Алая чума
Chapter 4
“Thesituationwascritical. TheexplosionsofthepowdermagazineshadbrokenallthewindowsoftheChemistryBuilding,sothatwewereexposedtothegermsfromthecorpses. Thesanitarycommitteewascalledupontoact,anditrespondednobly. Twomenwererequiredtogooutandremovethecorpses,andthismeanttheprobablesacrificeoftheirownlives,for,havingperformedthetask,theywerenottobepermittedtoreenterthebuilding. Oneoftheprofessors,whowasabachelor,andoneoftheundergraduatesvolunteered. Theybadegood-byetousandwentforth.Theywereheroes. Theygaveuptheirlivesthatfourhundredothersmightlive. Aftertheyhadperformedtheirwork,theystoodforamoment,atadistance,lookingatuswistfully. Thentheywavedtheirhandsinfarewellandwentawayslowlyacrossthecampustowardtheburningcity.
“Andyetitwasalluseless. Thenextmorningthefirstoneofuswassmittenwiththeplague—alittlenurse-girlinthefamilyofProfessorStout. Itwasnotimeforweak-kneed,sentimentalpolicies. Onthechancethatshemightbetheonlyone,wethrustherforthfromthebuildingandcommandedhertobegone.
“Shewentawayslowlyacrossthecampus,wringingherhandsandcryingpitifully. Wefeltlikebrutes,butwhatwerewetodo? Therewerefourhundredofus,andindividualshadtobesacrificed.
“Inoneofthelaboratoriesthreefamilieshaddomiciledthemselves,andthatafternoonwefoundamongthemnolessthanfourcorpsesandsevencasesoftheplagueinallitsdifferentstages.
