Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-06-10
CHAPTER II.

the story of it's horrors. The cholera
walked abroad like a destroying de-
mon; under its whitening touch scores
of people, young and old, dropped
down in the streets to die. The fell
disease, born Of dirt and criminal
neglect of sanitary precautions, gained
or the city with awful rapidity, and
worse even than the plague was the
unreasoning but universal panic. The
r-to-be-forgotten heroism of King
Humbert had it's effect on the more
educated classes, but among the low
Neopolitan populaco abject fear, vulgar
superstition. and utter selfshness
reigned, supreme. One case may
serve as an example of many others.
A fisherman, we'll known in the place
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.
ne old woman, a Misunderstanding
bag, watched the little procession as
it approached her dwelling, and taking
in the situation at once, she shut and
barricaded her door.
''Santissima Madonna" she yelled,
shrilly, through half-opened window.
Leave him in the street, the aban-
dCned, miserable one! The migrate
full pig! He would bring the plague to
his own Woodworking, honest mother!
Holy Joseph who would have child
r6D? Leave him in the street, | tell
yCu!"
II was useless to eXpOsulate with
this feminine scarecTow; her son was
happily for himself unconscious, and
after some more wran2ling he was
laid down on her doorstep, where he
shortly afterward expired, his body
being afterward carried away like so
much rubbish by the beccamorti.
The heat in the city was intense.
The sky was a burning dome Of bril-
liancy, the bay was still as a glitter
ing sheet of glass. A thin column of
sn Oke issuing from the crater Of
VeSusiuS increased the impression of
an all ptrvadirg, though impercepti-
bic ring of fire, that seemed to sur
round the place No birds sung save
in the late evening, when the nightin-
gales in my gardens broke out in a
bUbbling torrent of melody, half joy
Gus. half melancholy. Up on that
wooded height where | GweIt it vas
comparatively cool. | took all the pre-
cautions necessary to prevent the con-
tagion from attacking our household;
in fact, | would have left the neighbour
hood altogether, had | not known that
hasty flight from an infected district
often carries with it the possibility Of
closer contact with the disease. My
wife, besides, was not nervous-I
think very beautiful women seldom
are. Their superb vanity is an eX-
Cellent shield to repel pestilence; it
does away with the principal element
of danger ear. AS Tor our Stella,
a toddling mite of two years old, she
was a healthy child, for whom
neither her mother not myself enter
tanned the least anxiety.
Guido Fe1rari came and stayed with
us, and While the cholera, like a sharp
sCythe put into field Of ripe corn,
moved down the dirt-loving Neapoli-
tans by hundreds, we three, with a
small retinue of servants, none of
whom W ere ever permitted to visit the
city, lived on farinaceous food and
distilled water, bathed regularly, rose
and retired early, and enjoyed the
most perfect health.
Among her many other attractions
my wife was gifted with 81 beautiful
and well-trained voice. She sung 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 stornelli and ritornelli-
songs Of the people, full of wild and
passionate beauty. In these Guide
would often join her, his full barry
tone Ginning in with her delicate and
clear soprano as deliciously as the fall
of the fountain with the trIll of bird
/ can hear those two voices, now; thei1
united melody still rings mOcKingly in
my ears; the heavy perfume of orange
blossoms, mingled with myrtle, floats
toward me on the air; the yellow moor
burns round and full in the dense blue
sky, like the King of Thule's goblet O.
gold flung into a deep sea, and agar
| behold those two heads leaning to
gether, the one fair, the other dark
my wife, my friend-those two who's,
lives were a million times dearer t
me than my own. All! they we're hap
Ply days-days Of seIf-delusion Away
are. We are never grateful enough t.
the candid persons Who wake us from
our dreams-yet such are III truth GU
best friends, could we but realize it,
August was the most terrible of al
the summer months in Naples TIL
cholera increased with frightful steadi
ross. and the people seemed to be lit
orally mad with error. Some Of Their
seized with a wild spirit Of defiance
plunged into orgies OF vice and intern
perance with reckless disregard of con
sequences. One of these frantic revel
tCok place at a well-kRown cafe
Eight young men, accompanied b
eight girls of remarkable beauty, al
rived, and ordered a private room
where they were served with a srmptr
Gus repast. At its close one of til
party raised his glass and proposes
Success to the choleraI" The toa.
was received with riotous shouts
applause, and all drank it with delir
Gus laughter. That very night ever
one of the jewellers died in horrib