The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1909-03-12


gave me a position.
AS / put the whiting on his shoes
and the buttons in his cuffs, | won
dered whether it would be better t
poison him or cut out his heart will
a big knife. l decided that the knit
and the poison would be too quick AM
| tried to think of something else.
One day / went to Tondo to visi
some friends. / found them all weep
ing bitterly, for the father of the fam
lily, had the leprosy and the govern
ment doctors were preparing to taxi
him away and burn the house. The
leper was still in the house and
guard would let no II neal him.
1t was then that | made a plan.
did not want to kill Lieut.. White too
quickly. | wanted to see him suffer
So I thought | would try and stea
the leper's drinking cup and give 1t tt
the lieutenant with water to drinl
some night when he called to me, as
he often did, and said he was thirsty
In that way he would become infected
with the leprosy.
But | reasoned that If Lieut.. White
took the sickness he would soon be
sent away to Culion and would not
see him die by inches on the lonely
island. If | wanted to witness his af'
Fiction | must also be sent to Culion
as a leper. AS my father and mother
were both dead | had nothing to make
me happy. What could give me more
Joy than to see Lieut.. White falling to
pieces?
While my friends were weeping l
went up to the guard, and before he
knew what | was doing, | had rushed
past him and seized the leper in my
arms. | kissed the old man several
times on the mouth, as If bidding him
farewell, and when the guard came to
seize me | slipped through his gloVed
hands and escaped through the win
dow.
Every day after that l examined my
body, and my joy was great when l
saw the shiny spots showing on my
skin. Then the whitish spots began to
come out on my limbs, and l knew
that | was a leper.
Lieut.. White gave a dinner one
night to some of his officer friends. He
was going to get married in a few
months and the woman was soon to ar
rive on a transport.
| heard him tell them about the
house he had engaged that day, and OF
the pleasant times his friends should
have there after he and Mrs. White
came back from the journey of mar
riage to China.
They drank a great deal and it was
nearly day when the last cochero
drove away from the house. | put
Lieut.. White in his bed and he knew
nothing at all about it, or what hap
pened afterwards.
While he snored loudly, l prayed
that | might be successful. His
shores sounded like the r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r
of the awful gun which had killed my
father and mother. / considered those
shores a good omen, and was sure
that the spirits of my father and
mother were pleased with what / was
doing.
Until long after the daylight came
through the window | sat on the side
of the bed and kissed Lieut.. White on
the mouth. He tried to brush me away
once, thinking that / was a fly, end
then went on snoring like the r-r-r-r-r
r-r-r- CUR.
l was afraid the liquor he had taken
would kin the poison OF the leprosy, sc
| scratched his wrist with a pin and
held the cut to my mouth. Then
opened one of the spots on my arm
and let the blood trickle out on the
scratch on his wrist. ! put the pir
point in one of the spots and ther
scratched his gums with the pin.
gave praise to the saints for letting
me think of such excellent ways o.
making a man take the leprosy.
He called me In the afternoon and
felt very badly. He threw his shoe.
at me because / was slow in bringing
him his bathrobe, but smiled at hin
pleasantly.
The days went by. The white spotl
on my body were getting bigger, bu
was not concerned about them.
was wondering If Lieut.. White was
leper.
One morning he called to me Will,
ne was al the bath. Had hidden III
soap. He cursed me for my stupidit!
in not keeping things where they be
longed. He was under the falling wa
ter and did not see me smiling. Their,
were the beautiful patches of lepros.
on his shoulders. just beginning t
come out good and strong. ! was yer,
happy.
One day I heard him cry out 1
alarm. Then he began to sob an
moan. Suddenly he reached for a pis
toll and pointed II at his head, but
had nothing In II. l had buried ever
bullet in the house. Some oficer
going by heard him hghting with m
to get at his razor and 500
we were here at Culion.
] gave myself up a week after the
put him In the hospital. He though
/ had taken the sickness from him. s
he kept me for a servant and share
the good things which were sent I
us In this lonely island.
Poor Florencio." he says to m
sometimes. Poor. poor Florencio.
was an unlucky day for you when "
met In the Oflcers' club over at L