Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1897-07-08
CHAPTER VII.

That day seemed very long to me.
wandered aimIessly about the city,
seeing faces that | knew. Tor the
weather. inhabitants, afraid OF the
cholera. har either left the place to-
gether or remained closely shut WITHIN
their own houses. Everywhere
went something bore witness to the
terrible yantages Of the plague AT
almost every corner ] met funeral
procession. once came upon group
OF men who were standing In an open
doorway packing a dead body iato a
coffin too small for It, There was
something truly revolving in the way
they doubled up the arms and legs end
squeezed in the shoulders Of the de-
ceased man--one could hear the bones
crack ! watchd the brutal proceedings
for a minute or so, and then | said
aloud
"You had better make sure he e
quite dead"
Tho bcCcamorti looked at me in sur
prise; one laughed grimly and swore
"By the body Of Coo If | thought he
were not / would twist his accursed
neck for him, But the cholera never
fails he Is dead for certain--see," And
he knocked the head Of the corpse to
and fro against the sides Of the coffin
with no moro conjunction than II II
had been block OF wood. Sickened at
the sight, ! turned away and said no
more, On reaching one of Che more
important thoroughfares, perceived
several knots Of people collected, who
glanced ut one another with eager yet
shamed faces, and spoke in low voices.
a whisper reached my ears, THE
king the kngl" All heads were turned
in one direction; ! paused end looked
also. Walking at lG'surely pace,
accompanied by u few gentlemen of
earnest mien and grave department,
saw the fearless monarch Humbert of
Italy-he whom his subjects delight
TO honor. He was making round Of
visits to all the vile5t holes and cor
ners Of the city. where the plague ragged
most terribly; he had not so much as
cigarette in his mouth to ward off
and assured step OF hero his face
was somewhat cad, as though the suf-
fernEs of his people had depressed
heavily upon his sympathetic heart
barred my head reyerently as he passed,
his keen kind ey es lighted on me with
"a smile
"A subject for a painting yon white
haired fisherman" | heard him say
to one of his attendants, Almost
betrayed myself | was on the point
of springing forward and throwing
myself at his feet TO tell him my story.
1t seemed to me- both cruel and I'M
natural that he. my beloved sovereign.
should pass mo without recognition
me to whom he had spoken so often
and SO cordially For when | visited
Rome, as | was accustomed to do an
rually, there were few more welcCm
guest at the balls OF the Qurnel Palace
than Count FGho Romaui | began
to wonder stupidity who Pablo Romani
was the gay gallant known rs such
seemed no longer to have any existence
"a "white-haircd fisherman" usurped
III ,l,ce mn tt,rch tb,usbt those
,,toa, .,,f,.,i,,aI ,,,,,, ,.1lra.stn,, tho
l,na sn,aa in,nnIsn ho,.o,.e, led
r,o :, f,,Ian. hin, ~, a, rosnoct,Ilo dis
lance, as did also many others His
majesty strolled through the most
residential streets with as much I'M
scrcern as tbourh no we're taking his
pIaasure in q garden of roses. he stem
red ou,etl,. into tho dlrtiest novels
whore lay bnth dead ana dyiug. he
sroke words of kindly encnur,rement
IN the prief stricken and terrified
n curners who stared through their
fears .t tho monarch with astonish-
uant ana gratitude. silver and gnId
wore ropth dronn,d inf, the b,nas
nj tho gpnnrip, aud NOM. and tha yer,
press,n,, r,.ns regtyed tho rryal homo
f,rt,r,s ,.rs,p,l attortion and in,
,,nat.,,, ,,licf Al, ,hors and irf,nty
Ia tbejr ,r,,s l,olt ~ tr,nl,ro tbe
Kings hIss,irg which T., r,rif, tnan,
5. ,+