Eric Flint: Grantville Gazette Volume XI

"Immunization using smallpox isn't dangerous if it is done properly, Frau Underwood," Balthasar Abrabanel answered. "I immunized my daughter using the dust from a dried smallpox pustule with no ill effect. You are basing your fears on the abysmal techniques western medical doctors used." Balthasar shook his head in disgust. "Cutting into the arm and smearing the live virus into the wound. What do they expect but that the patients will die?"

"And anyway, Hope, we need a sample of cowpox before we can make a vaccine, and we haven't been able to find any. That's the only reason we're even thinking of using deactivated smallpox," Jeff said.

"What? But there are cows everywhere."

"Yes, there are cows everywhere, but that doesn't necessarily mean cowpox is everywhere. Les Blocker has had feelers out as far as Magdeburg, Leipzig, Nurnberg and Erfurt, but he hasn't heard a whisper of cowpox."

"Didn't Jenner use cowpox for his vaccinations? It must be around."

Jeff gave Hope a wry smile. "There's some question as to what Dr. Edward Jenner actually used. There's even some suggestion he used smallpox. Whatever it was he used, he was in England. Just as being an island protected England from rabies, it's possible that being an island stopped the spread of cowpox to the continent."

"That means we have to send someone to England to get some infected cows, then," Hope said.

"Maybe, but we can't afford to send anybody just yet. Anyway, horsepox should be a viable alternative, and Les is pretty sure there's horsepox on the continent. It's just a matter of finding an infected animal."

"And until that animal is found, we variolate using deactivated smallpox virus," Balthasar said.

Jeff nodded. "Right. We variolate until we can vaccinate with cow- or horse-pox."

Quarantine House Alpha

The house was on the very edge of the town, an older house, occupied by only half a dozen down-timers, though how they managed to rent such a desirable property Georg Lenkert had no idea. He was sharing a much smaller place with a dozen other guys, and even that stretched his budget.

Georg noted the gas and water meter readings, leaving just the electricity meter to go. Before the Ring of Fire it would have been accessible from outside the house, but like so many houses in Grantville, the owners of this one had enclosed the porch to give more living space. Georg knew where the key was kept, but it was good customer relations to check if someone was home first. And besides, if he was lucky, the Girl would answer the door.

The door opened at his knock to reveal… the wrong girl. Georg managed to hide his disappointment. Maybe the right girl was inside. Clipboard in hand, he tapped the official badge of the utility company he wore. "Meter man, Fraulein. I wish to read the electricity meter."

Lise Gebauer smiled and stepped back from the door. "Sure. You know where it is?"

Georg nodded and made his way to the meter, then finished preparing the invoice. The note on the invoice said that this establishment was authorized to pay by check, so he went in search of someone to give the invoice to.

His dream girl was sitting on the sofa in the lounge with a monster of a cat in her lap having its ears gently rubbed. " Lucky cat," Georg muttered.

He waved the invoice. "Fraulein, I have finished. Do you wish to pay now?"

Katharina Schrey called over her shoulder toward the back of the house. "Hans, meter man. Could you bring the check book?" She turned back to Georg. "He shouldn't be long."

Georg moved closer. She was making a fuss over the cat, so he decided to do the same. He knelt beside her and held out his hand for the cat to sniff. After a moment, the cat started to rub his head against the hand.

Georg smiled shyly and rubbed the cat's ears, his fingers daringly close to Katharina's. "He's a fine looking cat. Does he have a name?"

"The girls call the fleabag Trojan. And if you've seen the kittens Frau Patton's prize Siamese had last month, you understand why."

Georg turned at the new voice. He'd been so intent on Katharina that he hadn't heard the man and woman enter. He passed the prepared invoice to the man. "I've seen the kittens. Frau Patton is not very happy. But what do kittens have to do with the cat's name?"

Lise gave Georg a sympathetic smile. "Ignore Hans. That's his idea of a joke. Dr. Ellis suggested the name." She grinned. "He called him a Trojan horse. You see, the fleas came into the house on Trojan, just like… "

"The Greeks in Virgil's Aeneid. When they gained entry to the city of Troy in a wooden horse." Georg finished.

"Yes, like that. And they infested Katharina's bed… " Lise turned to her friend. "I told you not to let him sleep with you."

I should be so lucky.Georg felt Katharina looking at him. For a moment he thought he'd spoken out loud.

"You've read Virgil?"

Georg let out a quiet sigh of relief. She couldn't have heard him if she could ask a question like that. Not with that hint of excitement in her voice. He returned to petting Trojan to hide his blushes. He hadn't actually read Virgil. His Latin teacher had assigned him the task of translating the poem. He'd considered it a complete waste of time, as undoubtedly, the poem had been translated hundreds of times before, by better scholars than him. And he'd been right. For a price he'd obtained another student's translation, which he'd carefully copied, making several deliberate mistakes so as not to make his teacher suspicious. But if his dream girl was impressed by scholarship… "It was a long time ago. My Latin teacher insisted that I translate Aeneid. I didn't do a very good job, but I could follow the story."

"Poor, Katharina. For a moment there, I bet you thought you'd found a fellow scholar." Lise smiled. "Katharina also reads Greek"

Georg glanced at Katharina. She was flushed, probably embarrassed by her friend singing her praises. With a sigh, he stood up. He still had half a dozen properties with meters he had to read today and it was past time he was gone. He traded a receipt for a check from Hans before making his way to the door. "It has been a pleasure meeting all of you. Until next month."

Once out of sight of the house he stopped. So, her name is Katharina, and she is educated. Maybe he should see about taking some classes.

Katharina looked up at the smiling faces of her friends. "Did he really say what I think he said?"

Hans nodded. "He's smitten. Jealous of a cat. And the fleabag, at that."

Katharina reached a hand up to the right side of her face. The side the meter man had been looking at all the time. "He didn't notice my face."

"You make too much of the pox scars."

Katharina looked at the unblemished face of her friend. "That's easy for you to say, with your perfect skin. You didn't see the looks on people's faces when I stopped using the face paint."

"But this guy, this… " Lise looked at Katharina expectantly.

"Georg Ludwig Lenkert." Katharina answered.

Lise's eyes brightened. "You know his name. So you are interested."

"I read the name on his identification card, Lise."

Lise turned to Hans. "I think she's protesting too much. What do you think?"

"I think it is none of my business." Hans grinned. "But he didn't seem to mind looking at your face."

"Hans is right, Katharina. You had no trouble going out without face paint until those kids started making fun of you. Maybe it's just an up-timer thing. Have you noticed how perfect their skin tends to be?"

Katharina slumped into the sofa. "That's because they didn't have smallpox up-time." She gently fingered the scars. "Georg really didn't seem to mind them, did he?"

"It was as if they didn't exist," Lise confirmed. "Now all you have to do is arrange to meet him more than once a month."