Connecticut western news., 1892-02-11
MARGARET OF ORLEANS

''1 wonder if it idealizes herY'
 We stand beside the statue of this fa nous woman. Margaret of New Orleans and. after the manner of strangers. con lecture on what we for the first time see
 Mot at all," voice answers in the so southern tongue. 1t looks just like her."
 .'Ah, thank you. You live heye?'
 "l was born here: this is my home.'
 You were here during the war and yellow fever and everything2 and was Ben Butler 50 dreadful? and have you seen Cabley' ..... >.
 A nod answers each one of my young companions impetuous queries.
 How delightful~ concludes my freud. but the lady shakes her head and taps her fan lightly on the girls soft cheek and says musingly: ''It did not seem as if would live through it, but have. and now comes one who calls my trials delightful How cruell''
 "Ah. pardon! But was thinking of that charming man who wrote the de iiclous Mime. Delphine. 1 was think ing how perfectly lovely it must be to live here and know hiE-and then to live in city that has had such history it IS so romantic. And can you tell us anything about Margarety'
 This little space. Margaret place. it is called-it is a pleasant spot to rest m. l.
 With this invitation. given more III looks 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 its delicIousness the signs of decay that in portions of that quaint old town iinparts a pensive melancholy to it's beauty. Near by us i'll the green grass is a pool set about with low border of cactus; a mimic fort. with all it's bristling thorn guns out and it's blossom floating from the ram parts. which are guarding from such ierceness only a lazy fleet of water lilies, under the shade of which there is whirl of goldfish. A stone footbridge crosses the pool and spans the river of cactuses It is a very odd and tasteful device. this pool and the little park in which it is placed is unique in it's way. There is nothing overdone, neither neglected. It is well kept. refreshing. simple setting for the statue itself.
 ''She was working woman-a serv. ant here. When 1 first relnenb Der her l was living near here. and she was talk ing care of the COWS m stable that stood almost on the very spot where her statne stands now. She was working then for the sisters of the asylum. She fed and milked their COWS aud sold milk in cart about the city. She was Il straLge looking person-remarkable i'll her appearance. think now as 1 recall her she had broad. forehead. serious eyes, . pleasant, broad smile, rather short, stout figure. do not suppose she ever in her life wore any dress better than u Guinea blue calico: she always wore heavy shoes and black straw bonnet trimmed with a neat band of black over the top. From my residence could see her many times Il day while | she was Ut her stable work or coming back and forth with her milk cans What was her name? Her name was | Margaret Hauggery; she had been mar ried. and at that time was widow. | Her husband and little child died just | after she came to New Orleans: SO we learned after she became famous. She was alone and poor ill strange country. | and went to work in the stables for q | living. Somehow. everybody liked | Margaret: her smile was sweetpand her words shrewd The children called her | Margaret. and she knew their names and answered their salutations along the street as she drove by in the milk cart.
 After some years Margaret had saved enough to buy a bit of ground that had i on it small bakery. The place was sold for q trihe. but now Margaret was in royal trina landowner and manu- facturer: for she opened the shop and began bread and pie making for the neighbors. Presently there was B large bakery built: soon bread carts were run ming over the city bearing the words. 'Margaret's Bakery. It became the fashion to buy at Margaret's place. Dur | ing war. pestilence and disaster Mar l garet's fires were never out. and the de hcious 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 panic. No one went hungry who was within sound of her cart wheels. From that time on nc one need go hungry in New Orleans those too poor to buy were given loaf fresh and white as the beat. and it was give- heartily. with 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 hungryT that is all that was neces sary. Here is bread: take it with Gods blessing. There have been in this city dread days. which seemed as if God and everybody had failed us but Margaret days when she almost literally fed tho city. During tine yellow fever panic Margaret began her noble work of taking the children from the homes of deatl and putting them into house under good care. supporting them herself 1T every particular. Soon the one asylum grew into many: the dozens of her littl charges were numbered by hundreds and at the time of her death thousands
 At the gate of every orphan asylum il
 the city Margaret's bread cart. with 1t
 smoking rolls. was seen daily: at ever, charitable institution whatsoever sh
 took the privilege of giving her brea'
 freely. and Margaret's name headed tn
 list for every charity.
 'Our grand Charity hospital. one of tn
 most famous in the world. was largel