The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1893-06-10


faces Of my doomsmen. seemed to
have lost all power of motion. My
body was like heavy dead weight-my
eyoballs scared with the hot tears which
could not fall-and In fiery letters be-
fore my Selling vision was tho awful
word ''leprosy."
II regret exceedingly resumed the
| doctor, "that I am forced to send you to
the lepcr ward at the pest house"
At lastl my numbcd sensibilitles were
reused. "Doctor!" cried in q voice
which shook with emotion. "Are you
so lost to all sense OF justice or mercy
as to consign me to Il living deathp
What do you know Of leprosy? Have
you ever treated itP What right have
you to cast mo among lepers? Before
being committed to that abhorred place,
my case should be looked into by the
entire medical fraternity. You may err
in your Judgment. What then? Must
be thrust in there to court the loath-
some infection2 The meanest of Gods
creatures ought to be treated with more
humanity. You might as we'll plunge
my body and soul into the abysses Of
hell-it could not cause me greater
agony
1 paused, painting for breath. The
muscles of my neck stoodout like whip
cords; the sweat of agony oozed from
my shivering body, and tho doctor in
cold, hard voice replied: "We were
prepared for this; we expected 1t would
be terrible blow to you, but that could
not alter our course. The health laws
are extremely rigorous in regard to
leprosy, and 1t is therefore our painful
duty to send you at once to the leper
ward"
II am not a leper," I emphatically
declared; had been a leper 1t would
have been discovered when was Q res
ident of honolulu"
"Our decision Is unalterable," an
swered the head physician. "Nve would
spare you this pain If we could, but it
Is impossible"
MERCY is always possible. For the
love OF God, give me days grace, q
days respite" My voice broke in
great sob, and as noticed the set de-
termination upon their faces hope van
lshed and sank into chair spent with
exhaustion. They left me without
word, and then the thought came of my
little sweetheart, to torture me afresh.
What would become of her? Better
that she should believe me faithless, a
scoundrel Better anything than the
truth. determined to send her mes
sage stating that had been called
away on business, and then to change
my name, that she might never dis
cover that the man she loved and would
have married was that thing accursed
of God and man, leper 1 could.never
see her sweet face again, nor ever hear
her low, tender voice. She might come
to me only in dreams. My little Jessl
my lost love! only short time ago
since you were mine, and even now you
would shrink with horror from such
thing as I. Yesterday happy man,
and to-day leper. Yesterday! golden,
yesterday! Must it's remem-
brance follow me through all the days
and months and years of my dead youth?
My bitter reflections were broken; my
hearse was ut the door, Was it not a
hearsc, this wagon which was to bear
me to living tomb-to cut me adrift |
from the endcaring ties of life? Death
was more merciful than this. The dead
rode in their carriages respectfully un-
conscious-but l rode on with every
nerve quivering with anguish. The
wheels rattling upon the stone pave
ment sang in my ears: "Going to the |
grave-to the grave forever" In the
street children Knocked me with their
hn H.,
blue dome above it's royal banner of
light; birds sang jubilantly; happy
faces passed me, and flowers bloomed
on every side. The air was redolent
with perfume. 1t was spring in Cali.
fornia, and all nature was glad; but l.
could not partalle of it. was young,
and was old. Grief touched my mind
with ago, while youth imperiously as
serted control over my body. We
reached the outskirts of the city at
last. The hillsides We're covered with
blossoms. Perhaps il l We're to touch
them they might wither in my hand.
But no, they were of Heaven. and
would not shrivel even in the hand Of a
leper.
was shut in my tomb among the
lepers. The world and its Joys were
left behind. The pitiable wretchcs-
sharers Of my miserable lot-seemed as
il they were bound in a heavy lethargy.
Upon their faces was an expression of
mute resignation. They sat listlessly
about in an apparently uninterested
Upon entering my new abode
shrank from them with an irrcpressi-
BILE shudder. But they did not appear
TO notice it, though am sure my coun.
tenance must have betrayed the hot re-
bellion raging in my soul. Would ever
be like that loathsome object who sat
huddled in gloomy corner OF the
room? Oh, God forbid! Send death in
any form but that-to sit and wait for
the inevitable approach of decay, to
know as the leaden-footed years drag
by, one must reach the stage where the
lesh gradually drops from the bones
and nothing remains but IL living mass
of putrefaction. Horrible! Horrible!
rushed wildly into the open air; tore
open my shirt; my brain and heart felt
,s II they would burst with the agony
which consumed me. My case attract
sd the attention of the journals and
hey, with my employers, demanded an
Investigation. So it was finally de-
sided by the board of health that I
should be brought before them for
thorough examination. We're it proven
hat was not leper, might return to
he world and the love of little Jess. If,
III the con frnrv I nuSt l,a cont l,o.lx |