Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-03-24
IN THE PLAGUE.

out surely. First it took poor old Pepe,
the blind beggar, who lived all alone
in his little jacal down near the Plaza
Mayor. He died. Then it made its way
straight up the Gale Alfonso. All the
"unwashed" got it and even the better
people, and finally the governors fami.
ly, in their villa close to the Presa, and
after that-well, it became impossible
to keep track of the spread of the dis
ease. On Tuesday perhaps six families
had the fever. The next Sunday the
whole great town was stricken, and
every house in the place, from the low
est little peon hut up to the great mar
BILE fronted house of the jefe politico,
was in mourning.
The medicos did their best. Working
day and night, with no rest, no sleep,
doing the doctoring and the nursing,
too, they battled to stamp out the fever.
OF course many of the people could
leave and did. The governor and his
family fled to their hacienda home over
near Dolores Hidalgo. The jefe politico
also departed in haste and some of the
foreigners. Many of the latter, however,
had gone away to the states or the TERRA
fra at the approach of the warm wealth
or and the threatening plague. A few
white men" in the bank and out at
the mines had to remain in the city
and did so with good grace, thanking
Providence that the wives and children
were at home and out of the accursed
hole.
Hastings was one Of the few men who
stuck to it, for two reasons-to begin
with, he was not coward, and he knew
that If he left the business of the Cha
Minera Unida de Londres to take care
of itself the deuce would be to pay; for
another thing, there was his pretty,
silly, helpless wife in England. She
had gone home in March, just when the
weather was getting sultry and sugges-
tive Of what was to follow, with many
expressions of grief at leaving Harry be-
hind to work alone during the hot sum.
mer. But then, as she put it, they
couldn't both afford to go.
Hastings never thought of her as be-
ing selfish. 1t was miserable hole for
woman to live in anyway, even at the
best, and she could not be blamed. Sc
he Loyalty defended her in his thoughts
and sent every cent OF his pay to her
outside Of the actual gastos, or expenses.
The latter did not amount to much, for
mine food is simple and inexpensive.
But it is clean anyway, without super.
fluffy of germs such as you get during
plague times in Mexico, and if he could
have always got mine food it might
have been all right.
But the cook-old .Juana-fell ill. In
two days she was dead. Next the Mexi
can foreman died, several of the arrieros
followed, few of the miners, and a
dozen or so Of the barreteros, at which,
in very bad state Of fright, the re.
manning mine men struck and departed
IN haste to Providencia, little pueblo
higher up, where the disease might no,
follow.
Left alone, Hastings shrugged hi
shoulders and said naughty word
Then he cabled to London, explaining
matters, and adding that he would hole
on, that the plague would have to ru1
its course, after which he hoped to ge
the mill going again. But they nigh
prepare for it's stoppage at least durin,
three weeks more.
After which there was nothing to do
He could not go out to the adjacen
mines for fear of carrying the infectio,
with him. In town James of the Banc,
de Inglaterra and Hardy of the cabl
company had died during the time O
his own struggle with the Cha 'Unid
employees. So he was the only whit
man left.
In the town there remained only on
small unclean meson operated by an in
different Chinaman. Here Hastings ha,
his meals, coming down town for then
through the deserted, silent streets
where few starving dogs lay in tn
sunshine. gazing wistfully at the whit
man as he passed and bowling miserabl,
for food. There were few ragged look
ing burros and some meager pigs tina
ran wild in the middle of the streets
and old Pepe's green parrot futtere,
about i'll the little space in front of hi
jacal, calling: "Pepe! Pepito! Choco
late para Ell loro!' But there was II,
Pope to hear.
One hot, heavy day, Hastings walked
down to the little meson for his dinner
He did not feel we'll, and his head wa
dizzy and burning. He knew very vel
that the tito always started out tina
way, and SO that morning he had sen
off check for full months pay and
statement of his life insurance policie
to his wife. Then feeling somewhat bet
ter, he decided that he would stop in a
the botica as he came from lunch to ge
something from NJ Fabian, the OLE
French apothecary. But the old MAJ
was not there, and the place was desert
ed. Inquiring Of the Chinaman, tina
worthy stated that NJ Fabian hat
"deaded" and there was no one in tn,
shop; that the senior possibly might ge
some drugs in the PADRES house; but
no, that was impossible, for the padr'
died this morning. At which Tasting
shrugged his shoulders again and said
No importa. It did not matter.
Unable to eat the hot, unwholesal'
food, and with his head throbbing un
mercifully, he made his way back to
ward the Presa and the mine. Dow