The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1903-07-21


up she said to herself:
If the east wind does not come soon
these babies wiz die. Just look at her
poor little face
To Teresa's mother she gave much ad-
vice, TO which mother listened. but the
young woman knew that attention did
not mean compliance.
Don't feed the paby bacon" she said
at last TN bring you some pasteurized
milk tomorrow"
What pasteurized milk might be Ter
esa's mother did not know. but what
ever it was she would take it if tine
lady brought it; yes, she would take
it, take anything, and do anything that
the lady" wished. Yes. it was hot. but
the baby would live. Had not the other
babies lived? Yes. four of them had
died when they We're Teresa's age. but
Teresa would live. Somehow. Teresa
would live. Had not Mary and Angela
lived and had not the boys lived2 1t
was hot, but tonight they would sleep
on the roof or on the sidewalk and it
would not be so hot.
The east wind might come. Angela
knew whence it came. Across the via
duct and across the railroad tracks,
across the river and across the city of
great noises and many people was the
lake. There was water. water, water.
and nothing beyond. Angela had seen it
once, but Teresa never From out of
the water come the east wind. the cool
ing, life saving breeze that tasted, ana
smelt, and felt Of water.
The sun got down towards the west
and the short buildings were casting COM
fortress shadows into the street Teresa
lay as one dead on a board in this shad-
ow Angela and the boys still played
In the street: mother and Mary still
sewed in the hot room. but Teresa lay
and gasped.
One could see the heat dancing in the
sunrays against the brick wall. The
air was heavy as wooden blanket ana
it came down like one and smothered
Angela brought a piece of ice and rub
bed it over Teresa's forehead finally
giving il to her to swallow. That was
a small bit of comfort. but short lived,
and it did not put animation back into
the small. brown baby.
Mother came out of the hot room and
picked up the suffering Teresa, who
cried and struggled in her arms, and,
when released, crawled back to the
board and lay on her back sullenly
The mother sat and looked toward
the east and wondered if the east wind
would come in time. The other babies
who had not lived had died like this
They had gasped out their lives in still
ing heat
It was not a time which could be
used in sewing. badly as time was
needed for that. The mother left the
house and plodded YEARLY to thechurch
of the Holy Guardian Angels In the
cool of the sanctuary she kneeled and
prayed that the east wind might come
and that Teresa might live.
BY the time she had reached the
house again the men were coming
! home. from work. some of them from
the intercepting sewer in Stoney Is
land avenue. The sun had gone down.
but the wooden blanket still hung over
the houses. Teresa still lay on the
boar-.
AS the hot night came on the neighbor-
ing women gathered with Teresa's mother
! at hA to nd cd tai inc lf he
heat. The street was filed with children
who were strong and cared nothing for
almost lifeless little brown mass, against
her mother. She no longer fought against
being held.
Men and women sat along the curb and
talked listlessly. Three-fourths of them
faced the east looking almost without hope
in the direction from which relief might
come On the roofs of houses they lay out
stretched and darkness grew.
The wooden blanket became heavier as
the hours grew later The people on the
curb stretched themselves out where they
had been sitting and fell into uneasy sleep.
The sidewalks looked like sections of a
stricken field where the dead lay in heaps.
Teresa did not sleep. She lay in the
circle of her mothers arm, passive but
with wide open eyes. The mother had
yielded to weariness and had fallen asleep
The night wore out its weary hours.
Even Teresa closed her eyes. but one could
rot have told whether she was sleeping or
dead. or. being asleep. whether she ever
would awaken. The street was quiet and
dead with its mass of heat stricken hui
! Suddenly there was shout A few
sleepers raised themselves to their elbows.
The blanket had been ripped and torn. The
were aroused with shouts of joy The
street was alive again. The east wind had
come. Chill and cold it struck the fevered
With sobs of thanksgiving Teresa's
! mother carried the baby into the house.
1 The wind that saves was killing the heat.
Il