It was said he had gone back to his old drinking habits.
One fall Victoria Holland went to town to visit her married
sister. She took their only child with her. In her absence
Christopher kept house for himself.
It was a fall long remembered in Avonlea. With the dropping of
the leaves, and the shortening of the dreary days, the shadow of
a fear fell over the land. Charles Holland brought the fateful
news home one night.
"There's smallpox in Charlottetown--five or six cases. Came in
one of the vessels. There was a concert, and a sailor from one
of the ships was there, and took sick the next day."
This was alarming enough. Charlottetown was not so very far away
and considerable traffic went on between it and the north shore
districts.
When Caroline recounted the concert story to Christopher the next
morning his ruddy face turned quite pale. He opened his lips as
if to speak, then closed them again. They were sitting in the
kitchen; Caroline had run over to return some tea she had
borrowed, and, incidentally, to see what she could of Victoria's
housekeeping in her absence. Her eyes had been busy while her
tongue ran on, so she did not notice the man's pallor and
silence.
"How long does it take for smallpox to develop after one has been
exposed to it?" he asked abruptly, when Caroline rose to go.
"Ten to fourteen days, I calc'late," was her answer. "I must see
about having the girls vaccinated right off.
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