Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1915-01-07

IL to the archaeological test A nan
without any visible symptoms may be
full of the leprosy bacilh."
Then you or /, for ali we know"
suggested, may be full of 1t now"
Kersdale shrugged his shoulders
and laughed.
Who can say? II takes seven years
for 1t to tncubate. II you have any
doubts go and see Doctor Hervey
Hen Just snip out a piece Of your
skin and let you know in a jfHy."
Later on he introduced me to Doctor
Hervey. who loaded me down with
board Of health reports and pamphlets
on the subject. and took me out to
Kalihi, the Honolulu receiving station,
where suspects were examined and
confirmed lepers were held for de.
portation to Molokai. These deperta,
tfons occurred about once a month,
when, the last good-bys said, the
lepers were marched On board the lit.
tls steamer, the Noeau, and carried
down to the settlement.
One afternoon, writing letters Mt the
club, Jack Kersdale dropped in on me.
"Just the man want to see" was
his greeting. I'll show you the saddest
aspect Of the whole situation-the
lepers wailing as they depart for
Moiokai. The Noeau will be taking
them on board In few minutes. But
let me warn you not to let your feel.
ings be narrowed. Real as their grief
Is. they'd wall q whole sight harder a
year hence IL the board of health tried
to take them from Molokai. We've
Just time for whisky and soda. I've
a carriage outside. 1t won't take up
i've minutes to get down to the wharf"
To the wharf we drove. Some forty
sad wretches, amid their mats, blank
cts and luggage of various sorts, were
squatting on the stringer piece. The
Noeau had just arrived, and was max
ing fast to lighter that lay between
her and the wharf A Mr.. McVeigh,
the superintendent of the settlement,
was overseeing the embarkation, and
to him / was introduced, also TO Doc
tor Georges, one of the board OF health
physicians whom had already met at
Kalihi, The lepers were a woebegone
lot. But here and there noticed fair
ly good-looking persons, with no ap-
parent signs Of the fell disease upon
them. One, noticed, a little white
girl, not more than twelve, with blue
eyes and golden hair. One cheek,
however, showed the sign. On my re-
marking upon the sadness OF her alien
situation among the brown-skinned
afflicted ones, Doctor Georges replied:
"oh. don't know. It's happy day
in her life. She comes from Kauai.
Her father is brute. And now that
she has developed the disease, she Is
going to join her mother at the settle
ment. Her mother was sent down
there three years ago-a very bad
case
You can't always tell from appear
ances," Mr.. Mcveigh explained. THAT
man taere, that big chap, who looks
the pink OF condition with nothing the
matter with him. l happen to know,
has mark on his foot and another ON
his shoulder blade. Then there are
others"-~there, see that girls hand, the
one who Ia smoking the cigarette.
See her twisted fingers. That's the
anesthetic form. 1t attacks the
nerves. You could cut her fingers off
with a dull knife. or rub them or on a
nutmeg crater and she would not ex-
perienee the slightest sensation"
Yes, but that fine-looking woman,
there" I persisted: surely, there
can't DO anything the matter with her.
She Is too glorious and gorgeous al
together"
"A. sad case" Mr.. Mcveigh an
swered over his shoulder, already