Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1892-12-08

his earnest gray eyes, which the !
firm lines OF his mouth warned all to
answer.
And so Joe had chung to the Dennings
In miserable uncertainty, which he knew !
TO be all too certain, until the blow had
fallen; and then he had coughed and
sputtercd coffee, and stumbled TO MS
room to continue the laugh at himself.
His life was ended. No one cared Tor
him nor believed in him, except his
mother and alas 1t was the image oil
her own credulity that she worshiped.
Poor woman she had meant to be so
good to him. The least he could do was
to return to her, and since she found her
chiefest delight in petting, to let her pet
in defiance of all banter Others who
were composed and gallant, to whom an
emergency was triumph. not an after
math of self-reproach, might aspire to the
nobility of word and deed; what concern
could one have with such station whose
beard was scraggy and whose left foot
| turned in when walking
Joe, therefore, decided that he would
return with the triumphant Dennings.
Even il Mary could never be his, it was
| far more comfortable to be miserable in
her presence than away from her. and
whether he inopportuncly groaned or
gufTawed it was ali one to them; he was
nly Joe, and they discovered compla-
cency IN his endurance.
Perhaps they never noticed 1t, for he
| himself was unaware of it; but Joe's
thoughtfulncss rounded many of the
sharp edges of travel for them. He was
an accomplished linguistic must need
have learned something in his idleness-
and then, of course, he wasn't sought |
after as the Major was, by all the young |
tourists whom they met, end so he had
abundant time to manage well enough
thousand and one details which the Major |
could have managed exceedingly we'll
Once, indeed, Mr.. Denning did enounce
that eff Joe wasn't Joe there really
might be something in the fellow; but
this was after Mr.. Denaing had dined
unto repletion and his ccndescension was
expansive.
Only Mary, in the midst of her joy,
would sometimes feel reasonable re-
morse as she glanced at Joe, and this
: would engender u brief gentleness toward
! him, brief, since its reception would be
SO grotesque.
The party found that the steamer on
which they were to sail would be unusu-
ally crowded; the storage was swarmlng
with the detritus of the Continent; the
cabins were crowded with pleasure seek
ers who had exhausted their purpose.
> This press could not have affected the
: Denninrs. for their room had been held
for them, but their friends, the Changers,
yourg couple with little daughter,
I were not so fortunate, and yet affairs ut
r home urged their departure. So Mary
r willingly welcomed Grace Granger as a
4 roommate, while Joe accommodated her
S parents by bunlsing with the Major,
: much to the latter's displeasure, had not
D his swectheart's smiles been an assuag-
l ing reward.
t And so the great ship sailed on its
h way, a mcrocosm with perjury and filth
next door to wealth and luxury, yet
e ignored because they were unseen. But
y such disagreeable neighbors sometimes
! compel a recognition of their proximity,
and when this occurred, rs it did in mid
t ocean, then it was that Mary began to
n doubt.
n The ship was an old one and insult
ficiently manned. There had been con-
IS slant complainings from the tirst-class
d passengers who as such, of course,
c could not realize when they were well Off
d But one morning terror revealed to them
d the pcttiness of their woes.
/, 1t was the Major who first heard the
l. news. He was enjoying an early stroll
is and cigar as was his wont, when an Off
@ Ger with whom he had become friendly
or beckoned him mysteriously aside and
IT said:
g 1--WE don't want it generally known,
d and that's why tell you. man of your
l. presence and nerve can be most useful IN
lie promoting cheerfulness. The cholera
is has broken out in the steerage."
as The cholera! That greenish livid spectre
W of agony and sudden death The Major
10 took three or four vigorous pulls on his
ID cigar. and then he threw it away. Some
ne how his stomach was not quite right
ID for smoking He turned savagely on his
lie informant.
Ok What kind of company is this
I'd of yours 2" he shouted. First you
On treat your passengers like dogs and ther
ed you introduce the plague among them
RS Its outrageous, and if there's n law tha
to can reach your people they shall suffe
e. for it. The cholera in this dirty, crowd
We ed hulk"
tn "Sh Sh Sir !" intrupted the Office
ed anxiously. mot so loud. We mus
en- keep it secret. Fear is worse than con
Use tAgion."
Ter Don't tell me, :" snapped the Major
he Gwen the condemned are given few
NO moments preparation. The passenger
Ior should protect themselves by concerted
a action; and it won't be my fault If the
he don't. The cholera9 My God, hoy
ID, badly feelw
ZEN Shaking off the restraining grasp tn
ne, Major rushed into the smoking-room.
was vacant, for breakfast had not we
his been served. AS quickly as service coul
ng fetch them he gulped three long drink
Ie- of brandy, and then the complacen
lis smile which had straycd returned to nj
ug face. He even lighted another cigar. Al
he ter all it might be false alarm. And
ed, any event it surely would not trouble
ed man like him. Direct contact might b
ing dangerous indeed but he would guar
I'M against that. Doubtless lot OF catt
ew like the people in the Storage migf
nld breed pestilence, but he who was
en-, clean, so wholesome, such believer l
uld the virtues of air and water, oh, no! An
of vet, disease was no respectcr of persons
ing suppose that it should come to himg
less was SO fatal, so instantaneously fata
ich WHY. before q man could think, he WI
Ass seized, he was gone! A foul, loathson
DEATH Uphl IL was like being smotl