THAT SMALLPOX SCARE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 183, 2 August 1913, Page 13

THAT SMALLPOX SCARE.

1 ■ ■ ; (Written iox tho ".Auddnnd Star,"J ' ' * ■ . (Hy' DOODLES.) Tlif! predominance of mind over nmtlcr Jnny be 11 #ucid liuutrino on ordinary ofccilioril* but wJicn it c-iuaca a niun* to be bounded from jilneo to jildco, to Ijc avoided hh if lin wero a p]*ffUe-f|JOt, JUid fliwlly lolmul iijj at tin. , PubUe Health' unci ' In; eomniilnnrliy vaccinated,, willy nilly, oiin Iβ apt to (frow ricnptical nlioiit Hie■.eflltiuncy <>t [in •applliatlon,'. ■And/wlicii it MOUrM fftr Jiiiii .the furtlifi!- a(h-nnt!!,';f af * wrfk's' lo'ufJijut-'fl nnd , ifioJatinii-.'irt a "contiol," wit!i it» nlU'nrlniit fiynlgfr* tory and preventive; ini'jHiiri'rt, one ip iiicfinpil to jfrowA llLtlc npur nmj fiiirca«He—rnpwj*lly If nne-linppPiii* to pi of n rtorlnJilfi frame »of minrJ—and -to tbiul; unkind tliougbtw about til« enforo'd itfx'liKion and 11m. active admlnlntration ai our llc-iUh Dqurt7ncnt. ■It i« not :i it'nfc till or , ihoeo. dsys tn /iiifTcr/from a «kin ranh'of any kind; for ijnmedi»trly thfi "miml over mattrr" tlieory gcie to work, nnil trannforms an ordinary, common, every-day pinipln j into a jiiwtular fiymptriin, and the ap- ' pcar»ncc of en ordinary hect fikin r««!i ; citmce a man to be unpopular etraight- ' away, and eccuree for him ur» *lim : ted nurohW of cubic: feet of Hiitfoimding pace for hi» own pcreonal u«e. ?So ono anxiou* to shake h*nde with Wm, and hie friencta ,die off from him and ehun 1 h:e presence. Fronr. hie family he doce I not get j "that (*ow of love Out lie was wont to jt ■ hare," . ' . f i for "now site Suepidon in ihe air" —he , i miy be a pofeiblc Boiallpos patient. j The other day a man -with a heat raeh l on his face entered a car and «at down, c The man next him got up, and forsook t the car. So did two on the opposite r side. Then a man a littie further off looked down to «cc what wae the ma£- i tt-r, and skedaddled without any more 1 ado. lln a few r:iin.iir.i the ecsipartment f was empty. The man with the raeli r •wondered -what ifhb the matter that hie c part -of the tar ehould.be bo deserted. i\ while the next compartment -was app.ir- ij

ently full up nn:l overflowing. So lie opened tjie. dour and throat !ii>j bljrfcjiy /ace through, and invited iirjaic (ri the ■ttrpllM paaMDgeM in. JimiiftUatcly hb heail appcireil, tlierr: wax a in tlio opposite direction, ami Ike iurnter ptmtngivf, v/lio liad been impatiaut to gift -trj biißinr«(, tumbled ovfr (uicl othrr in their h.ifltc to foot it out .11■..r■ : tlio King's iiighu'jiy, and Ifi Ic.ivn llu: cir nml itii r.iflliy octupent in eoliludCi The cnnrlirclrrr wpndcred ii'li.il w.io Ilin matter, mid ctino along to ie& Jminediatoly OH eateiilng fliglit , of l!m lilutrlicii, lir ikidoocd v/iUiont pnanUe U> tin? fdhrr nifl of tlir c;ir nnil poked li!H hr.itl fjiil iito tlin frrnii nir. When (drilled Kith n tt-w blMe of It, he mna Uk , liHI ami Ala\>\)eti thf: c»r, ami nklpfnd along by wa," i>l Uii! m.i<l -Im Ni net /;i)inj; it> clmtKf" Roinif through the cur — crjnfrirfd wllli Ilir- nintorjnmi an tn tlip oopffbt mnrlc of prpotdarei Until B£vced thnt I,'i" r.mli.v man niiwl dapari) ami no .ihc, man-of pimpkfl imp linrangiiPf! by (he cniiilurLnr (wlin lirpt mtII *n Dip iMr-fniJ, mi far M pnpniiiln from Ilia .mdifincn) lf> Ilir louptl) Hint he miiat obdi«)ilh h'm |ir*ition. In thin demand hn w.M hacked ]>y the moiorinnn, ivlio kept out in tlio frr.ili nir; nnd lioili and carnretly nnlrcated their unwill'mj,' turrit to dppnrt by thfl other Md, The «nr we then trotted off lo Dm depot to lir; fnmigatpd nnil rlcimrd, wfallat thn rnmliiclor nnd toot on n fna.il mipply of vjircinati&i) nnd quarantine as "cnnt.ictß." The pimply man footed it «ut .iionjj thn Kinn'fl liiglnviiy. After ilin pcnional remarkfl of tim cnmluctnr, lir could not help feeling a litHn flclf-conecioiM, and was not altogether BUTj>ri»"Oil 1o nee people, after earnestly ecruiiniflinf; hi . COlutenuca for nwliile, step incontinently into Fpacn; nnywliero, any direction, any dietanec —sr> lonpr an they could give, him a wide .berth. Tho paper-boy refused to sell him a paper, and the fihoeblack had rjualttM admit brtwhiDg hin, hooir.. 'No one wifilied to kcII him matclien, or fruit, or oysters, or tobacco, or anything. He could not trade. Xobody wanted him. So he hied him eor-ran-fully up to liuainens. The lift.lioy fled before him. and entrenched himself T«hind elowd doore. Probably ho thought thnt suficicnt safeguard against. microbes. 'ibo blotchy man dejectedly plodded his tvay up Ihv j'tnir.". Tic met another man, nnd vouched him "Good morning." Thnt rami ca:cd, and took the rcmainini; stftire with I

• on Impulae eucli na l:c lina never lia'J) • njjuiii. JJi: met tlio charlady, tih-c /led; • liv moi a Ickgninh meueagorj he (ltd; i hir met iL Inily lvjii.ilc!, <;he sercamtd and i Bedj t'vcrvlwdy lie met fled. Broken- ■ bcarted) mid mih dejected mien, lie be- ■ look liimrdf iimidc; Ilia oflict, rind ctarlcd 'to work Ml Boinc ]>a]Kra. TJic otlier cler!;ii earner in; nnil, at uitial, n.iinikrof] ii|i to exdiinoe chat with Jiim. Jinmcdi-(Li'-ly In; looked up from I ;. work and looked them fair in Uμ tun, they fled, and never launlcred Rg&in, Kczt lii« ant-Jt (iloycr arrived, and came <»v«r to give J him noma dlraetionft He of the plnmlci ' JfjrjJicii iiiii emnlonir equarely in tiic /ntc, i nrif! thru Bolltiida nguin enveloped him. i He irai aloDOj liisi tlMltei , liad Ilcd before thofif! belligennt biotcbe*. . Tlio tclfjilimin linrd by r.nnj;. I "j\l limt," thought llir; lilotchy one, "[ nlmll linlrl mi uilli nothennr:j wlifievcr'a nt tlin other ] rru\ of (hut (flnplinnn dcMAlt knmv I've j fjot ri rnsli on my fn.cn. This eODvmatloa will not liar): nwtiy from mn at avc.ty ( word, nnd lin.illy ih t. without an ex- ( 1 planalory finish, j f Hopefully lie took Hie receiver off tlio i honk.

"I (my, Smith," nnid llifi voico of his employer, whoso prrnon wn» wp.-irntrd from tlio parinli by n fpw fret—l lib nfflirteel oiio til in ana room, ami liia emplfiyrr next ri or, nnd Fjnt.li rooms w*m ronnoeted l>y telfc;')|<m( —"You Imrl lietter go up to ilii! Hnnltlf nnjiirtniont," "Whyi" denandtd Pmitfi, nldiough he knew it \vnn thfi lilnmihli upon li!h p(>rcen thai ivnf> tlic cmisn nt the imiiKtial rtriiifFt. "Woll, you launr, wHIi thnt rnnli yau'vel Kot on jnnr fnw, nrjiy, it iniplit ho nnythiiip." This vagua iiiniiflii'Jn eccracd to cafio liih omploypT'ti niitu). "It's only a heat r.isli," nnsevcratod Smith, in defence of lii , : liberty. "That mny be. But it in juJt as well to l>3 on the safe sido." lie did not say icha was to be on Mm safe sidn, but w.ia doing hi 3 bout by way of example. "But I don't w»nt to go," reiterated Smith, with soino uneasy foreboding of Ilia.late. "Bit I inaiflt." 'Although this may sound very peremptory, it is not really so much so\vlien you ennsider that the insister waa pcrclicd in fear and trepidation upon tlio arm of a elmir in hJ3 own privalooflice, and hi»arbitrary cninmnnd wiia hut led per telephone nt his bcspceblcil subordinate a fen - feet off.

d "Very v.-ell." Smith agreed with a bad I grace, ,: "Have you had any pains in the back I 1 of your bead:" anxiously inquired his o employer, now the all-important question 'wan nettled. " . '"No," replied Smith shortly. He a rather deemed the question an intrusion h into bit personal privacy, * "Or in your spine';'' j |'No." 'Do you feel an though you were sick- I em'ng for influenza?" "No." Smith's spirit was gone now. b liny might question hi.* pains from tho j crown of his head to the sole of his foot, t, anil.lm wouldn't care. f . Not being nhlo to nnil him on any of a these points, tbe voice took on-a moro '~ general uspect of the case. •

"JJo you feci out of sorts i" Siiiith truthfully admitted the soft impeachment. And no wonder! . After the morning he had had. ; '"There., I told you so! T knew I should get on to it HORiier or later, (jet along to the Health Department as -quickly us you can. I will stand tho expense. Don't line tho lift." ..

This lust admonition was quite needlens; tho lift boy had gone oiT to be vacciliated, nnd so hud everyone whom be had.met in the morning. * All idle typewriter hard by wns a reproachful load upon liia conscience, nnd tho scruhlady'H deserted bucket brought his sin forcibly home to him, for he fell over it. Them w.is now no telegraph Imy of any dn-fi'-riptlon In sight! a* c. rule they wcro plentiful in that locality. The man who I had -'kipped down the stairs had skipped along n little further, end could have been Keen in a waiting line at tho vaccination depot. But enough.. Let us draw a veil of sympathy over tho harrowing scene of our pimply friend Mr Smith. Sufficient be it to state unreservedly that he reached the Health Commissioner's in safety, for none stayed to hinder bis progress—they were too busy skipping out of his way for that. There they vaccinated him- fumigated him; sterilised him; pricked him; prodded him- and disinfected him. Then they isolated him; observed him; and nursed him; dosed him; charted him; and dieted him. At the end of n week ho -,-,-as returned to his home, State g-iaranteed as a safe incmlier of the community, but still fuming from the indignity of his experiences.