Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1895-05-21
THE BILOXI FEVER.

To Biloxi one goes TO get sick In or
der TO be happy. This Is one OF TIT
peculiar charms OF the entire gulf coas
Of the state of Mississippi. Surely u
you go there YOU will fall Ill OF the ioca
distemper, and that Is one OF the mai'
incentives for making the journey
When was in Chattanooga, not Ions
ago, the cream OF the gentry were II
and contented by reason OF an enforced
command for general vaccination 4
ward of threat of smallpox whicl
never materialized. But down at Biloxi
and Pass Christian pronounced chris
cham and Ocean Springs and thos
other bits OF dreamland on the Mississip
pi coast nobody gets sick in order not to
be sicker. No one down there takes tn,
local Illness In preference To some othe
disorder. In that peculiar region ever,
one becomes invalided as badly as pos
sihle solely for the love OF the malady.
first heard OF IL In n BARRIERS shop
A man came along, and the barber hail
ed him. "when are you going 10 come
aud get my hot-water apparatus ant
mend the leak in itg' he asked. "Car
YOU take il nowT
no" said the mechanic. "l'll cal
around very soon. was going to com,
and get IL a couple of weeks ago; anc
then, again, was pretty near comini
for il the week before that. III ge
around. Y'ain't In no hurry. are youy
"Oh. well-er-not reg'lar hurry,
said the barber. "Id be using the thing
every day IL II was in order. But II
get along all right"
| was In holiday resort, and this wa'
certainly holiday spirit both met
were displaying, and yet ii seemed thai
both were rather too slow even for q
holiday couple.
"How does that fellow make liv
ingg" | asked.
"Oh, he's creole" said the barber
"He don't require much for a living. a
cigarette and glass OF water makes q
creole breakfast, you know, and down
in this country you give any young fel
low dugout and n cast-net and he's
able 10 marry"
After a pause the barber said proudly
ssOh, we've all got the Biloxi fever"
"what sort of a fever Is thatf'
"You'll find out when you have beer
here q while. How long have you been
heref"
About two hours" said !.
"well," said the barber, "you'll have
Il bad o-morrow-that is, II will seen
bad at first, though really it gets worse
aud worse the longer you stay. Why
the natives have IL so that there's dozen'
of girls here who are becoming old
maids because il is too much OF an effort
for their beaux To propose 10 EN-"
The fever seized me at eleven O'Clock
of the next forenoon, as with my friend
Mr.. Fletcher, of New Orleans. was
pursuing the truly Northern custom OF
taking a walk" Before half mile
had been trayersed. store porch ap'
peared before US and impeded our prog.
ress. II Is true IL was on one side OF
the thoroughfare, and the way past II
was broad and level. But II was a
demon porch-a thing with the soul II
not the song OF n siren. In the sunlight
il seemed to smile on Us seductlvely, and
IL spread its two sideposts like well
coming lovers arms. while its clean
warm door appeared 10 advance and in
siuuate itself under US, 40 that, without
knowing how or why IL was, we found
ourselves seated there, stricken with the
fever and at ease.
one must catch the complaint TO ap-
preciate il. i, is not fatal any more than
Nirvana ia. and in my practical Occi
dental way OF thinking II Is very like
Niryana. and better, because 10 has the
advantage OF leaving you on earth, and
with the same enjoyment OF food and
flowers and wine and song that you had
before. Ii is not lazlness. None but q
dull hind would call il that. IL Is the
very thing that the Europeans who crit.
else US for our fever OF unrest should
recommend as substitute, for il is a
fever for rest. A mere doctor would de-
scribe il as a malady peculiar TO the
gulf coast from Mobile TO New Orleans
He would say that II has been observed
that large numbers of men and women
by combining iu large cities, are able "a
exercise sufficient will power to ward II
of, so that il is prevalent in Mobile and
New Orleans only among the colored
people. Then he would go on 10
say that its first symptoms are stiffen-
ing of the motor muscles OF the legs,
followed by sense Of leaden heavines'
10 the patients feet. The patient will
be observed TO talk nationally, and tO
sustain an ordinary light conversation,
but will on no account move from a
chair, except il be TO drop into the next
one he comes TO.
In the absence Of chairs the patients
are observed TO sit upon barrels, boxes,
store porches. and door-steps in the
public streets, even though, before they
were stricken, they were Ia the habit OF
applying harsh names. such as loaf.
ers,' s'trssh" and "tIamps." TO those
who did the same thing. They sit upon
wharyes aud upturned boats and tree
stumps. upon grassy ledges and fallen
logs, and. if they are permanent resi-
dents of the infected districts, they build
seats all about their open grounds
They put benches about on the grass and
piazzas, aud even on the rOad-sides. lu
many cases they order great pavilions
like giant nests built around their trees,
and haviog no energy with which tC
coniure new and tit name for these
airv perches in which they while away
precious time. they call them "shoo
flies,- name utterly without signifi
canoe in that connection. They vii
hear the news of the day if any one
will tell it or read it to them, but they
cannot be prevailed upon to take up 4
newspaper. Northern men, when al
home, who take three morning papers
an afternoon paper, and score Of week
lies and magazines, show the same aver.
sion for printed news as those who can
not read at all. An instance Is related
of Northern editor coming TO Biloxi
and falling prey to this strange disorder
Having New Orleans paper pressed
upon him with the hint that it contained
a description of the burning Of his news
paper building during the previous
night, he pushed the sheet away, say
ing: .'IIet her burn. am here for rest
and don't want business mixed up with
it." The same leading medical journa
which records this case-so a mere doc
tor would continue-also cites an In
stance Of Northern broker in stock
who arranged to pay extra for his bOart
on condition that the hotel clerk shoult
tell him IL Western Union dropped be
low 81 ga, but should never. under an,
other circumstances, meution any seri
Gus matter to him during his stay Ia tn
hotel.-Harper's Magazine.
ssI wonder" complained little Rastus