WHAT THE MICROBE SAID.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1820, 5 August 1913, Page 5

WHAT THE MICROBE SAID.

• PHANTASY & REALISM. [By "Thue Enough."] It was,a bloak, windy day, and a copy of some newspaper had got caught against tho railings around tho Basin Deserve. Presently something lighted on the paper. You-couldn't seo it with the naked eye, but it was there; it was a young smallpox microbe. Now that microbe was very worried, and ho wanted to hide himself and die. lie had travelled in a train from tho station that morning, expecting to do a good business. But everywhere he sat ho saw people nuirsing their arms, and ho knew at once that his dread enemy, vaccine, was in full blAst. So he had como to tho Basin Reserve to die, for lie was a very young and inexperienced microbe. It wasn't his fault that he had suicidal tendencies., Ho had started in life to make quite a namo for himself, buit the "score" had been ahead of him, and he found it very hard to get on. Presently ho turned. to seek a quieter spot on tho newspaper—away from tlio cablo page. In his then state of mind ho wanted something restful, and intended seeking out tho Parliamentary reports. But as ho turned, his oyo lighted on ono piece of news. Ilis headacho and heartacho vanished. He laughed, and laughed again, for there, staring at him in black and white, were the words: "There has been a steady falling-olf in the number daily applying for vaccination in tho city."

Ho was so pleased. Ho felt renewed life in his veins, and mas for making off citywards at once to seek out those linvaccinated.victims ho now felt were waiting for him. Buit as ho was going an old microbe dropped oil the paper. lie looked slightly worried, but not downhearted. "Oh, havon't you hoard tho good news?" shouted tho young microbe.

"No. What is it?" "Why, tho peoplo havo stopped being vaccinated."

"I expected it," said tho older microbe, but nevertheless ho heaved a sigh of relief. Now that ho knew the searo was over, he admitted to himself that ho had boon slightly worried at tho persistent manner in which vaccination had' been carried out.

"Well, coma on," cried tho young microbo; "kt'a go and soolc out somo victims."

But tho old microbe was wary. TTo restrained tins impetuous youth. "No, wo will stop hero for a -week, or a month, or <v year," ho sa.id, "and let the public get quite over thoir fright." Ho know what ho was speaking about. did this old microbe. ITo had survived from a previous outbreak of smallpox; ami, in fact, had helped to start tho prosent ono. "Womust wait," ho raid again.

"But," said, the young microbe, again reading from tho newspaper, "tho reporter states 'until the Health Department certifies tint tho disease has lieen thoroughly stamped out tho danger may bo presumed to exist/ "

"The public will pooh forget that if no further cases aro roportod for a month or two," replied tho older. "Wo must stop these newsixipcr follows from writing about us."

Thf younger ngrood, and tho two crept wider a stone to wait.