Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1888-03-26
The Story of Margaret of
New Orleans.
ST wonder if If idealizes her ?"

famous woman, Margaret of New
Orleans, and. after the manner of
strangers, conjecture on what we for
the first time see.
ssNot at all, voice answers in
the soft southern tonsue. ''It looks
just like her,
ssAh, thank you. You live here?'
81 was born here; this is my
home"
"You were here during the war,
and yellow fever, and everything ?and
was Ben Butler so dreadful? and
have you seen Cable?''
A nod answers each one of my
young companion S impetuous queries.
elbow delightful !'' concludes my
friend but the lady shakes her head,
taps her fan lightly on the girls soft
cheek and says, musingly: ''1t did
not seem as if / would live through
it, but I have, and now comes one
who calls my trials delightful How
cruel p
"Ah, pardon. But l was thinking
of that charming man who wrote the
delicious Madame Delphine. | was
thinking how perfectly lovely it must
be to live here and know him-and
then to have lived in city that has
had such history, it is so romantic.
And can you tell US anything about
Margaret?''
"This little space Margaret
Place. it is called-is a pleasant
spot to rest in %
With this invitation, given more in
looks than in words, we seated our
selves near our new acquaintance on
the settees in the little park. The
perfume of March roses overhangs
the city; we forget in its delicious
ness the signs of decay that in por-
tions of the quaint old town impart a
pensive melancholy to its beauty.
Near by us, in the green grass, is a
pool set about with a low border of
cactus, mimic fort, with all its bris-
Ting thorn-guns out, and its blossom
flags flying from the ramparts, which
are guarding with such tierceness
only a lazy fleet of water lilies, under
the shade of which there is a whirl of
goldfish. A stone foot bridge cross
es the pool and spans the river of
cacti. The park is a well-kept, re-
freshing, simple setting for the statue
itself.
"She was working ng-woman-
servant here. When l first remem-
Der her / was living near here, and
she was taking care of the COWS in
stable that stood almost on the very
spot where her statue stands now.
She was working then for the sisters
of the asylum. She fed and MIXED
their COWS, and sold milk in cart
about the city. She was strange
looking persen-remarkable in her
appearance. / think, now as re-
call her, she had a broad forehead,
serious eyes, pleasant, broad smile,
rather short, stout figure. / do not
suppose she ever in her life wore any
dress better than a Guinea blue cali
CO; she always wore heavy shoes and
| a black straw bonnet trimmed with
neat band of black over the top.
From my residence l could see her
many times day while she was at
her stable work or coming back and
| forth with her milk-cans.
What was her name? Her name
was Margaret Hauggery she had
| been married, and was at that time
a widow. Her husband and little
child died just after she came to New
Orleans, so we learned after she be-
came famous. She was alone and
poor, in a strange country and went
to work in the stables for her living.
Somehow everybody liked Margaret;
her smile was sweet and her words
shrewd.
After some years Margaret had
saved enough to buy bit of ground
that had on it a small bakery. The
place sold for a trife but now Mar
garet was in royal trina land-own-
er and a manufacturer-for she open
ed the shop and began bread and
pie-making for her neighbors. Pres
emily there was large bakery built ;
soon bread-carts were running over
the city bearing the words, 'Margar-
cts Bakery 1t became the fashion
to buy at Margaret's place. During
war, pestilence and disaster Margar-
cts fires were never out, and the de-
licious rolls kept up their weight and
quality, no matter what else in life
failed. Then she began running her
free bread carts during the fever pan
ic. No one went hungry who was
within the sound of her cart-wheels.
From that time no one need go hun
CRY in New Orleans-those too poor
to buy were given a loaf fresh and
white as the best, and it was given
heartily, with a God bring thee bet
ter times There was no distinction
in Margaret's favors. She gave to
white and black, of any church or
none. Are you hungry that is all
that was necessary. Here is bread
take it with Gods blessing During
the yellow fever panic Margaret be-
gan her noble work Of taking the
children from the homes of death and
putting them into house under good
; care, supporting them herself in every
narticular Soon the one aSVlum