QUEER STORIES. A Cholera Soare.

Te Aroha News, Volume II, Issue 71, 11 October 1884, Page 5

QUEER STORIES. A Cholera Soare.

Mr Timothy Fox was an old bacholor of comfortable means and unsocial ways, who for many years past had lived entirely for himself and by himself. He was even more selfish than old bachelors usually are ; and he had, as they invariably havo, a monomania. His monomania was tho foar of disease. Though brave onough and sensible enough in othor rospects, nothing could porsuado him to go near anyone suffering from an infectious disorder, orconvincehim that if he did so he could possibly escapo the infection. Ho would walk a mile out of his way to avoid passing a house where there was sickness f and he admitted that ho would rather suffer penal servitude than venture into those slums where fevor and small-pox add to the misery of vico and poverty. Accordingly, when in tho early summer he heard that small-pox »vas becoming epidemic in London, he immediately determined to leave town. At first, as cortain business matters necessitated his being near London, he only went to a western suburb; but directly these matters were arranged, and there remained nothing to interfere with his freedom, he decided to go to some seaside place. After a good deal of careful consideration he chose Dover; but he had not been there three weeks when, to his horror, the cholera made its appearance at Toulon. To most persons it would appear that the distance between Toulon and Dover is such as _to preclude any serious chance of contagion ; but to Mr Fox it did not seem so. On the contrary, lie was firmly convinced that before long that seaport must become a hotbed of the fearful epidemic. It was, he reflected, on the high road between England and France ; what could be moro likely, therefore, than that some Frenchman, Hying from the plague-stricken towns in the south, should carry tho contagion to Dover? This thought made him feel extremely uneasy. If he had not contracted for his lodging: for the whole summer he would have left at once ; but having done this, and being of rather a parsimonious disposition, he resolved not to leave until the choleia reached, at least, Paris.. But f>noe it appeared there, no matter what it 1 . y.n, cost him, he determined that he would take refuge in somo quiet country place. While he watched with anxiety and alarm the progress of the disease in France, and traced each day its movements northwards, he thought it would bo as a\ ell to make all necessary preparations for an immediate departure, should that become desirable. This gave him but little trouble, for at Lilyburn— a little villago about fifteen miles from Dover — resided a nephew of his, a farmer with a large family, who, on account of his poverty and children, was very deferential to Mr Fox, in view of his wealth and childlessness. To him Mr Fox wrote that probably before the summer was over he would pay Lilyburn a longpromised visit. The nephew replied by return of post that he would only be too happy to have the pleasure of his uncle's delightful company. Then, having settled this to his own satisfaction, Mr Fox awaited the approach of the cholera with more equanimity. One morning, when wandering up and down the Admiralty Pier, ho encountered Charley Reckless— a young acquaintance of his, and the son of an old friend. In reply to Mr Fox's inquiries, Charley, who was a medical student, told him that, having been " plucked " at his last examination, he and a friend who had suffered the same fate had come dow n to Dover to spend the summer and to study for their next attempt. It immediately occurred to Mr Fox that, as medical students, they a\ ere likely to know more about the great subject of all his thoughts -cholera— than ordinary persons ; and so, though hevas not fond of young men's company, as it generally entailed expense, he invited Charley and his friend, Mr Bold, to spend an evening at his house. They at once accepted the invitation. When they came they soon discovered the reason of the old gentleman's hospitality ; but as ho gave them free run of his v ines and spiiits, they did not object to the position, and lold him all they knew about the choleia, and a great deal more besides. They madehisbloodrun cold and his hair stand on end by the terrible anecdotes they related to him about the sufferings and misfortunes of cholera patients, all of v hich anecdotes were, of course, evolved from their own brilliant imaginations. Mr Fox was horrified, but still he was fascinated, by these accounts. He again and again invited tho youths to sup with him, and every time they came he insisted on turning the conversation on tho old topic. The young men were always equal to the occasion, and they seldom left him without having placed before him something more unspeakably ghastly than anything he had heard before. But at length their power of invention began to fail them, and they got tired of the old gentleman's company, which was not, at the best of times, particularly entertaining, and of late it had been less so to them, as lie had been considerably more stingy with his wine. The novelty, too, had worn off of frightening him ; in fact, the young medicos wanted some change in the entertainment. One day, however, Charley Beckless, who Avas of an inventive turn of mind, hit upon a happy idea. " Would it not," he said to his fellow student, "be great fun to call late one evening on Mr Fox, tell him that the cholera had appeared in Dover, and induce him to get into a cab to go over to Lilyburn, and then to spend half the night driving him to his nephew's ?" They could easily, he maintained, when he had been there two or three days, write and tell him it was a mistake, and that the cholera had not appeared. The suggestion was no sooner made than agreed to ; and they determined to put itinto immediate operation — both chuckling over the old gentleman's rage and indignation when ho found that he had been made a fool of. Late the next evening Charley Reckless and his friend called at Mr Fox's lodgings. When they were shown in he at once noticed that their faces bore a very serious expression. He anxiously inquired as to its cause. " The fact is, Mr Fox," said Charley, in a solemn voice, " the cholera has appeared here." "What!" exclaimed Mr Fox, turning pale with alarm. "You don't mean in Dover ?" " Yes, I do," answered Charley. "The authorities are trying to conceal it, to prevent panic ; but they can't. There have been nearly a dozen deaths already ; and it's said there are over a hundred persons attacked. There's a terriblo panic in the town. Every train that leaves is Bimply crammed. "" " My gracious !" exclaimed Mr Fox, in a helpless tone. " What shall I do ? I wonder whether I could catch a train tonight for Lilyburn ?" "Don't try that," said Bold. "Very risky business, travelling in crowded carriages. Possibly your next neighbour has got the infection, You should drive."

" Yes, yeß, I will drive ! It's only a few miles. Could one of you get me a cab, while I pack up some things ? I thought 1 had overything prepared ; but then I did not expect so sudden an outbreak as this." " Yes, certainly," said Charloy. "Harry, you run out and try to get a cab. They'll hardly all be hired yet. I'll help Mr Fox to pack." , , _ . Bold started off at once ; and Mr Fox and Charley began to hastily pack a portmanteau. They had just finished their work when Bold returned Avith a stout hack and a closed fly, but without any driver. " All that's left," said he to Mr Fox. UNo driver— all bolted." "No driver !'' exclaimed the old gentloman. " What on earth shall Ido ?" " Never mind," said Bold ; "Charley or I will drive you ; in fact, we'll both drive." " I'm so much obliged to you, Mr Bold," answered Mr Fox, a little doubtfully. ' ' But I couldn't think of putting you to such trouble. I can surely got some one ; I'm ready to pay anything." " No use," said Bold ; "no ono to bo had for money. It's no troublo to us." " Not the least, my dear sir," interposed Charley; "not the least, I assure you. Just givo me your portmanteau." And before Mr Fox had timo to protest, his portmanteau was thrown on the top of the cab, and he himself was bustled inside. Tho young men then jumped on the box, and lashed the horee into almost a gallop. For a few minutes Mr Fox was inclined to accept the situation without objection, so glad was he to get out of Dover ; but, before long, the paco becamo so great that he felt bound to put his head out of the window and remonstrate- with the drivers. He might as well have remonstrated with the wind ; they never paid him the slightest attention. So after scroaming himself hoarse, ho had to &it down again, exhausted and scared. He expected every minute the cab would go over, and he was surprised to find himself, at the end of half an hour, still uninjured. As for Charlie and Bold, thoy were enjoying tho joke immensely. It is true they had carried it a little further than they intended. Instead of the quiet drive they had decided giving old Mr Fox, it had turned out a wild gallop. But in their excitement they thought little of this. In fact, instead of wondering whether they had not gone too far, they began to con sider whether they could not go a little further. " How would it do to upset the cab ?" suggested Charley. Before he had well spoken, Bold, who held the reins, turned tho horse into tho ditch by the roadsido, and, in a second, the cab went over, and Charley and Bold were flung head-over-heels to the ground. Charley fell into the ditch, and was not much hurt. Ho immediately sprang to his feet and caught the horse, which, not having fallen, and being frightened by the shock, was plunging abcut in a dangerous manner. Then a glance round showed him his friend Bold stretched insensible on the road, and bleeding from a wound on the head. The cab, with one shaft broken and all the glass smashed, lay against the hedge. What had happened to Mr Fox he could not say, but he was glad to know, by the cries coming from the inside of the cab, that, at any rate, he was alive. The serious state of affairs broupht Charlie to his senses. He now saw the folly of which he had been guilty in its true light. As he was trying to calm the frightened horse in order to leave its head to assist Mr Fox and to see to Bold, a man came running up. " Upset, sir ?" he inquired. " Yes ; give us a hand," answered Charloy, thankful for the unexpected assistance. " Help the gentleman out of the cab." "All right," returned the stranger, setting immediately to work. In a few minutes Mr Fox was on the road. He was considerably shaken, but not otherwise injured ; and Charley was delighted to see that ho seemed to have no idea that the upset was duo to anything but pure accident. Bold was next attended to. He was suffering from a cut on the forehead, which, though severe, was, as Charley's surgical knowledge enabled him to see, not dangerous. He was soon restored to consciousness, and then was able to stand without support. But the upset put them all into a difficulty. They were still seven or eight miles from Lilyburn, the cab shaft was broken, it was too late to look for another conveyance, and Hold was too much injured to walk far. Under these circumstances, things might have turned out very awkwardly if tho man who came to their help had not, with rustic generosity, offered to give them the shelter of his roof for tho night. This they all at last decided to accept, and the stranger conducted them to his house. It was a neat little farm homestead, at no considerable distance from the scene of their mishap, at a pretty little place called Whitfield. Bold at once went to bed, and Charley remained with him. They both, however, were very hungry, so the farmer kindly took them a substantial meal up in their bedroom. Mr Fox had a little refreshment with his host, and then also retired to rest. Charley and Bold did not wake up very early the next morning ; and when they did ao they didn't feel particularly well. Considering what they both had gone through the previous night, it would not have been wonderful it they were neither of them very sprightly. But they were worse than could be accounted for by anything that had happened. They were both deadly sick. Charley noticed that Bold's face was of a pea-green colour, and when he arose and looked in the glass, he found his own was the same. They felt so weak that they could hardly summon sufficient energy to put on their clothes. Neither of them could suggest any possible cause for their sickness. When they left their bedroom, their host asked them to have some breakfast, but they both declined. The very sight of the rashers and eggs almost made them sick. They naturally, however, inquired after Mr Fox, when the farmer told them, to their surprise, that their friend had left — having had an early breakfast, and started to walk over to his nephew's. They therefore decided to got back as quickly as possible to Dover, more especially as their host (who refused to accept anything for his hospitality) was by no means pleasant in his manner. He kept looking at them in an inquisitive and not over pleased way, evidently struck by their ghastly appearance. "You both look extremely ill," he at length said. "Yes," answered Charley, with a sickly smile, "we don't feel quite as well as we could wish." " I've got your cab into workable order," said the farmer, "sol hope you will drive back at once to Dover and consult a doctor." " Oh, we're not so ill as that," answered Bold, in a weak voice. "I don't know," replied the farmer, in gloomy and almost sulky tones; "but at any rate, I should feel greatly relieved if you left as soon as you could. I don't want any more sick strangers in my house. I have had trouble enough that way lately." "Of course, we'll leave at once," said Charley. " We've trespassed on you long enough already."

"Don't mention that," answered |the farmer. "I'm sorry I have to appear so inhospitable. But only four days ago a F>enchrnan, whom I never saw before, while coming along the road, bccamo suddenly ill. I was foolish enough to bring him here and send for a doctor. Ho died next night in terrible agonies in the very room you slept in ; and the elector said it was cholera. You may guess what a scare that was for me. Now I don't want to frighten you, but you have just the same look in your faces now as he had whon I took him in." " Good heavens !" exclaimed Bold, turning a shado greener than before. u I knew there was something frightful the matter with me." "You ruffian '" shouted Charley. " Why didn't you tell us that last night. Oh ! my goodness, "ho moaned, "I'm dying; I know lam." " Well, if you are, you're not going to do it here," cried the farmer, angrily; "I'm not going to have any more of that. Here, got into your cab, both of you. One of my men shall drive you homo." "You scoundrel!" began Bold, but ho was too weak to say moro, and, without making any opposition, ho allowed himself to bo put into tho cab. Charley, in a similar state, was soon besido him. Then a labourer mounted the box and drove them rapidly towards Dover. Every yard they went on their way to Dover they felt, or imagined they felt, worse, and, by the time they reached their lodgings, they M r ere almost unable to move. In fact, it required considerable exertion on the driver's part to get them out of the cab and into the house. Once they were there, the landlady was instructed to send immediately for a doctor. Before the doctor arrived, the postman knocked at the door with a letter for Charloy. When that youth saw by the post-mark that it came from Lilyburn, in spito of his illness, he tore it open and read it. " What a confounded old devil !" he exclaimed, in a tone so energetic, and so different from the one he had lately been speaking in, as to at once attract Bold's attention. "What is it, Charley?" moaned that sufferer. " Read that. Instead of our fooling him, he lias fooled us." Bold read the letter. It ran :—: — "My dear Charles,— l take the earliest opportunity of writing to thank you and your friend for the kindness and earnestness you both displayed in assisting me to escape from Dover. I trust the unfortunate accident did neither you nor tho cab much damage. I should be sorry if you wore put to any inconvenience or expense on my account.— Yours, 4c. Timothy Fox." " l\S.— Did the farmer tell you about the cholera-smitten Frenchman ? He should have, because I paid him to do co. And how did your supper agree with you ? T.F."