The Washington herald., 1914-05-03

other man and the woman, still cursing
US. lay down under our windows. where
we were compelled to watch them die OF
the plague.
THE situation was critical. The ex-
plosions Of the powder magazines had
broken all the windows Of the Chemistry
Building, so that we were exposed to
the germs from the corpses. The sanitary
committee was called upon to act, and
II responded nobly. Two men were re-
quired TO go out and remove the corpses,
and this meant the probable sacrifice OF
their own lives. for, having performed
the task. they were not to be permitted
to re-enter the building. One Of the pro-
fessors, who was a bachelor, and one
of the undergraduates volunteered. They
bade goodby to us and went forth. They
were heroes. They gave up their lives
that 400 others might live. After they
had performed their work. they stood for
a moment. at a distance. looking at US
wistfully. Then they waved their hands
In farewell and went away slowly across
the campus toward the burning city.
And yet was IL all useless The next
morning the first one Of US was smitten
with the plague-a little nurse girl In the
family Of Prof. Stout II was no
time for weakened. sentimental policies.
On the chance that she might be the
only one. we thrust her forth from the
building and commanded her TO be gone.
She went away slowly across the campus
wringing her hands and crying pitifully.
We felt like brutes, but what were We to
do? There were 400 of us, and individ-
uaIs had to be sacrificed.
In one Of the Laboratories three fam
lilies had domiciled themselves, and that
afternoon We found among them no less
than four corpses and seven cases OF the
plague in all its different stages
Then II was that the horror began.
Leaving the dead lie, we forced the liv-
ing ones to segregate themselves In an
other room. The plague began TO break
out among the rest of US. and as fast as
the symptoms appeared. We sent the
stricken ones to these segregated rooms.
We compelled them to walk there by
themselves, SO as to avoid laying hands
on them. II was heartrending. But still
the plague ragged among US, and room
after room was filled with the dead and
dying And so We who were yet clean
retreated to the next floor. and to the
next. before this sea Of the dead. that.
room by room and floor by floor. mum
dated the building.
The place became a charnel house,
and in the middle OF the night the sur
yivors fed forth. taking nothing with
them except arms and ammunition and
heavy store Of timed foods. We camped
on the opposite side Of the campus from
the providers, and. while some stood
guard, others OF us volunteered to scout
into the city in quest OF horses, motor
cars, carts and wagons. or anything that
would carry out provisions and enable
US to emulate the banded workingmen
had seen fighting their way out TO the
open country.
Il was one OF these scouts, and DR..
HoyIe, remembering that his motorcsr
had been left behind in his home garage.
told me to look for II. We secuted In
pairs and Dombey. q young undergrad
uate accompanied me. We had to cross
half mile of the residence portion OF
the city to get to Or. Hoyle's home.
Here the buildings stood apart. in the
midst OF trees and grassy lawns. and
here the fires had played freaks. burning
whole blocks. skipping blocks. and often
skipping a single house in a block. And
here, too. the prowlers were still at their
work We carried our automatic pistols
openly in our hands. and looked desperate
enough, forsooth, to keep them from at
tacking us. But at DIR. Hoyle's house
the thing happened. Untouched by fire,
even as we came to il the smoke and
flames burst forth.
The miscreant who had set fire to II
staggered down the steps and out along
the driveway. Sticking out OF his coat
pockets were bottles of whisky. and he
was very drunk. My first impulse was
to shoot him. and l have never ceased
regretting that did not Staggering and
maundering to himself. with bloodshot
ewes and a raw and bleeding slash down
one side of his bewhiskered face. he was
altogether the most nauseating specimen
of degradation and filth I had ever en-
countered. ! did not shoot him, and he
leaned against a tree on the lawn to let
US go by 1t was the most absolute.
wanton act. Just as we were opposite
him. he suddenly drew a pistol and shot
Dombey through the head. The next in
slant l shot him. But il was too late.
Dombey expired without a groan, imme-
] doubt il he even knew what
had happened to him
Leaving the two corpses. I hurried on
past the burning house TO the garage.
and there found Doctor Hoylc's motor
car. The tanks were filled with gasoline.
and il was ready for use And il was ia
this car that l threaded the streets of the
ruined city and came back toSthe sur
vivors on the campus The other scouts
returned. but none had been :" fOrtu-
nate. Prof. Fairmead had found a Shet-
land pony. but the poor creature, tied
in a stable and abandoned for days,
was so weak from want Of food and
water that il could carry no burden at
all Some Of the men were for turning
Il loose. hut | insisted that We SHOULD
lead il along with us. so that, II We
got out of food, We would have II to
eat.
There were forty-seven Of us when
We started MANY. being women and chill
dren. The president of the faculty. an
old man to begin with. and now hope
Iessly broken oy the awful happenings OF
the past week. rode in the motorcar
with several young children and the aged
mother Of Prof. Fairmead. Wathope, 4
Young professor of English. who had e
grievous bullet wound in his leg, drove
the car The rest of as walked, Prof.
Fairmead leading the pony.
1t was what should have been a bright
summer day. but the smoke from the
burning world filled the sky. through
which the sun shone murkily. dull and
lifeless orb, blood red and ominous- But
we had grown accustomed to that blood
red sun. With the smoke it was differ
ent II bit into our nostrils and eyes,
and there was not one of use whose
eyes were not bloodshot. We directed
our course to he southeast through the
endless miles of suburban residences,
travelling along where the first swells
Of low hills rose from the fiat of the
central city. II was by this way. only,
that we could expect to gain the coun-
try.
"Our progress was painfully slow. The
women and children could not walk last.
They did not dream OF walking, my
grandsons. in the way all people walk ~