguish, aud by morning fearful deliriun
had set in. A fearful doubt had assailed
him, what if he should die aud no one knew
his real name Would it not he terrible Ia
drop out of life so suddenly, TO be thrust
into strange grave-uuknown, with an
alias carved upon his head-sto If it were
ever marked at all He had left the office
well he had never reached bis landlady
lac no longer had name
HHNes Mcleod was as good as dead and
buried already, and he could feel the clods
falling upon his painting chest He was
lost, hut his mother and Minna would be
saved
Aud now 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 and mock
( ed him. Henry Mcclure they seemed
TO say, you are an impostor Hawes Ne
! I.sod is dead and buried Ha hA :"
Consciousness left him as the fever gain