The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1905-11-09
The Curse Ofthe Pink Mist.
By OWEN OLIVER.
A Story ofthc Yeari020.

the deserted islands or the MadcIrns.
Lieutenant Harrison. the young naval Of
flcer Of whom spoke. can find It."
We started at daybreak on Saturday
made navigation difficult. On Tuesday
morning the Lieutenant reckoned that we
we're within a hundred IN les of Funchal,
the capital OF the Madciras.
The pink vapor grew denser. After we
had run for half an hour at half-specd
1t became so thick that we could not see
from, hend to stern Of the little vessel.
We had sople tea at Ave. Just az we
then sound as Of silk beng ripped,
only u hundred times louder. Then We
stopped. II
Shes got IT. Harrison pronounced.
calmly. She'll 60 down Within FIVE min
tutes. Lower the boats. boys"
The boats were In the water, and we
were In them In less than two minutes.
May fire torpedo before she sinks.
sr?' asked HARRISON. 1T might shake
the vapor Off or blow up one OF Longs
Internal apparatuses. It won't take q
minute
II don't want you to run any risk"
protested, doubtfully.
below. Suddenly the boat reeied over
upon us. II 1 felt myself crushed down
into the Water-doT n--down. When
emerged | was almost unconscious. and Z
l should have drowned after all but y
piece OF grating foated near me and I.
chung to i. There was no sign Of any Of
my brave comrades. called them o.
name, and hone answered, God rest
them.
was tempted to let myself sink after
them. but the sight OF the cursed mist
brought an angry resolve 10 hsht IT, ana
struck out slowly Tor me sn 11,,;, IVA Was
'ly stand. II stole into an empty hut III
the night and found q long knife and
some food and wafer. and slept III the
Long suddenly,y.ourd some bushes There
was no HirlEy, He fired at me twice
With revolver and missed. Ths second : y.
time | struck UP his arm. My KNIFE
went " Just underneath.
l dragged him away and buried him.
The SIX men who were leita on the
island tthree had pershed In the e1plo-s
SION were too mad 10 suspect me. or
even to m.ss Long.
The cther.nc watts were fed from piles
Of yellow and gray dusty mater al. Ttisre
would be fearful explosion, the attend
ANS told me, II q. gray feed were five
minutes latel fouEnt the Two ATTEND
ants at each station In turn TO prevent
them continuing the gray Feeds a..d KILL
cd them all God knows l was sorry.
but Ii had TO be doae for the sake of
the poor mad world The stations blew
VI. as they said:
The pink mist grew fainter md fainter.
till at last 1t VAS only Il DIN ndAe On tne
sea afar. don't remember exactly how
night had passed Till the Sarah Dillon
took me off. and the captain told me,
thought the madness would haze
passed by the time that reached Eng.
land. and In my vanity pictured myself
being hailed as the rescuer OF the world.
But when landed / found all the people
sonlber and sullen. The blessing had
gone, they said, and suffering and sin had
come back to the world: Most Of the N
were very pale and feeble. In addition
many OF them had been half-starved
during the epidemic. as they negccLed she
, common necessities OF lfe; but they
ascr.bcd the evils which were caused
by the madness to IFS cessation. 1t was
out OF the question to proclaim my, part
pretend that 1, too. had sunered from u;
The trains were running again, ana
went up to London. On the way lear
ed that several of those who served inc
prime minister during tho cpidelnlc ha t
Ny wife and children received me az
fcctionately I pretended 40 nave sue.
cum bed to the yapor and TO mourn lor
It as they did My pallor and weakness
prevented any suspicion. and my wife
said that a weight was removed from
her mind now she knew tlat = nau
benefited from 1t. &
found letter from tho prime MN
lister. which luckily. she nag no. nol az IN
pounds. ] started to so to him the next
morning; but mob was round his mouse,
and / could not get near. They had torn
him limb from limb, ] heard; ana SONS Z
one standing at q window held UP so' ~.
thing on pole II was ms .hat saveS
the world.