The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1915-01-08

It to the meteorological test. A mar
without any visible symptoms may b
full Of the leprosy bacilH."
Then You or !. for al We know"
suggested, may be full Of it now"
KerSdale shrugged his shoulder
and laughed.
Who can say? It takes seven year,
for It to incubate. II you have any
doubts 60 and see Doctor Hervey
He'll just snip out piece Of your
skin and let you know In . tiny"
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
Kalfhi, the Honolulu receiving station.
whore suspects wore examined and
confirmed lepers were held for de-
portation to Molokai. These deporta-
lions occurred about once q month,
when. the last good-bys said, the
lepers were marched on board the lit
tie steamer, the Noeau, and carried
down to the settlement.
One afternoon, writing letters at the
club, Jack Kersdale dropped in on me.
Just the man I want to see," was
his greeting. I'll show you the seddest
aspect Of the whole situation-the
lepers wailing as they depart for
Molokai. 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 a whole sight harder a
year hence If the board of health tried
to take them from Molokai. We've
just time Tor whisky and soda. I've
a carriage outside. 1t won't take up
five 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
whom had already met at
Kalihi. The lepers were a ~oebegone
lot. But here and there noticed fair
" good-looking persons, with no ap-
parent signs of the fell disease upon
them. One, l noticed, a little white
girl, not more than twelve, with blue
ayes 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, l don't know. It's happy day !
n her life. She comes from Kauai. |
Her father is a brute. And now that |
he has developed the disease, she is
,oing to join her mother at the settle |
nent. Her mother was sent down
here three years ago-a very bad |
ase"
you can't always tell from appear
nces," Mr.. Mcveigh explained. That
nan there, that big chap, who looks
he pink of condition with nothing the
natter with him, 1 happen to know,
as mark on his foot and another on
is shoulder blade. Then there are
thers-there, see that girls hand, the
ne who Is smoking the cigarette.
ee her twisted fingers. That's the
nesthetic form. It attacks the
erves. You could cut her fingers of
nth dull knife, or rub them OF on
utmeg crater and she would not ex-
erience the slightest sensation"
Eyes, but that fine-looking woman,
lere," I persisted; surely, there
mt be anything the matter with her.
he is too glorious and gorgeous al
gether" l.
"a sad case," Mr.. McVeigh an
vered over his shoulder, already