The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1915-02-27
By JACK LONDON

(. I'VE talked through the afr In
those days, thousands and thousands
|of miles. And the word came of O
strange disease that had broken out
An New York. There were seventeen
millions Of people living then in that
modest city Of America. Nobody
Thought anything about the news. II
was only small thing. There had
been only a few deaths. It seemed.
though. that they had died very quick
lly, and that one of the hrst signs OF
the disease was the turning red OF
the face and all the body. Within
itwenty-four hours came the report OF
the first case in Chicago. And on the
same day. It was made public that
London. the greatest city in the world
lnext to Chicago, had been secretly
fighting the plague for two weeks and
lcensoring the news dispatches-that
lis. not permitting the word to go forth
ito the rest OF the world that London
had the plague.
1T looked serious, but we In Cali
!fornia. like everywhere else, were not
alarmed. We were sure that the
,bacteriologists would find a way to
overcome this new germ just as they
had overcome other germs In the past.
But the trouble was the astonishing
Iquickness with which this germ de
stroyed human beings, and the fact
that it inevitably killed any human
body 1t entered. No one ever recov.
iered. There was the old Asiatic
cholera, when you might eat dinner
with q well man In the evening. and
the next morning. II you got up early
enough, you would see him being
hauled by your window In the death
cart. But this new plague was quick
ier than that-much quicker. From
the moment OF the first signs CT It, a
man would be dead in an hour. Some
lasted for several hours. Many died
within ten or fifteen minutes Of the
appearance OF the first signs.
"Thc heart began to beat faster
and the heat Of the body to increase
Then came the scarlet rash, spread
ing like wildnre over the face and
body. Most persons never noticed
the increase In heat and heart
beat, and the FIRST they knew
was whom the scarlet rash came out
Usually, they had commissions at the
time Of the appearance Of the rash. Blu;
these convulsions did not last long and
were not very severe. II one lived
through them. he became perfectly
quiet. and only did he feel numbnesa
swiftly creeping up his body from the
feet. The heels became numb first
then the leg. and hips, and when the
numbness reached as high as his heart
he died. They did not rave or sleep.
Their minds always remained cool and
calm mp to the moment their hearts
numbed and stopped. And another
strange thing was the rapidity Of de-
composition. No sooner was q person
dead than the body seemed to fall tc
pieces. to fly apart. to melt away even
~ you looked at It. That was one Of
the reasons the plague spread SO rap
Idly. All the billions Of germs in q
corpse were 80 Immediately released
"And It was because Of all this that
the bacteriologists had so little chance
In fighting the germs. They were
killed In their laboratories even as
they studied the germs Of the Scarlet
Death. They were heroes. As fast a.
they persisted, others stepped forth
and took their places. It was In Lon
don that they first isolated II. The
news was telegraphed everywhere
;Trask was the name Of the man wht
isucceeded In this. but within thirt.
hours he was dead. Then came I'll.
struggle In all the laboratories to A..
something that world k'r -
germs. An drugs failed. You see. the
problem was to get q drug. or serum.
that would kill the germ in the body
and not kill the body. They tried to
fight II with other germs. to put into
the body Of sick man germs that
were the enemies Of the plague
germs--"
"And you can't see these germ
things. Granser." Hare-Lip objected,
''and here you gable. gable. gable
about them a. II they was anything
when they're nothing at all. Anything
you can't see ain't-that's what. Fight
ing things that amt with things that
Amt! They must have been all fools
in them days. That's why they
croaked. / amt goin' to believe in
ouch rot. tell you that"
GrAnser promptly began to weep,
while Edwin holly took up his defense.
Look here. Hare-Ap. you believe in
lots Of things you. can't see."
HareLip shook his head
You believe In dead men walking
about You never seen one dead man
WALK about"
II ten you ! see 'em, last winter.
when l was wolf hunting with dad"
well you always spit when you
crcss running water" Edwin chal
that's 70 kssp on bad luck.. was
Horou p1o defeusA
"Ycu believe IN BED luckr"
"eurs.~ 4
rAn' you sin't never sssn bad iuck,
UaVin eonclndsd triumpnartly. -You'rs
5uot g I'D ~ 0sonoor an6 be germs.
Wnm mo11nuen a. vv1>nH -, H>u4 49, ~