Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1893-11-06
A Tale Of the Chicago
Fire.

In poorly furnished room over a
small grocery store on Clark street,
there sat, on the evening of the oth
of October, 1871, a young man busily
engaged with some complicated ma
chinery which he was constructing
with the aid of his tools. The young
MANS face bore thoughtful express
sion and there were hard lines round
his mouth, telling sad tale of the
struggle for existence, which seemed
quite consistent with the fortunes of
an inventive genius, as the young
man appeared to be. The parching
breath of the prairie wind surged
through the open windows of the lit
tie room, intensifying the heat to an
almost unbearable degree. It was hot
in Chicago on that fatal day. For
weeks and weeks there had been no
rain to moisten the scorching boards
OF which the sidewalks and often the
houses and roadways were composed;
and these, being dry as finder, waited
but the accident whose shadow men
aced, at this very hour, the doomed
e5ty.-the kick Of the O'Leary COW,
that unhappy trivalty which was des-
tined to cost such frighbfu1 total of
life and treasure!
Finally the atmosphere became SO
close in the little room that the pa
tent worker rose from his bench and
throwing aside his tools, picked up
his hat and made his way down the
riekerty stairs to the street. 1t was
observed that the young man posses
sed in the addition to an intellectual
face, a well-knit figure, and a step
which even under the pressure Of the
weather, had an athletic swing and
bespoke a buoyant temperament. Al
Ian Penton had inherited his fine
pioneer settlers of Illinois; and much
of his individuality he owed also to
his mother; for his parents had lived
in stirring times, when it rarely hap
pened that both men and women
were not equally competent with the
rife and almost as we'll used to all the
fatigue and hardships Of frontier life.
The young man turned his foot
steps on this fateful evening in the
direction of State street; a willing
pilgrimage which he often made in
the evening after his days task was
finished. On State street he took
car, rode southwark some distance
and at last stopped in front Of
pleasant residence to which he was
promptly admitted by young girl.
The young mans face flushed as he
took her hand and shook it respect
fully. 1t was very plain that he was
In love, from the admiring glances he
bestowed upon her. 1t was his first
experience, too-usually a serious
N atter,-and Jessie Harmon was
superb creature. Besides mere
personal beauty she possessed a
a sterling character and was very
sensible and practical girl. If mo-
mentous issues hung upon the events
Of this night for the city, important
ones also depended upon this call in
State street.
Aware of the fact that many suitors
thronged to the side of Miss Harmon,
Allan Penton had made formal re-
quest for her hand and had called this
evening to learn how his proposition
had been received by the young lady
and her family. Finally after futile
efforts had been made to alleviate the
suspense OF the occasion by discussing
other topics, the young man inquired,
tremblingly, what had been decided
In regard to his proposal.
Jessie Harmon never looked pretti
er than when she answered her ad-
mirer's question. 1t was plain that
she was not suffering from the en-
barrassment of such a serious affec-
tion as that of the young inventor;
for her manner was gay and easy,
while his betrayed the anxiety and
excitement of debutante in the
school OF love. "Well," said the
young lady, formally, very much as
some young graduates deliver a class
Grafton, ''it is decided that I may ac
cept your offer when your invention
is q success
The lump in the young mans throat
disappeared and he said bravely,
f'Then 1 shall consider you safely
mine; for although it has taken me
years to make my model, I am now
at the point of perfecting it, and you
viii not have long to wait for your
fate. May my efforts be crowned with
SUGGEST" So saying the young man
rose, and bidding his prospective
fSancee adieu, stepped out into the
Tfipht