The San Francisco call., 1909-05-09
Plague Stricken


In week the beautiful city was charnel house
The residents fed the town. 1t frightful sight
Men and women fell in their tracks as though shot
and mortay wounded, desperately i'll, turning a
nasty yellow color. The entire city under quaran-
tine The cry of olden times sounded from the pave
ments the health officers picked up the stricken
ones 'Uncleanl Uncleanl" Deaths counted by
the hundreds and beautiful Sydney was in deepest
mourning. The flags hung at halfmast The death
ratified INCREASINGLY through the deserted streets
The company disbanded. King lost courage he
drank steadily every few weeks he would be mao
with liquor. Eobtained work upon the Sydney Morn
ing Herald, but it very little.
King became i'll. We living in tiny room
out Paddngton way, among poor folk like OurselyesA
! did the work. My unaccustomed hands scrubbeY
the floors. cooked the meals, tended Jack and klng
and wrote when they could Our very last penny
went for medicine-and Jack was hungry. Have you
known what it is to have child hungry Desperate
l racked my brain for ideas.
Like fash my former splendor passed before
My favorite gown of Grecian cut with jeweled san
das and a ruby between the eyes-a mockery-Jaek
was hungry-it rang in my ears. Every jewel had
been sold, there was nothing lett but my PRIDE
sold it.
into the stood with old shawl about my
head and sang At first my swollen throat refused,
but soon the notes came full and strong No one IN
suited me, moleSted me, and saw many
poor painted draw her hand across her eyes
as she handed me coin-her money-can one sink
much lower than take the price of anothers soul9
But Jack was hungry l sang The coins
fast, One man stood through an entire song. Then
he approached.
p
Eyes l must, I answered. He gave me his card
told call upon him the morrow, and went his
way l was richer by 10 shillings When /
exhausted l returned and counted I had 81. -Four
dollars meant salvation.
On the morrow l sought the generous man. He
was an agent for music halls. He made offer,
but the time of engagement was three months ahead.
We lived somehow From office to ofice / went,
seeking work still retained traces of my beauty,
and | met men who turned my heart faint within
grew pale and thin. / tainted often King
frantic, he could do very little AT last the call came
~
us and first appearance was successful But King
was told he could not sing by notes; it was not pex
mtted preferred to sing without music; King couJ&
He tried, forgot the words and was Kissed OF the
stage | sent word I would do double role. So be-
sides my two songs came out with my banjo and
sang coon songs, playing for myself The audience
took INV act Endiy and l played the double role
steadily King with me, helping with Jack, pro-
tecting in his loving way. He tried hard to
enough that trip to get us to England.
Two days after arrived at London I
thrown down i'll the street and my ankle seriously in
jured. helpless for eight months Finally
walked with crutches / wrote desperately all those
fearful days and my stories appeared in Cassers the
Culver etc Jack, now big. manly boy was nv sole
comfort King-how can | tell you how low he sank?
He sold everything for drink, to his clothes and
mine Picture If you can the contrast in my condi-
tionhepless, ILL., poverty stricken and abused; for
King had come to that | too i'll TO fight then
took the blows and erept away-to die / shut the
doors and windows laid my weary body down for its
last sleep and let the tunes OF meycully steal
away my They found me somehow I was
very Ill. talked OF the misery of years until those
at my side wept for me--who was beyond weeping I
recovered A friend me TO America NV
fathef's ultmatum still stood King shamed and re-
pentant, stayed in London
That is the end or, mayhap, ii is the beginning Of
new chapter. am here in your midst struggling
for myself and my boy My husband impIores me to
return to hinl-he has good position row; my father
insists that divorce my husband. and IL do not
know am young woman STILL and sometimes
there comes over me flash of the dare devil spirit
of my childhood days What does the future hod9 I
am moved to envy the placid whose lives run always
in one even groove but have had compensation-Il
have lived have sounded many chords of delighR
and despair-there seems but little left And vet
who knows Unquenched BY the scorching FIRE of
misery spirits rise undaunted the call of battle
Life | shall not play the coward again You have
fought me loAg and hard. but my strength and cour-
age will not fail me- Again lift your gauntlet and
Grrlnf flnr