The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1900-10-06

warer several feet. the Ettle t;.leg.sph

"d'Vf StNtTdi Iett, tHp UStIe t.HEsSp
booth had been erected Jus. outsid
of 1t the surgeon general. standing I'm
der an arc-light, met the reporters
AS the three reporters came up. tn
old man removed his hat and bare,
his white head to the tempest. The,
were watching him SO intently tha
they did not see the little l'hi.adel
phan sneaking along behind them il
the shadow, just outside the circle o
light from the are lamp.
! The lamp sputtcrcd and Kissed il
! the storm, and the boy drew near un
! observed He did not know how close
! ly the ANXIOUS Georgian was follow
! ing him. AS he stopped behind one OF
! the pillows that supported the storm
| roof over the platform. the surge; IL
general said, in voice that showed
the three reporters how gravely he r.
garded his news:
"Gentlemen, the cholera has come.
For an instant only the swash of the
breakers and the beat of the rain
were heard; then out from behind the
pillar lcappd the panic -stri'k II loy.
His hat was in his hand and his face,
in the glare of tn" arc-light was glram.
ing white. In voice that Il omen
across the lamp and awoke from the
Highlands echoes that doomed back
his cry Of terror. he shouted:
We're doomed to die! We're
doomed to die. The cholera's come!
The cholera's come
Before n hand could be raj ed to
stop him he was off down the long
platform. through the startled camp,
and on into the darkness, his loom
ing shout of terror marking the cou Sc
of his flight. AS he disapp, ared into
the blackneSS, the startled men by the
telegraph saw the white-faced Geor-
gian leap up from beside the PLATFORM
and give chase. For minute the four
men waited breathless where they
stood. and then from down the mar
row tongue of sand there came Il ring
ing soldier cry of Halt" TIE boy
had struck the picket line.
The four men ran over to the news
paper tent. AS they reached it they
heard the frenzed boy come crash
ing back, shouting his awful warm
ing. The immigrants heard, too, and
squeals and screams and cries and
shouts from their pens call, u the
steady surgeons to the desperate task
Of suppressing a panic.
AS they ran to their work thu boy.
back on his track. took the
end of the open platform. Down it
toward the water he ran with amaZ-
ing speed. and close behind, with long
leaps. ran the southerner. The tele-
graph operators, startled hy tie cla-
NOR, ran out of their booth. AS the
door shut behind them they heard
the splash as the 10y leaped into the
water, and turned just in time to see
the tall Georgian jump after him from
the end of the platform. An instant
ater the place swarmed with tn,
men, ana as they reached
the telegraph booth they h. ard the
Georgian shout out of the daIkne SIS:
''Ive got him. Throw rope
1t was the work of minute to haul
he terrified boy and his rescuer back
lpon the platform. When the sur
had soOthed his Mysteries.
md the boy was asleep in dry. warm |
,ed, the white-haired old man jerkcd |
lis thumb toward the telegraph booth. |
where the SOuthernfr was sending his |
eport to the paper, and said, Boys, |
hats what l call n brave man.
The next day the newspapers print
d 100 words or so. saying that an
immigrant had died of cholera the
ay before at Camp Low, but never Il
inc of what else had happened there.
Youths Companion.