The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1881-05-26
IN rms MIDST or srRIrE.

Looking up at tho illuminated face Of
thu great city olook. ono would have
soon that u was near midnight. And
the light rain, which had been falling
during the day aud most Of tho evon.
Ing, had now ccasod. tho clouds werc
hrcAking apart In ragged mAsses, and a
bright tual moon high In the Heavens
mado tho night wildly beautiful. In
truth, tho grim old bcll.rlngcr, solemn.
" smoking his pipo and watching all
from tho lookout towcr above tho
clock. could not remember any night
that had pleased his fancy moro. Below
lay tho grcAt city stretched out like q
map unrolled from tho glittcring wAtcr
of tho hArbor mllcs and miles away
toward tho dim hills ot tho country,
and bovStercd by tho tall mssts and
r!gwlng OF tho many ships ut tho docks.
Hero woro long stroets and avenues,
that tApcrod into tho distance, until
their rows Of gAs-lights appeared linked
togotheri and here and thoro were q
hundred little struots, lanes aud alloys,
many OF them 4 stlngulshablo only by
tho dark shadows their existence naadc
haiSSen tho crowded blocks. Az ono
point .S seothor high buildings loomed
up gloomily above tholr noighbors;
church -stecples, also, wsro conspicuous
tn every direction, and In two or threo
places towcrod hugo ohimneys Of work.
shops, emitting thoir smoke. Now aud
than che rumble OF heavy stages, tho
pulling OF small steamers In tho harbor,
az tho sound OF somo distant bell could
b heard. hN e
The old bsll.ringsr had watched Il oil
many and many . night; but, lying on
tho louugo, At an opposite window Of
the tower Yves boy, fifteen or sixteen
years old, who had never before looked
down on the weird. wonderful sight
IL glimmer and magnitude fascinated
az should like TO lie here In this
moonlight week, watching Il all. Mr..
Tsexlef," he said. Attor long silence.
AYE. lad. you might well wish
that" the old man returned. at
doesnst look Ike this always. Some
nights its dark and lonesome enough;
dark and lonesome. you know. II
ralna p'r'aps and tho wind blows. and
then there's fires breakin' out ovory
hour or 90. maybe. BY and by you'll
sen 70 different"
Il would DO pleasanter, though. what
ever u might turn out, Philip kempton
thought than the hard work he had
been employed At What he wanted
was chance to rest q little. and now
and then do a. no chose-the way boys
did who had fathers to provide for
thom, instead of always tending ma
chlnery In . noisy foundry. Up there
in the tower. keeping watch every
night for 6res with the kind old boil.
ringer. he meant to forget q great deal
that had happened In the two or three
years past. There would be an oppor-
tunity, too. Of i've or six hours every
day after he had slept to work little
on something he kept hid away q,
home-something no had begun one
night by the light Of the foundry fires,
and been perplexing himself with .
He stood up. . tall. slender boyr with
. pale face, and leaned against the side
Of the window. Mr.. Trexler, pushing
the tobacco into his pipe aud watching
him, w'shed that he was trihe mort
ruQged. His mother set sight BY
him. poor woman; and II anything
should happen to tho lad, it would X
hard with her. She and the boy haG
had hard time Of Il since they'd beer
living In the Same tenement with hi
family. Sometimes the lad was sick
then the mother herself; and about al
they had TO live on was what tho boy
could earn. Poor people had . hart
struggle to 1.-Two, anyhow, Mr.. Trexlel
thought, hunting for match and thei
going across 70 bis own lookout again
Sometimes Il seemed rs though every
body was a-crowding and pushing ans
lighting to get ahead, and the Who'll,
uity wss throbbiug below him. Twenty
years he had been looking on it-nov
In the daytime. now In the night
watching the people coming and going
coming and going.
He took hIs pipe out OF his moutl
with some dcliberation. leaned out o
the window, and scanned the distanot
. moment.
."Now, then. ladr' no said turning
round quickly. "Thcro II Is, away nj
there on tho east side, whore the sky 4
beginnlng TO reddon. Quick! Let N
sound tho alarm"
This was Philips initiation. and h,
tremblcd little with excitement ~ h,
helped TO lift tho long lever that strucl
the bell. Al first there was only th'
crimson glare In the sky; but q dark
massive cloud OF smoke soon rolled NJ
from tho spot and struggled away
leaving broad. leaping iiame In u
wake-a sight common enough 4
Philip before 40 had watched man.
more nights. just then, however, J
all made . vivid Impression; and wheI
he had gone home NJ daybrcak AM
fallen asleep, II went on repeating 10
sell over and over--the red sky. IN
smoke. tho flames, and tho loud o'ang
Ing boil. startling the deserted street
fer aud near
he was . sensitive, thoughtful boy
quick 10 psrssivs shs beautiful or tn