The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1899-03-09


bought an afternoon paper to read the
want column. "a striking headline.
5caught his eye, and he read aboriously
the vivid account Of the yellow fever.
rayages il the south. There were nurses
wanted. a tt occurred to Joe sud denly
that his experience with the doctor 1T
ted him for such a position. BY. 10
O'Clock the next morning, with half a
dozen others, recruited by the Howard
association, he was on his way to Mem
phis.
He was going without any idea that.
he was doing brave or commendable
act. TWAS simply a new job to him,
and he intended to do the best he could
During the long, dusty ride to. the
stricken city he made the acquaintance
Of but one person, a young lady teleg#
rapher. Seeing that he, like herself,
appeared friendless in the party, she
spoke to him, and by the time they
reached the quarantine lines they had
told each other about all there was to
tell Of their hitherto uneventful lives.
The train stopped at the station only
long enough to let off the small party
Of nurses with their supplies. Then it
sped onin a frightened way, leaving a.
black trail of smoke that made scar.
on the yellow, stagnant atmosphere.
There was no one at the station but
q little ST. Joseph sister, who directed
them to the Howard office on Main
street. 1t seemed to Joe that he walked
Its dreary length in a nightmare The
streets, cutters and sidewalks were sat.
urated with lime, carbolic acid and
other disinfectants. Here and there
were burning piles Of bedding, from
which the dead had scarcely been taken.
Occasionally he met grotesque passer-
BY with a large sponge attached to his
nose, leaving behind a strong odor. The
very few wagons on the street were
moving at funeral pace, carrying the
dead to the cemeteries Outside Of un-
aertaking rooms he saw collins piled
nnon each other, most Of them impro-
vised from boxes. On a doorstep man
sat weeping. On another an enfeebled
|old man and a shriveled woman talked
garrulously laughing il shrill voices,
as though they had witnessed SO many
horrors that horror could no longer be
inspired. IS. .@i.z f,3 u. @
Joe found work and more than he
could do. He fed the hungry and nursed
the sick tirelessly TO many stricken
ones his homely, honest face was the
most beautiful sight on earth. Patient
y he faced the daily increasing horrors
SUifk hot ooo = 1Y Z
took from the breast Of dead mother
the clinging, live lips Of her baby and
nursed it back to life and smiles. He
restrained a crazed wife from throwing
herself into the open grave Of her hus-
band. He helped a fevered man to put
his wife's body in the coffin. From an
other he lifted a woman who, as he
was mailing the lid down, opened her.
eyes. Sometimes he met the little teleg-
rapher. She felt strengthened and en-
couraged by his daily iteration that the
worst was surely over. At last the
hoped for frost came and the fever
abated .;ss N.
One evening, when it seemed to Joe
that his job was about done, there came
to the gate Of his little cottage a drunk
en- vagrant He had probably, in the
hope Of plumber, evaded the quarantine
guards and got into the city only to be
stricken by the fever. Joe took him into
his own house because it never occurred
to him to do anything elses and nursed
him into convalescence But that was
his last case One evening he had a
slight chill Two days afterward, when
the little telegrapher stopped to ask
when he was going north, she saw a
blear eyed tramp crying softly as he
held the hand Of a man just dead
She telegraphed the story Of Jones'
heroism broadcast in the hope that It
might find and comfort some one who
had loved him. Harry read the tale to
his wife one evening. Poor joel he,
added comps ssionately. He walked a
rocky road through life, but reached
he heights at last. =
Mabel smiled at him through her
tears. She got up and stroked his head
ina little burst Of affection. Dear Har-
~, a she said, how lovely and tender
you are with every one:l
MD ~