Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1897-11-11

"Wall," said the town drunkard-he
had just had n drink. Il hain't skeered,
fer cole weather er comm soon, en-
thetll fix Mister Yaller Jack"
BILL" remarked the Mayor, solemn
ly, you're n fool. It's two months till
frost, and in two months the fever'll be
all owe the face of the earth. And
We'll be, God knows where"
The Mayor came hurriedly out of his
store. He held n small sheet of yellow
paper in his hand-anu it trembled till
the paper ratified. He was an ashy col
or, and his eyes had a strained look
about them. He walked rapidly to the
corner where the idle men c~ongregated.
They saw him coming, and ii sort of
nervous tremor went over them.
Boys" he said, its coming; l just
got this telegram from the Mayor of
C~arlile-you know that's only fifteen
miles away. 1t says there are five cases
there.
There was n silence for a moment or
two, and then someone calculated slow
ly and solemnly: God have mercy on
u.s."
The others could hardly comprehend
it. They expected it, yet they could nor
realize that it was actually so.
ut can't get in here" said one, re-
tlectively; ut amt possible for it to get
past the lines. Then, it can't live here
there's too much of this carbolic acid
and stuff. No, fever can't live here"
Well remarked one more energet-
ic, you folks are n set of fools. I'm
going to get out of here. You can stay
and have it If you want to, but I'm
Soin' out in the piney woods, men the
ola woman'n the kids. Good-by. I'm
gone" And he strobe rapidly down
the street.
The sun shone with a brassy tlnge;
the heat radiated from the sides of the
buildings.
The man FASTENED on to his home.
He passed an acquaintance, an old in
h%abitant, and the patriarch remarked
dolcfully:
Hits fine weather fer yaller fever.
Now remember when it wuz so bad
in rs, we had jest this yer sort of
weather, en- hit spread like"
He looked around, and found himself
alone. The man vas going on up the
street rapidly. The old inhabitant
chuckled like some old liend.
Hes skeercd." he mumbled, "he's
skeered plumb to death. | hain't: |
had 1t in rs. Lawd, Lawd, how skeer.
cd tn folkses is! If l hadn't ter had
hit, I'd be skecred, too. Yaller Jacks
or a bad ole boy, cr mighty savlgerous
ole cuss!' And %chuckling and croaking
glcefully he amblcd slowly down tc
where the stores were, that he might
play upon the fears of the men there.
The houses were all closed. 1t seemed
rs though there was n death | in every
one. Even the children on the gallerie.
Were too frightened to play. The tow
was strangely silent.
The man hurried on. In his imag
inings, the grisly specter Of yellow
fever was right behind him, with ~
skinny claws o~utstretched. Although
the day was fearfully hot, n sort of ner
vous rigor came over him. He stopped
and mopped the drops of cold perspi~'
ton from his brow, and his hear
throbbed violently. He had heard /
said that yellow fever always com
menced with n chill and a pain in tn
head. He put his hands TO his hea,
n~ervously. 1t already panied him. IL
thought of his wife and children, an,
whether he ought to so to them or not
: His eyes We're bloodshot and wild. IL
= leaned against n fence and tried I
: think. Noothere was no way for hir
to have become infected. He tried I
calm himself, and then continued o
V his journey.
II He entered the house. His wife wa
covering in one room, with the Chi
'uren, gray with fear. cllngIng to he,