The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1880-09-02

aGH
Il hope you will, said Mary; "for / |
40 not Ike your present vocation as you |
know"
Il know you are not partial TO IL, and /
/ must confess that it has Objectionable 4
features to me; but 10 pays we'll, and / I
manage 10 have some leisure time for /
study. Besides, 10 is an excellent drill /
in oratoTy. You ought 10 hear me ar
que case With an obdurate bidder. /
just fancy he is q jurymsn, and that the |
success OF my case depends upon his I
purchasing the goods; aud the way ] /
pile up the evidence before him Is ap
palling."
''Tm afraid you are naughty boy"
said his sister, fonaly; "but If / ever
he0r OF your swindliug any customers,
you may rest assured you wili hear from
me-"
"It is getting dark" said Norton,
"and have TO make some preparation
for my departure tomorrow so good
bye. / will write more frequently in
future"
Mary stood watching from the win
dow, and as his manly form disap
peared IN the gathering dusk, her eye-
filled with tears Of pride.
"How noble he il - she said. "He is
the very prince OF brothers"
Nortoni meanwhile, was thinking Of
hei. They were orphans, and she had
That unbounded faith ia his strong, in
dependent nature which An afiectiOuste
child feels ia iis father He had noticed
how her cheek flushed at the name Of
Walter Thrope. "Wslter is an excel
lent fellow" he thought q know OF no
one / should prefer 10 him for a brother
in-law.n
His thoughts were Interrupted by an
alarm Of fire. He fell in with the
crowd that always springs, like magic.
into life at that dread cry, aud soon
reached the burning building. IL was
one Of those wooden tenement houses,
and the fire bad maize such headway be-
fore 10 was observed that the building
was already reduced to a shell.
There is some one in that third-story
window" shouted a man, and Instantly
the gaze of the crowd was fixed upon
/ the form of little girl that leaned far
out in the vain seach for some means Of
escape. a ladder was hastily placed
/ against the wall, bat 10 was several feet
/ too short
drop from the window" they cried /;
but the bewildered child could not com
prehend.
"a man could stand on the topmosi
round and reach herr said one
"Too late,n was the reply. THAT
wall could not support a mans weight" +"
Nortou's lips raied, aud his heart
/ grew sick, as he saw the wretcbed child
! thus left 10 its fate.
"Wbat il Mary should some dag be
deserted iu this way in he thought
"Oh, / cannot see her die without max
ing an effort to save her"
f.f fsr g. Ts. H.a
he iaried up the ladder Half way up.
he heard a warning crack, aud, ere he
could reirace his steps. the wall and
I part of the roof fell, aud he was buried
/ ia the ruins. The child. being higher
Z up than be was, fell directly ia the cen
ter of the flames and persisted. The
| liremen, who had just arrived, managed
20 fight their way to where Norton lay,
aud dragged him b the street.
He is dead" said one
"No, be has only fainted.n
"Sisud back and give him air." said
another, pressing forward as closely as
possible.
No one was able to Identify him, and
so his crippled and seuseless form was
eaIted of TO the city hospital.
Little girl, is this Fifteenth slreet?"
Tie child screamed iu terror, aud ran
/ across vacant lot. The man staggered
| against a lamp post and groaned:
go God, s IN / then 50 hideous?'
Ten years had pissed since Norton
Charming came out Of that city hospital
] cruelty deformei by that terrible fall
I into the fire. Daring all these long
years lac had lived the life Of a vaga-
bond. His one aim had been to keep
| from his sister the knowledge Of his
misfortune. he had cOntrived to keep
track Of her without exciting suspicion.
He knew that she was married to Wsl-
/ ter Thorpe three years after the night of
/ the fire, aud that she was now living on
Fifteenth street His eyes had been
dimmed in the flames, aud be could
/ see distinctly but a short distance. Yet
/ be had a vague hope that lie might
I look upon bis sisters face once more
without her recognizing him. \ hot
/ fever was burning in his veins, and be
/ felt that he was sick unto death.
"Marv mustn't know" he muttered,
/ fsebly sit would make her unhappy to
/ hear Of my misery. Better she should
think me dead, as / soon shall be. No /;
| Mary mustn't know"
As ne staggered on he came to the
/ gate which the child he had addressed
/ had left open, as she ran through 10 to
| the house. She was now in the arms Of
/ her mother, who had been attracted to
| the door by her screams, aud was now
/ giving an excitable narration OF her
escape from a drunken mau.
There be is now, mamma"
Norton Claiming supported himself
against the fence, aud turned his dis
/ figured cauntenance toward the mother
and her child.
81 would not harm you, little one,
for all the world,n be said, brOkeuly.
The mothers cheek paled at the souud
Of that deep voice, and she said, huskily:
"Who are you, sir?"
! II WAS his sisters voice, and great
fear took hold upon him.
"She mustn't know. Mary mustn't
know"
He made an effort to move away
I from the fence, but his legs tOttered
under him, and he fell senseless 70 the
pavement. They carried him tenderly
| into the house, aud summoned pbysi-
clan.
"He cannot live" was the verdict
! 'tHis constitution was shattered by an
accident ten years ago this evening. /
remember distinctly; Il was the first
surgical examination / attended after
/ beginning the study Of medicine. /
have often seen him wandering about
l the streets since. / wonder that be has
survived so long; he must have often
suffered from hunger"
"Walter, it must be Norton said
Mary, trembling violently; sit is just
ten years ago that be left me so myste-
riously. He must have been that un-
known man we saw mentioned in the
papers as having been injured while
trying to save an inmate Of burning