Rush said that yellow fever was spreading through the city, she told him. Rowley examined Lucille and said it wasn’t yellow fever, just a normal autumnal fever. His hands and face were grimy, and he smelled like booze. The real doctors were all down at the waterfront, where Eliza heard bodies were piling up like wood. Rowley did have some medical knowledge and offered to help. Rowley, and Grandpa told him about Lucille’s condition. When the day was finally over, only Grandpa and another man remained.

Matilda spilled coffee and tea everywhere, Eliza lost focus and burned food, and the patrons were tense and rowdy. Instead, she told Matilda to take care of things downstairs while she rested. Matilda waited for her to jump up and start ordering everyone around, but she didn’t. A good rest should do the trick, but Matilda wasn’t so sure. Grandpa assured the ladies that Lucille had merely passed out from the heat and exhaustion. He and Matilda carried her inside and up to the bedroom. Matilda’s life was about to change in ways she never could have imagined. She ran toward the man, arriving just as he dumped a woman’s body on the sidewalk. But when the man stopped in front of the coffeehouse, Matilda felt her throat tighten. Grandpa was livid that this man was carting bodies in the good part of town during the day. Suddenly, going to the Ludington’s didn’t seem like such a bad idea.Ī dirty man pushed a wheelbarrow past them on the sidewalk. She counted the number of days until the first frost, which would destroy the fever: 28 at the minimum. Matilda and Grandpa walked silently back home. Keep reading to learn about Lucille Cook’s battle with yellow fever and how it changed Matilda’s life. When it seemed like Lucille might die from the disease, she forced Matilda to leave to protect her from getting infected as well. For a while, Matilda tried to care for Lucille but she deteriorated quickly. In Fever 1793, Matilda’s mother, Lucille Cook, got yellow fever.

What happened when Lucille Cook contracted yellow fever? What were her symptoms? How did this affect Matilda’s life? Like this article? Sign up for a free trial here. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading. This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to 'Fever 1793' by Laurie Halse Anderson.

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