The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-03-19
WESTMINSTER MD, SATURDAY, MARCH 10, 1892.

| d0llne.
At first | did not recognize the man who
looked out of the door, He was changed
by anxiety, grief and privation from the
Leonard | had known. | crossed the
bridge to speak to him, and l saw look
of surprise and hope come into his face
He came forward quickly and grasped me
by the hand.
''Thank heaven, Rawdon, you have come
in timer he said to me.
I'm time for what p
40 bring the help we need. My wife
His voice broke for moment, and he
gave glance at the open door behind him.
''She is ill.,"
Il thought she was dying, but if we get
fresh stores know that / can bring her
through. Did Lloyd send you p
sI know nothing of Lloyd"
''No matter. Here you are, and the YES
sci that brought you will give us what we
want to 90 on with, or take her away.
II am afaid the vessel has gone.
a was sorry / had said it when | saw
the look that came over the poor fellow S
face. He turned it seaward, and then,
without word he ran over the bridge and
M small hight with flagstaff on it.
understood that he wanted to put out sig
nal of distress; but the staff was broken,
and somebody had taken away every scrap
of canvass from it. 1t was, besides, too
late. The vessel, which suspected no trou-
BILE. was already too far off to notice MS.
..You do not mean to say" he said, "that
when You landed here no one came to
meet YOU; no one told you the trouble we
were in
Except you, l have seen no living
thing"
"There is no living thing to see, except
men and women, he answered. "OuT
cattle are gone, our corn has failed us; we
have had fever: and the women are in the
hospital. They have given up trying to
do ANYTHING except nurse and cook. The
men have lost heart, too, and are only wait
ing for relief to come. | am afraid that
they play cards all day. But they might
at least have watched they promised me
TO watch"
His tone was too hopeless for anger.
"Who is there here nowY" asked.
ssThe best men left us year ago, wher
we refused to alter the regulations anC
turn out those whom they called idlers
Perhaps they are idlers Heaven knows
Can we help idleness more than sickness
| could rot bring myself to send them bach
to crime. If we kept the best only, hoV
should we differ from the old communitie
and tho raSf 4
the wall? But the fellows who went SAT-
that their industry and thrift were neutral
lied by the idlencss and waste Of the rest
So they left us, all except one or two VIII
were staunch, | think, because they coul'
not bear to show less courage than woman
How could they leave while my wifi
stayed?"
"Where is Joe Brown :"
"He went some time ago to seek sup
plies from a settlement up country. ii
took the last of our funds with him. ii
has never come back, but we shall see hin
yet, unless he dies by the way. And tha
is likely enough, considering the countr.
he has got to get over.
ssAnd Harry Lloyd 2
"He left us only few days ago. FL
took our little yacht to try to reach tn
nearest place where vessels call, that h
might get one to come and take us off.
thought he had sent you"
"There was some big and lazy fellow
with you"
"They are big and lazy still | thinl
thev will stick to us as long as we hav
any provisions left, he said bitterly.
tsThere was a talkative man, MATTHEW
Law"
, Leonards face darkened.
at is he who makes our present troubl
so deadly" he answered, "and in the alb
scenee Of Lloyd and Brown there is no on
to resist him." He told me then, brief,
enough, sad story of disaster, of the los
} of cattle the failure of crops, the outbreal
of sickness Further particulars ! learret
from him afterward. "We didn't seem t.
have many with us who would stand tn
test of a bad time, he said on a later occa
sion. "To work as long as they haC
strength, for as little as they could live up
on, was no better than what they had lef
in the old world; and nothing else woulc
have saved us. Then, when typhoid hrolt
ont. they would not believe that our haC
habits had anything to do with it, and tn,
weather was so hot that hardly anybod,
would work at the drains to put them right
So the water supply got spoiled, and w
; went from bad to worse,
81 thought your sanitary regulation
were so excellent"
$50 they WERE But we couldn't put
them in force Many of the men had beer
accustomed to let things go at home; anC
they just let them go here"
He told me that they had had couple
of bad seasons, and that he had made des
perate efforts at the end of each to star
the community afresh and make good it
losses. Purchases had been made from
settlers, who worked harder or managed
better than Leonard's companions, anC
Gwendoline's fortune had been swept away
with bis own, To keep community il
idlepess Is expensive enough, but to let il
play at business is far more costly. Thi
was what Leonard had done. When tht
sickness came, Gwcndolino had workel
hard as nurse, Mrs. Rriggs-shiftless
complaining Mrs. Briggs-had shown t
good heart aud helped her when other
failed Then the sickness had attacked
GwendOline herself, and Leonard haC
nursed her through the worst of it,
''The fever has all gone now, but she i
dying from weakness, and cannot give
her the things she needs. 1t drives mar
mad to think Of it, he said to me.
tBut there is food in the place"
"Matthew Law has possession of it nov
and he deals US out Tations. He has
counted the days before Lloyd can gel
back and divided it into so much for each
person, He got the necessary resolutions
passed after Brown and Lloyd went, and
while was with Gwendoline. We have
to share and share alike, sick and well,
| NOM - Toonard eo,l bittarlr,. fgluf 49,, / :