Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1872-11-21
O., THURSDAY, Nov. q, 1872.

all to each other in this hour of trial
How peacefully she seemed to sleeI
now, needless of the bright glare of the
Tapping flames without, ... ...
Relentless waves of fire, famed ant
urged on by the mad wind, chased thu
flying footsteps of the half-frantic mul
titude crowding street and alley, ant
neared with appalling rapidity the
waiting-room, in which little bands O.
weary fugitives were now constantly
taking refuge. Our friends in the door
way searched the street, up and down
as far as they could see, for the convey
ance they had engaged to call for them
here, and the quick thanksgiving that
escaped the lips of the gentlemen as
they described it slowly making its way
toward them, gave evidence of their
great anxiety. But now sorrow faced
them that through all the terrors Of the
night they at least had been spared. 1t
became evident that they must separate.
The carriage would hold only those who
were absolutely unable to walk; the
others must join the crowd ,and eDdeav-
or to find shelter farther on. At this
moment, neutrality-suspicious. the an
guish of parting and the uncertainty of
meeting again-recalled to their minds
the isolated stranger on the couch. Mrs.
Thurston, the lady who had bent over
her once before that morning, compass
sionating and wondering at her lOneli-
ness, stepped hastily back and bent over
her again. What an indescribable look
of rest and peace had come over her
poor, frightened face. How smooth
now the forehead that had been so drawn
with pain and underlined fear! How
sweet and unbroken the sleep! Sud-
denly the lady drew back from the
couch,- ,-.and seized the arm of her hus-
band who stood at her side. Her eyes
looked wild and scared, and her whiten-
ing lips gasped, 81 can not see her
breathe. She can not be dead-nOt
dead,"
Mr.. Thurston bent hastily down over
the unknown sleeper,an took herhand.
He, too, drew quickly back, a shade pa
Ter than before. The fingers he touch
ed were cold clay; the lovely face he
looked into, white marble! All! how
near to them death had come, and they
had not even heard his tread! l-l.
The calmness of half hour ago had
given place to the widest confusion.
With faces alive with CONSERVATION, our
friends watched the despairing, terror
stricken, maddened crowd surging past
and around them, and hurried their
own preparations for departure. A part
of them were .already seated in the
carriage impatiently waiting the others,
who still stood in the waiting-room con-
sidering ways and means for the re-
moval of the unknown dead. Express
men were hurrying here and there, but
none of them could be persuaded to
take charge of the lifeless body upon
the couch. The gentlemen had ex-
hausted upon them all their powers of
eloquence, and stood hopelessly looking
at the immovable, but strangely at
tractive, face of the unconscious sleep
er. The fire was now close upon them.
Strange voices warned them of the
danger of further delay, while their
friends in the carriage excitedly urged
upon them the necessity of instant
flight. Mrs. Thurston wrung her hands
in a sort OF despairing frenzy, and COM
menced pleading again with an express
man who stood near. The man listen
ed not unkindly, but expostulated:
"She is dead, stone dead, poor thing,
and there are so many living to save"
"Oh!' wept the lady beside herself
with grief and terror, "think, think if
it was your sister, your wife!"
The rough listener drew his coarse
coat-sleeve a cross his wet eyes, and in
a broken voice, faltered: "I'll carry
her away, I'll see that she is buried"
He mOtioned companion to his side, |
and they tenderly lifted the slight form
and placed it reverently in the back |
part of their wagon. Kind hands had
smoothed the bed of straw, and a gen.
tleman drew off his coat and covered |
the beautiful sleeper.
The express-wagon, with its uncon-
scious freight passed on; the swaying
crowd, with all its confusion, tumult
and uproar closed round it, while great |
whirls of flame circled in the air, cast
ing wierd, unearthly light over the
strange funeral procession.
Months have passed away, but that |
sudden, sorrowful death in the station
room still follows those who witnessed |
il, like haunting spirit. Among the
many inquiries concerning the missing,
since the great fire, none have seemed
to point to the strange lady who met
Death here single-handed, and yielded |
to him without struggle. Can it be,
that in the very heart of this stirring
city-life, she stood so utterly alone that
no question has arisen with regard to
her fate? A home and tender friends,
somewhere, sometime, she must have
known. Neglect could never have
nodded Il face so winning; she could
have been no stranger to the sympathy |
which her wistfnl eyes implored. Per-
haps, far out in the green country, be-
yond the fret and fever of her every
day life, there is some dear spot she
called home, some place her little saw
ings helped to brighten and adOrn, some
place, with the blue sky above, and
green trees and grass around it, where
she spent her short "vacations" and
drew in the strength and hope, and faith
necessary to carry her through the
weary labor, the lonely days and nights
that must follow.
Where did the expressman make her
grave? Has any one dear to her found
it out and planted upon it the flowers
she loved? Or is it somewhere on the
wide prairie unmarked and untended?
So long a time has now elapsed since
she::shut her eyes on the sickening un-
certainties of that terrible morning,
that it is hardly reasonable to suppose
the mystery of her lonely death and
unknown burial-place will ever be made
clear i'm this life. But in the eternity
which we are all approaching-in the