The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1899-01-29
NANCY LEE ON
CURRENT GOSSIP.

H II ESTE4hbAi. as was sis1ns ~ lay
w study, pencil IN hand, ready 20
III write cay weekly screea. the door
- opened aud little southern friend
Of mine softly entered. .'Way. Mrs. GiIl.''
I said. how very glad / am 10 see YOU
I've been 50 very busy with the hoay-days
ard days unholy that have not had time
20 call upon you, or even 10 telephone and
ask how you were getting along Do come
in and stay al the afternoon I'm just
ont Of quarantine said Mrs GIN, solemn
ly. Are You afraid OF me?" "Afrads
Not bit. bat what were you in for? But
wait, take CT your hat now your cape.
Let NE have your rus-re and uuaorasla:
pa, your feet on this cushion and I'll make
a pot OF tea"
Ny little visitor sank IN the big rocking
chair. and stretched out her two hands 10
the wood fire that biaxed Inerrily On the old
fre-dogS-
Nancy Lee" said the little woman, "for
the first time in weeks / feel Ike white
folks On, MS Il you only knew how good
IT feels 20 be with people ard not feel like
. small leper. to be Stunned alike by friend
and foe.
Nancy Lee" she continued. taking CT
her gloves. Took at these hands. Do you
think any sculptor weald want 10 model
them now, or artist paint them? Anti
seeptics, my dear. and hard work, have
made my little hands paws.
- -
taLGELI., 10 begin. they say that germs are
" all about US. and so when my Oldest
hope. Polly. complained OF feeling III. /
Immediately sent or our family physician
to ste what allied the lassie. AS soon as he
looked down her throa. ] knew what was
in stors for US. Our physician Is no, only
one OF the best men I have ever known.
but one Of the best physicians. and never
let's the grass. grow under his feet; SO. in
less time than l can tell you. my only
servant had ionned her hat and Goa. and
left the house, white with fright; the
health officer had placarded the house with
tie ominous small piece of red flannel. the
sick girl had been antf-ioxned up stairs.
and her little sister had been anti-toxtned
down stairs: the snow was falling heavily
above the one foot already on the ground.
and the odor of carbolic acid scented the
wintry air.
uwANCY LEE. I hope you will never
az know what II is 10 have a contagious
disease within your home" said Mrs GIL,
stirring her tea. ''Do you know. l was
wild to get my we'll child out OF the house
10 escape Infection but when I mentioned
the desire. even through the telephone l
could feel a dull thud OF fear bubble
through the electric wires, and everybody
was either afraid for herself or for some
stairs. well anti-toxined to escape the dis
ease.
Il do not crit.cise these friends. because
think fear OF a coutag ious disease is very
natural and not at all unfair. / am not
sure but wha. should have the same feel
Ing myself. bu. all the same It. does give
one a sort Of freezing sensation down the
spinal cord TO understand that one is an
object OF fear or aversion.
4: q O
tsLFELL; It showed and showed. Such q
" two weeks Of Snow and cold have
rarely IL ever been felt before in this usu-
ally temperate climate. Having no ser
want. my cook stove just refused to obey
my requests and commands. Stoves and
sewing machines do seem human or rather
inhuman often in their cantankerous waya.
When the sun shines, and every thing goes
on all right, stoves and sewing machines
act like angels. but let the wind blow the
wrong way or misfortune enter the house
and everything seems to break loose. As
said before, my stove simply rebe!led and
refused to bake. We used a weeks kind
ling enc day boiling water and cooking on
top of the stove. All the pans and pots
seemed 10 be punetured. The five gallons
of oil purchased the day before sprung a
leak in the cellar and We were afraid we
would explode every time We went with a
lamp down the stairs. The days were
Pretty near as dark the nights. with the
continuous fail OF snow and the general
gloom. The snow broke down the .ele-
phone wire and once for some hours we
found cur water supply shut off-'to repair
some break in my neighborhood.'
Mrs Gin looked into the fire and then
into my lace.
Nancy Lee" she said, lit was a try
ing time. I kept thinking Of the old bal
lad OK Aud Robin Gray. and the &C
emulation OF misfortuncs Diph.her!a in
the house. the stove Wouldn't burn, the
telephone wires down, the water shut off,
cold as charity, and my guild mon ava In
that far frozen north where no cry OF mine
could reach him, nor sob OF mine could
touch him.
.VOU poor little chicken" I said. ''why
didn't ! known
Well said Mrs. GIL. perking up
when everything seemed the blacklist the
telephone m@nder came up and patched
my wire, the bell rang and a lady who
keeps q lovely boarding house down town,
rang me up and offered TO send me coup
for my sick child. This she did every day.
God bless that womsni / had only seen
her once before. but II she wants my shoss
and stockings. after this, she can have
them. Every Gay for q week she sent me
soup, and another dear kind lady, who
hSss across The way from sne, sent HE
bread and hot biscuits and SO like the
babes In the wood. FED by he little birds
We managed to scuffe along un,l we could
get the stove fixed and get our household
affairs in running order.
9, /. q
stIMUST tell you one thing. Nancy Lee
said little Mrs GITl, with a tear Ia her
eye and smile or her lips. you never
know who your friends are Enfil you ger
into deep water. Two angels ~ he shape
OF women. stuck 10 ME through thick and
thin. during 81 my trouble During that
h0TTd storm aud quarantine Of two weeks
these blessed women stayed right with me
working and cheering. One was Scotch
lassie ana the other was all American. hu.
neither Tca13cs nor religion severed cur
friendship have heard some wicked old
bachelor say that no three women on earth
eo1Id stay together for "a week w.tho4r,
g8arTsiSng- We three women debut then
We were quayantined-ana there was no
man 70 fight over