The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1891-12-02
MARGARET or ORLEANS.
q ronaer hi idealizes e.

nous woman, Margaret OF New Orleans,
and, after the manner OK strangers, con-
lecture on what We for the inst time
see.
Not at all" voice answers II the
soft Southern tongue. 1T looks just Ike
her.
~Ah, thank you You live here
Il was born here; this is my home"
"YOu we're here during the war and
yellow fever and everything and was
Ben Butler so dreadful and have you
seen Cable?1
A nod answers each one Of my young
companions impetuous queries
How delightful /" concludes ny
friend, bui the lady shakes her head and
taps her fan lightly on the girls son
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
"Ah, pardon. But l was thinking Of
that charming man who wIote the de-
licious Nine. Delphine.' I was thinking
how perfectly lovely It must be % live
here and know hin-snd then 70 live IN
a city that has had such history-it IS
80 romantic. And can you tell Us any
thing about Margaret -
This little -'NIargaret's Place
it is called-iti is pleasant spot to rest
in"
With this invitation, given more in
look than in words, We seated ourselves
near our new acquaintance on the settees
in the little park The perfume Of March
roses overhang the city; We forget in is
deIieiOusness the signs Of decay that in
portions of that quaint old town inparts
a pensive melancholy to is beauty. Near
by Us in the green grass is a pool set
about with a low border Of cactus a
mimic fort, with all its bristling thorn
guns ont, and its blossoms floating from
the ramparts, which are guarding with
such ferceness only lazy fleet Of water
lilies, under the shade Of which there is
a Whirl Of goldfish.
A stone footbridge crosses the pool and /
spans the river Of csctuses- It Is a very
odd and tasteful device, this pool and
the little park in which it IS placed Is
unique II its way.
she was a working Eomsn-a servant
here. When I first remember her I was
living near here, and she was taking care
Of the COWS in a stable that stood almost /
on the very spot where her statue stands |
now. She was working then for the sis
tens Of the asylum She fed and MIXED |
their COWS and sold milk in a cart about /
the city.
''She was a strange looking person |
remarkable in her appearance. think !
now as I recall her she had broad fore /
head, serious eyes, a pleasant, broad /
smile, rather short, stout figure. do |
not believe she ever in her life wore any
dress better than Guinea blue calico /
she always wore heavy shoes and black |
straw bonnet. From my residence I |
could see her many times a day while |
she was at her stable work or coming
back and forth with her milk cans.
what was her name2 Her name was |
Margaret Hanggery she had been mar
ried, and at that time was a widow. Her
husband and little child died Just after
she came TO New Orleans; 50 We learned /
after she became famous. She was alone
and poor in a strange country, and went
TO work in the stables for living. Some
how, everybody liked Margaret Her
smile was sweet and her words shrewd
The children called her Mar-aret, and
she knew their names and answered /
their salutatiOns along the street as she
drove by in the milk cart
~Aher some years Margaret had saved
enough 70 buy q bit OF ground that had
on il a small bakery. The place vas
sold for trihe. but now Margaret was in I
royal trina landowner ana a manufac-
turer; for she opened the shop and be-
gan bread and pie making for the neigh
bors. Presently there was a large bakery
built soon bread carts were running
over the city bearing the words, Mar
garet's Bakery. It became the fashion
to buy at Margaret's place. During the
war, pestilence and disaster Margaret's
fires were never out, and the delicious
rolls kept up their weight and quality,
no natter what else in life failed.
Then she began running her free
bread carts during the fever panic No
one went hungry who was within sound
of her cart wheels. From that time on
no one need 90 hungry in New Orleans
those too poor to buy we're gwen loaf
fresh and white as the best, and it was
given heartily, with a God bring thee
better times There was no distinction
in Margaret's favors. She gave to white
and black, of any church. or none. Are
you hungry % that was all that was necss-
sary- Here is bread take it, xith Gods
blessing.
There have been in this city dread
days, which seemed IS If God and every
body had failed Us but Margaret; days
when she almost literally fed the city.
During the yellow fever panic Margaret
began her noble work Of taking the chill
dren from the homes Of death and put
ting them in house under good care,
supporting them herself in every partic-
ular. Soon the one asylum grew into
many; the dozens Of her little charges
were numbered by hundreds-and at the
time Of her death thousands. At the
gate Of every orphan asylum in the city
Margaret's bread cart, VITA rs smoking
rolls, was seen daily at every charitable
institution whatsoever she took the priv
ilege Of giving her bread freely, and Mar
garet's name headed the list for every
charity.
@Our grand Charity hospital, one ofthe
most famous in the world, was largely
the gifl Of Margaret. You must visit
that hospital 1t viii make you better
all you- life Tor having seen seen il
Right through the trees there, at the
right. do you see that magnificent build
ing with its four galleries running around
.ba fruf f,,,r stories of the housz9 IT,