The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1903-02-26
a Hero---An Involuntary Trip
Into q FeVer-Stricken Country.
BY a. S. DUANE.

daid. III fcvah's got him.
Isn't there anybody in this town
who can send Il message" l inquired.
There was touch on my arm. |
turned, to see the girl. II can" she
said. Il am the volunteer operator
who has come to take charge of this
Office and send dispatches about the
state OF things here"
Weren't you afrald?" l asked her.
She looked so young.
NO" she said. ~ have had the
fever. New Orleans is my native city.
and had it there years ago. l couldn I
take this sort they have. so far north"
And then, turning to the boy, she asked
for the key.
Ten minutes later he had returned
from the house where the last operator
! lay dead, with the big door key, and
we wore let into tho sweltering, dusty
little box Of room. which seemed
to me as IL it still held traces Of the
| disease. I opened the windows to
make the girl comfortable, and sent
the boy out after some ice water and
some lemons. Then | remembered
something.
Say" l called to him. and l went
| outside and asked him where | could
find the nearest bar.
"Ovah thah in tn tavehn." pointing
to long. low. unpainted house.
| ran across the street, followed
leisurely by the boy. and found my
way into Il bare room with a shelf
across it. and perhaps a dozen bottles
a portly man, in solled yellow lnen
was doing in a chair. | awakened
him.
Have you any tonic?" I said.
who's got it now" he asked, with a
start
Got what?"
THE fevah. Yes. sab. I've got plen-
ty. sah;" and he went into another
room, and brought out two greenish
bottles of tonic.
"lts the best medicine thah Is fur
it. Who's got It? The muses. bring
down tonic, but it's no sich brand as
this:"
''No. I suppose not" I said; and then
| asked after icc, but found that be-
yond the supply held by the muses."
there wasn't any In the town.
took the bottles and went back
across the street, followed presently by
the boy with the water
Il can cool It," the girl said. and she
sent the boy back after an earthen jar
of water. She wrapped it in wet cloths,
In nj cot NJ, 81
In the window
WHATS that message of yours 2" she
asked. found she had already intro
duced herself to the other offices along
the line. / sent n telegram to Ransom,
telling him In the office cipher OF my
plight. and instructlng lin to make
some arrangements about getting me
out OF the fix | was in, without saying
anything about IT, wanted to sneak
back without being quarantined.
What Is your namc:" / asked the
girl
Fanny Martin" sic said.
We'll, / am going 10 have the answer
10 my message sent 10 you. am not
anxious to have people talking about
my being down here"
Don't want your right hand to
know. eh:"
But made no explanations.
Suddenly Miss Mart.l cane running
down the path.
Come in here. quick" she said,
and went back ahead of me. l fol-
lowed her into an old.fashioned square
house, with wide ollclothed han, and
thin balustraded stairs, which she light
iy mounted. In the room was an old
man who had fallen back on his pillow,
dead. his face drawn and yellow with
the scourge. Standing by his side was
tall, sallow woman, Who'll am
| ashamed to confess-evea la that mo.
ment presented herself as a familiar
| figure. l had seen her counterpart on
! the stage hundreds of times as the
| typical splnster. There were even the
| glasses and the keys. ard the bunches
of skinny clrls behind the ears. She
was looking down at her father In a
hard sort OF dumbness.
"The servants have gone" Miss Mar
tin said. "There Is nobody to do any
thing. II Is lucky you are here"
/ did not stop TO contradict her but
set to work for humanity's sake to do
what could.
One of the sorrows OF those times
was that the dead must be buried 30
quickly. took lantern. went out to
the burying ground. and hunted up the
family lot. With the assistance of a
negro man. whom Miss Martin dlscov-
cred, dug grave. We went back to
the town and found coffin. and In the
early summer morning we buried the
dead man.
As we came out OF the graveyard |
stopped Fanny Martin.
have you. been to the Officer !
asked.
ais"Yes, indeed"
well. where is my mcssageT
There wasn't any"
"rhe deuccw l said. and walked on
hack with her. The splnster lady lin.
y gered by her fathers grave. Miss Mar.
Tin seemed inclined to stay, but / knew
| she cOuld do no ooo1 tlnro n .<.,< A. =.