The Winslow mail., 1898-01-15


cofeheS We shore.
T HE people have fought a good
fight. The town is reeking with
u the fumes of carbolic acid, and
the cutters are white with lime. For
days the preparations to resist the in
coming of yellow fever have been in
progress. All the time it has been
creeping nearer, nearer. The papers
told of the quarantining of the many
towns, one against the other. At first,
train loads of wildly frightened people
rushed by with closed doors and win
dows At last the trains ceased to run.
Nowhere could an asylum Of refuge be
found. Every door was closed to the
wretched wanderers, and every mans
hand was against them. The lines were
drawn tighter and tighter. The trains
were discontinued. With them ceased
news from the outside world.
There had been no mail for several
days. Then came paper-and it bore
the news that the elusive disease had
gradually been spreading and was com,
to tell upon the people. The Quaran-
tine guards were doubled and no per-
son was allowed to enter. In the town
the inhabitants congregated upon the
corners and talked fearfully. Each
tried to be brave and to show his COM
panions that he was not afraid, but
each knew what the other was think
ing.
The town was strangely quiet. Peo-
pie spoke in awed tones of voice. A
few of the stores were open-the major
ity Of them were locked. Ever should
the fever come there was no place to
which the people might 60 On every
side were determined men guarding the
roads, and they were armed with shot
guns, which they would use without
heSitancy should one attempt to pass
the lines. Every person viewed the
other with suspicion. They were afraid
Of each other-of themselves. 1t was
worth as much as a mans life for him
to say he felt badly. He would be hus-
tied off to the pesthouse to die like a
stricken dog.
The weekly paper, in spirit of en-
terprise, had undertaken to get out q
daily issue during the excitement. 1t
was yellow journal" for the fever
was its sole topic. 1t got one or two
short kilograms a day from more or
less authentic sources, and these were
industriously padded out
One morning the telegraph boy
emerged from the depot office and ran
down the middle of the street toward
the Gazette office. He had a message
for the paper. AS he passed the crowd
Of men congregated on the street cor
ner he held the large envelope conspic-
uously. The men shuddered as they
caught sight of it,
The Mayor came up and Joined the
crowd. He was the leading citizen and
had the largest store in the place. He
began to joke with them in a jovial
manner, but he too had a hunted look.
Each minute the scourge was coming
nearer. 1t slipped through the cordons
Of determined men drawn about the
towns. 1t seemed to be in the very air.
invincible in it's onward march. Men
are brave when they have a foe they
can fight, but in the presence of an un-
seen enemy they are towards.
The sun mounted higher and higher.
The noon hour passed, yet the men did
not think of dinner. They are hungry
for news. At last from down the street
two small boys bolted out from the Ga
zette office holding in their arms doz-
en- or so copies of the extra"
''Extryw they bawled, "all about tn
yaller fever. Twenty died yesterday
sixty new casesw The men bought pa
pers, and devoured their conte-ts in
nervous haste. 1t was the same old
tale, of the onward march of the yellow
death. There was not rift of hope in
sight. 1t was spreading, and was be-
yond human control.
WALL said the town drunkard-he
had just had drink. 81 haint skeered,
fer cole weather er comm soon, Ell
thet'I fix Mister Yaller Jack"
BILL" remarked the Mayor, solemn
ly, you're a fool. It's two months till
frost, and in two months the fever'll be
all over the face of the earth. And
Wen be, God knows where"
The Mayor came hurriedly out of his
store. He held a 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 congregated.
They saw him coming, and sort of
nervous tremOr went over them.
Boys" he said, cts coming; just
got this telegram from the Mayor of
Carlile-yOu know that's only fifteen
miles away. 1t says there are five cases
there.
There was a silence for a moment or
two, and then someone calculated slow
ly and solemnly; God have mercy on
usp'
The others could hardly comprehend
tr They expected it, yet they could not
realize that it was actually so
ut can't get in here" said one, re-
aectively; ''it amt possible for it to get