| Show ACROSS THE EIVER A sketch from life lifa to in a great areat city efell 1 mary 11 ary ann mulligan Mul lisan is it yer self sure Ws its a cure tor sore eyes to see ye yere rosier and fatter than ever ye were come right in let me take the things oil off this chair now sit ye ve down hows the good man and au all the childer all ali hat ha yere puffin and blowin liko a porpoise yere not the light footed gyura that used to ald skip up u p Rath fine hill in the good days IF maggie Majr gie bertelli it pooh it ud make inny wan blow to climb thim stairs how have you been for the last six eix months sinew since you came up to harlem to see us weve all been doin finely now take off your bonnet ind and shawl and ill pour ye out a cup 0 tay that im keepin warm for mary anikst she comes home from the cloak shop ill be de the child the visitor sorra bit rhems enough in the for half a dozen doze n a and nd sirs bertelli hurried to the stove on her hospitable mission while sirs mrs mulligan took off her bonnet and shawl smoothed out ont the creases in the kerchief that covered her ample shoulders an and d surveyed the tidy apartment with an experienced housewives critical eye maggie laggie she remarked to her hostess its abeyant me to know how you can live down dow here in a double docker decker in sullivan str street bot among all the dagda ridout manin offense to your good mat man you might just as well wel bo be livin up in harlem among your own kind where you could get a breath of fresh air now and again willmary Well Mary anayo see sea tonys work is down hero here and mamie sews BOWS over ov er in a broadway broad tray cloak house hause and its con coa for thim the neighbors is quiet harmless folks and 1 I not knowin the their talk havo have little to daril do md hot and mrs berkilli Ber tilli put the cup cu p of tay on the ta blein front of her an guest er L you might a gone burder and fared worse than harryw tony said mrs mulligan as aa she sipped the beverage but in these barracks crowded with furriness fur of all kinds you run a risk i of ea catchin tellin some kind 0 sickness thu for ye there was two min mill an a babe sick wid smallpox taken I 1 out 0 tho the big tin ement next door ony a couple 0 W weeks ago replied the hostess look LOo lr at that bowl sure Ws its the dirt of the maythena hay thena with their rooms turned into rag shops mrs Bertelli Bertell Ps 8 information about the sickness seemed to have disturbed her h er friend for utter after a moments silence she said in a sli hushed voice q 1 hope you yau have bave no smallpox mall POX in this house buse 1 me I little ti tim aint aidt as hardy as he ha might bc ba and I 1 want to carry the dai home to hirn make yer mind mina easy 11 replied mrs bertelli Bertel lL theres none av it here I 1 hear bear me daughter camies step on OIL tho stairs wait till tillye ye see what a fine fin big gyura ashes grown good aveni to Y ye e miss cried mrs bertelli as the girl eirl entered ID do 6 ye see chos here me old friend mrs mulligan from har harlem lem and the mother beeam beamed ed p proudly on the tall pretty young woman who kissed her ber and gave welcome to her mothers friend arrah Ar rali mamie Nl amle I 1 know you if I 1 met you on the street exclaimed sirs mulligan youve grown so tall and hansome youve got your fathers big black beyea ard and curly raven locks and the beautiful rosy ros y cheeks your mother brought wid her from the dart ashes rosier than usual this avan ini in said mrs B bei artilli er tilli aint ye fedelin well why yer hand band is barnin im not very well tonight to night mammy ive had a headache all day lou lon I 1 give her a hot blot cup 0 T aa ann do her good thim cloak shops shop is so crowded and stif liu 1 they do gil give r e the gir girla 13 the headache ev dache to be in th thim i m all day said the girls mother 1 I 1 eat or in mammy ammy ill rest awhile on the bed ill see sea you again before you leave mrs M mulligan ulli and mamie passed into the bedroom iva its a fever she has bas maggie whispered mrs mm mulli malligan an and as soon as aa tony comes in beather tor for the doelbor doc thor now I 1 Vs ita gettin late she continued thinking about little tim who gasn wasn as hardy ashe as he might be and the possibilities of camies fe fever ver pro proving ving contagious Ws its gettin late and I 1 have chave a long journey afore me a so 0 ill bo be goin be sure fure now r lan and a come coma I 1 up and see us soon yeve taken the heart out 0 01 me e mary ann wid yer talk about fa aver e I 1 that gemis the apple 0 me eye an it if inny thing was to happen to her god help me I 1 dont know become ome 0 me an her father poor man his heart SW an souls wrapped up in her there never was a beather young woman or a beather daughter why she the best part of her nia lits that sick baby next dure just juat to give its mother a chance to get soma rest and now the good natured ayea were dimmed with tears cheer up maggie the be all right in the mornin now goodby good by to you and come up and see BOB us soon goodby good by good luck toye to ye ye always aldaya had the che erin word for a sorrowing sor rowin heart mary ann and mrs bertelli lhoir lamp from the table and lighted the way to the long staircase when the sound of her visitors footsteps had bad died away downstairs she hurried into the little bedroom and was terrified by the girls appearance ma mies eyes were sparkling spar kline and her face was waa flushed with fever IO 10 0 O mammy mammy im so sick so rick she moaned as her mother en ter edthe room roeln VI fl must musi gei one 0 the neighbors to bax go for dr mcardle wont V on ye take a sup 0 tay me darlina dar lint or cant I 1 do so methin ter ye ill lay a could cloth on yer forehead its bernin 11 As the mother hurried to the sink to wet a towel she heard the tramping of many feet on the stairs stain below and then a loud rapping a at the doors of the apartments of the four families miliea fa on each floor As she was returning to her daughters bedside the footsteps came cama nearer there seemed to bo be at least half a dozer dozen men in the party rat tat catl they were at mrs bertaglia Ber tallia own door now chos there she asked with some little perturbation board of health inspectors ins came t the be prompt answer open the dohrl she turned the bey in n the lock the door wis was flung flun open and a stala Bt alwart art member of the sanitary squad stepped into the room followed by a tall kind ly faced man enveloped in an ari ulster after him came others until the small room was as crowded with men anybody sick here asked the nan inan in the ulster me daughter sir air faltered mrs bartelli let us have bate h 1 look at her where la 13 sher ebe mra mm berteli Bertel lf pointed to the little bod bed room it P eau lell LU ment maut the man in the clater star 9 A afew few moments of r alence in the da darkness rk and then the black figure of the ahe tall man mf n was outlined in the doorway against th the a lamplight ir dr raymond be cried cri ed in authoritative ri dative tones tonea theres a well developed case here bere send out V a call for the wagon officer let no one except our party come in or go out of this room until it has been fumigated at me havo have some vaccine points what jr i bertelli terror stricken your daughter has haa malignant smallpox answered the tha mau man in tho tha ulster who was the chief inspector and we are about to remove her to the hospital on north brother island ohl obi sir don dont take her away fro from M meshes all I 1 have in the world to love me joy me pride I 1 U ye take her from me shell die in tha ohl oh ray my stand aside now my good woman well take tahe good care of her you imperil the health ot of the two hundred people in this houses would you day after day regardless regard leaa of pouring rain driving snow or frosty blast an irishwoman followed bya by a short but brawny italian entered an office iu in the health department building and stood said aside i e until the last person had been attended to by the tha clerk or until the kind kindhearted hearted policeman detailed to the tha place had approached and naked cbs tbs couple their business then thena with ith sorrowful voice the woman would say we had a little genrl sir air who was sick and they took tok her aw away ay from us ua and an d sint int her across the river debbe sir air yeve got some word from her today debbe Y ye e could find out for us I 1 jow how shea gettin along what was the trouble smallpox sir huml hospital for contagious Jis diseases eases north brother bame 4 mary bertella Bertel lL 11 11 0 i n no no word today to day thank you air no word 4 tony and they would w walk alay away in the hurry an and d bustle of ft great cites charitable bureau there is but little time to answer tho the simple inquiries of simple abuls and no doctors bulletins arc 0 received from fro the at great it island hospitals hospital recording tb the condition of the thousands of humble sufferers but there was a look of dumb patient grief on the faces and attitudes of the tha bertelli that touched the tha bearta of tho the clerk and the policeman one bleak day th the lupu WAS aured red and an d in answer to the tha emans questions the clork clerk senor finger ru running ruing ing dom down I 1 the page ol of his register reg lter stopped suddenly midway and the he said aid in 0 low tone ilum flum the th little girl f across the river ilia his to tone was not low enough to escape an anxious mothers ear she clasped her hands the tears of joy ran down her cheeks and rhe aha sobbed az god be praised do you hear tony our little genrl is coming homo you dont understand my poor woman said the hi big policeman tin in a husky voice toned to a whisper your little girl lias has gone home gone across the river to a horrie home where theres no more sickness or trouble quick tom hand me a glass of water the poor I 1 3 souls fainted god help her william harper bennett bannett in Mun seya magazine |
