Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-28

AL EllCHIlollu udu SURRENDERED " Ntii'l al
Humidity and his torrid solar army. The
excessive heat had driven all but those 10
whom fate had been unkind to shelter from
the fiery lances of Old Sol. Toward even
ing the invader, relenting, withdrew his
main body and permitted cooling breeze
to relieve the swelterng populace.
At Grey Manse the members of the fam
lily had sought comfort IN the cooler air on
the wide, vine-bowered piazza, and the
serving people might be found seeking the
same solace in the grove back of the cook
house. The evening papers We're filed with
accounts of victims of the invaders fury
and told of the hospitals flied with per-
sons overcome by the heat" But Mrs.
Grey and her daughter Janet We're more
concerned about the dispatches from Mex
leo. yellow Jack" was raging along the
gulf coast. The latest news reported that
the villages along the Tula river had been
almost wiped out of existence. The tempo
rary hospitals flying the yellow flag at
Panuco We're overcrowded Physicians We're
not plenty and Were Oyerwnrked: nurses
there were none but the natives. The news
paper correspondent wrote that no news
had been received for two weeks from the
outlying plantations. and that it was feared
that the planters had succumbed to the
yellow plague.
AS Janet Grey read the dispatches to her
ening lines about her mouth Mrs. Grey
thought she read the birth of some new
resolve which no opposition could weaken.
Mother and daughter sat silently and sadly.
hand in hand, as the shadows of evening
deepened: neither spoke. 1t was LONG,
long communion of souls. When the moon
Deeped in among the vine leaves 1t found
them still there hand in hand. Then. as
the soft moonlight illumned the younger
woman's face. and in that pale light there
seemed something almost divine in the in
SEPARATION that shone from within the being
Of her sweet southern beauty. she broke
the silence. Mother. / must go to him"
The mothers answer came softly. re-
signedy. but with no reproach: AT once.
love. Poor jack Then two pairs of
hands became as one and the pale moon
peepng between the leaves wondered at
two women weeping in each others arms.
Next morning among the passengers on
the fast express flying swiftly southwark
was a young woman who might be twenty
five. and whose sweet sad face contrastea
strangely with the air of eager mpatierce
which enveloped her A Gladstone gr!p at
her feet bore the initials -. G." Sixty
miles an hour seemed slow to Janet
Five years before Janet GREY an only
daughter. had been a student in the New
York training school for nurses Not be-
cause she needed profession. she told her
self but because she wished to be able to
be useful. 1t was a hobby. a firmly rooted
hobby. Of a young woman who was to be
some day owner of some of the finest land
Masters. n
hood playmate. and the son Of an old fam
lily friend. sought her love and twice asked
her to become his wife she though she was
very fond OF him, had twice put him off
and had refused to consider nlatrimony as n
serious possibility until after she had Won
her diploma as a trained nurse Further
more. she had limited to Jack that she was
not sure or his consistency, and that she had
doubts about his business ability: for II
was common property that though Jack
mad inherited most desirable estate tho
young gentleman had not done all that
might be expected of him as a landed nro-
prietor. and that Masters Han vas not tho
hall OF the old time. Whether Jack was at
iauit or not we are not prepared to saw II
is su1ficient to know that Mrs Grey had
ENLISTED under his standard and had fouoI,+
nobly for him: but Janet remained fr,, IL,
her resolve as she usually did. She said
that IT he was of the same mind when sba
naa competed her four years training as a
nurse ne might again seek to win her She
would hear no more on the subject uutf1
then, and that, although she h0ped tbat
lhey would remain good friends. he mus
as under 4 great taboo
IN MT of what he considered rishtous
Indignation at this decree lack snId az,
Masters Han. purchased a coffee planta-
ton near the banks of the Tula river in
Mexico and had taken himself off Raforn
MS departure he had broken taboo and had
again sought to win Miss GREY from bar
resolutlon. but she remained obdurate. He
ieit VoWlng TO prove himself A man of bus-
mess and that he would return in five wears
ana would then carry her off whether She
would or not. Five years, because thai
time was needed to put his new nIIrcbasa IN
the best paying condition; also a wear
longer than Janets taboo because tha
young man sought to outdo her in the mat
Ter OF obstinacy Somehow he felt SIRE
that Janet loved him, at any rate she loved
no one else e t''eu
Letters passed to and fro frequently dur
ing the nrst -FOUR years. Young Masters
wrote all about coffee plantations and tales
OF the country. He always sent his love
and respects to Mother Grey" but never
once showed any disposition to again break
TABOO. For some reason this was not all
covered soon after he left for Mexico that
she did love him and that profession was
not Just what she wanted most. after ali
out she was too proud to say so and she
nedged sister of the Red Cross in due time
Early in the fifth year something had han
pened. Something seemed to pull strangely
but irregularly from Mexico and during the
last ten months no letters were received
from Masters. Two of her own letters re-
NAMED unanswered and a third had been
returned to her by the post office. A let
ter sent to the Mexican postmaster brought
no reply and now this dreadful yellow fever
plague had stricken the land where Mas
ters. Plantation was located. Was he still
there? Was he In need. sick, or in distressa
She reproached herself for allowing him To
go away. Did she for once doubt him and
wonder II the silence meant he had for
gotten her? If so. she had dismissed the
thought at once unworthy.
Now. as she was speeding swiftly over
the rails toward Mexico she pondered over
these things. Did she, would he. think II
unwomanly of herself to seek him unaskedp
She would not believe that. for had not her
own mother agreed that she must go at
once. Poor Jack, was he suffering alone out
tnere among strangers? Was he still alive?
II prayers are answered. surely hers would
De, and day and night she prayed that She
might find Jack, her own Jack and that
she might find him alive. A long sad Jour-
ney. full of hopes and fears misgivings,
doubts and fatigue; but all things have an
end.
A final change to a snai-like branch
road, then the yellow flag and the an
nouncement that passengers were not per-
mitted to enter the fever district A hasty
consultation with crngingly polite official
and a pass to go as she was trained
nurse. Then the dirty station at Panuco
Almost at her journeys end-what would
she find? A sense of her own littleness and
helplessness came upon her for a moment
then was gone again.
Did the dirty little boy with donkey
cart know where Senor- Marters' plantation
was? His name was Pippo; he knew the
plantation, but surely the beautiful senorita
would not wish to go there. They said