Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1895-05-23

S lands teemed with
the story Of it's bor-
- | ror. The cholera
& walked abroad like
49, a destroying deElon;
III under its whitening
touch scores OF people young and old.
dropped down in ne streets 10 die.
The feIl disease born Of dirt and
criminal neglect CT sanitary pre-
cautions, gained on the city with
awful rapidity. and worse even than
the plague was the unreasoning but
universal panic. The never-to-be-for-
gotten heroisn OF King Humbcrt had
its effect on the more educated classes.
but among the low Ne2politan pop
Lace, abject fear, vulgar superstition,
and utter selfshness reigned supreme.
One case may serve as an example Of
the many others. 4 fisherman, well
known in tie place, a handsome and
popular young fellow, was seized while
working in his boat with the first
symptoms Of cholera. He was carried
TO his mothers house. The old
woman. a Misunderstanding hac.
watched the procession as ii approach
ed her dwelling, and taking in the sit
uation at once, she shut and barri-
caded her door.
"Sautissima Madonnar' she yelled
shrilly through a ~half-Opened window.
Leave him in the street, the aban-
doued. miserable one! The uncrate-
full pig! He would bring the plague 10
his WI hard-wOrking honest mother,
Holy Joseph. who would have chill
dren? Leave him il the street, / tell
yout"
II was useless TO e~xpOstulate with
this feminine scare-crow: her son was.
happily for himself. UnCor scious. and
after some more wranGling he was laid
down on her doorstep. where he short
" afterwards expired. his body being
forwards carted away like so much
.Gbbish by the beccamortL
The heat in the city was intense.
The sky was a burning dome Of bril-
liancy, the bay vas still as a glittering
sheet of glass. A thin column OF
smoke issuing from the crater of We
suyius increased the impression Of an
all-pervading though imperceptible
ring OF fire that seemed TO surround
the place. No birds sang save in the
late evening, when the n~ightingales in
my gardens broke out in a bubbling
torrent Of melody, half joyous, half
melancholy. Up on hat wooded
height where I dwelt il was compare
lively cool. I took all precautions
necessary TO prevent the contagion
from attacking our household; In fact
| would have left the neighborhood
altogether, had / not known that hasty
flight from ar infected district often
carries with IL the possibility of closer
contact with the disease. Ny wife,
besides, was not neryous-I think very
beautiful women seldom are. Their
superb vanity is an excellent shield
to repel p~estilence: it does away with
the principal element of danger-fear.
Az for u Stella. a toddling mite OF
two al old, she was q healthy child
FOR whom her mother nor myself enter
tanned the least anxiety.
Guido Ferrari came and stayed with
US, and while the cholera, like a shary
scythe put into a field of ripe corn,
moved down the dirt-Ioving Neapoli-
a n by hundreds, we three, with a
small retinue Of servanth. none OF
whom were ever permitted to visit the
city, lived IN ~farinaceous food and dis
titled water. bathed regularly rose and
ANhiitu Ndiis NhJDsVu a AlOSI ptA-
feet health.
Among her many other attractions
my wife was gifted with n beautiful
and w~eN-trained voice. She sang with
exquisite expression, and many an
evening when Guido and myself sat
smoking in the garden after little
Stella had gone TO bed, Nina would
ravish our ears with the music Of her
nightingale notes, singing song after
song, quaint s%tornelli and ritornelli.-
songs Of the people, full of wild and
passionate beauty. In these Guido
would often join her. his full baritone
Ginning in with her delicate and clear
soprano as deliciously as the fall OF a
fountain with the thrill of a bird. /
can hear these two voices now, )their
united melody still rings mockingly in
my ears; and heavy perfume of orange
blossom mingled with myrtle floats to-
wards me on the air: the yellow moon
burns round and full In the dense blue
sky like the King of Thule's goblet
Of gold flung into a deep sea, and