Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1885-08-03


rested peacefully in the illusion on
which he constantly dwelt; so that
except for the poverty of his attire
and his pitiable, malady he might
have passed for the happiest of NOR
tails. With the memories of Louvan
he associated the snatches of poetry
he was wont to mutter to himself,
while at the same time the verses he
often quoted from SIN Memorian"
left query in the listeners mind
whether or not he realized that he
was no longer sane. Does a merci-
full God in pity for the horror-struck
grant them the nepenthe of mild in
sanity to save them from life of
pain?
Society soon forgot the brilliant
and accomplished young man whose
future had been so fattering; indeed
the sad fate of the lovely Louvan oc-
cupied the public thought and tongue
longer than did the memory of him
who lived wreck, while she passed
to what was probably painless
death. Those who had professed to
be his friends soon died, and there
were none to recognize in the rag
ged pauper him who was once the
pride of the village. For so many
dollars a year Uncle Ben cared for
him enough to see that he had fair
allowance of coarse food. did not 90
naked, and was brought back when
he ran away. But farther than this
no one noticed poor Hugh, whose
name and place was blotted out of
the social annals of the town quite
as really as though he had shared
the fate of his adored lady-love. To
Uncle Ben he was not of as much
account even, as pair of ''likely
steers he was raising for the mark
ct, since Hugh represented no pecu-
mary value, and cost the town more
than he earned. In fact, there is no
creature more absolutely worthless
from every material point of view
than an insane pauper. Society nev-
er thinks of him except to shun him,
nobody recognizes HIM, and the pray
ers of the sanctuary, which ascend
for every other class and condition of
men never commend him to the mer-
cy of the All-Fa.her.
Year after year heightened the bill
of costs in Hugh Danielson's appar-
emily useless life, and his grotesque
wanderings about the village streets
became too common to attract the
notice of any but strangers; the busy
world moved on to new achievements
and new ideas, while he remained sta
tionary, never quite able to clear his
mental atmosphere of mist but his
day came at length.
There was single factory in the
place, in the three stories of which
men, women and children tolled for
daily bread and made a rude shoe,
called russell for the southern
trade. The upper floor was occupied
exclusively by women who did the
stitching and earned barely enough
by their labor to keep soul and body
together, while the firm that employ
ed them derived a handsome profit
from the sale of the goods.
One bright June morning shortly
after the thrifty farmers had gone to
their fields and the operatives in the
shoe factory were sitting at their
benches, fire broke out in the base
ment of the building, and before the
scattered citizens could rally with
their buckets to put it out, the flames
had gained such headway that the
case was hopeless. The single stair
way leading to the upper floors IN
stantly filled with smoke and flame,
so that a number of women, who
had neglected to fly at the first alarm,
were cut off from the only safe means
Of escape.
Amid the confusion their cries for |
help were unheard and no one seemed |
to think of them until the flames
bursting through the windows on all
sides made it dangerous to 60 near
The burning buildings. The scared
were driven to one end of the
shop by the advancing fiend, where
hey hoveled about the open win
lows and screamed wildly to the
crowd below. At length their peril
vas discovered, and few Of the
,oldest men raised long ladder,
md at the risk of a scorching, placed
t against the wall but it was too
'hort to reach the window, and the
helpless women could not descend
lpon it without assistance.
"Who will mount the LADDER"
Isked one of the proprietors.
The men looked at each other and
hen at the danger before them, but
10 one responded.
81 will give hundred dollars for
ach woman saved" cried the pro-
'rietor, taking in the desperate situa-
ion, Twill you not go?"
But none offered and every one
TODD aghast, while the frail ladder
7as wreathed in smoke, and now and
hen tongue of angry flame leaped
nd Tapped about it.
'.Don't jump, girls p shouted the
mployer. 'sWon't some one mount
nat ladder?"
just then form passed almost
nheeded, dashed into the cloud of
moko ond ,,rooon+l~, baa1 oo~