The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1893-09-13
THE MIDNIGHT FIRE.
BY MATTHEW WHITE, JR.

1t was stifingly hot, even in the great
store of Moreland, Trask * Co, with lis
high ceilings and sweep OF floor from
street to street. Hetty almost dreaded the
coming of closing time, for that meant q
return TO the rooms in the upper Il oor Of
the tenement house where she and hel
mother and her invalid sister Kate had
their home.
Hetty Brand had never felt so rebel
lious as she did this summer. No matter
how far ahead she looked she could not
see any betterment Of their condition, no
other way of living for them than this
hand-to mouth way of making both ends
meet.
Lets wait here for mother, Sue. I'm
most ready to drop now. 1 can't shop
another minute" and the speaker pref
" girl of about Hetty's age, drew her
companion to seats on stools Immediate
ly in front Of Hetty's counter.
Hetty looked at them languidly with
not even energy enough to try and inn
agine herself il their place trick of
fancy With which she often amused her
self. They were both dressed in style
that told of ease, comfort, luxury at home.
They were talking about life at the sea
shore, of sand and waves and salty smell
that Hetty knew only as she had heard
OF read Of them, for she had never seen
the ocean in her life. Nor had Kate,
who, as she sat day after day in her chair
Dy the little window. would look up at
the sky and try to imagineithat it was the
sea, breath Of which, Hetty felt sure,
would do her world Of good.
But Hetty knew that the Brands might
as well wish for diamonds as a glimpse
ef the ocean, fifty miles away. So, find
ing that the young ladies had no pur-
chases 10 make, she turned her back on
them and tried to concentrate her atten-
ton on Strengthening the boxes of rib
bons on her shelves. Suddenly she
cluiched the lid Of one of the boxes tight
ly and kept perfectly still for minute or
TWO. What was that the girl who had
been called "Sue" was saying?
"And only think, the company gave
her nineteen dollars and thirty cents.
And she pays only two-dollars year.
Most of the things had been:given to her,
and she'd had good use Of them, SO the
money was clear gain. 1 felt almost
ashamed to take il, she told me, and as
if might have started the fire on pur-
pose. But here comes your mother, now
Jesse"
The girls hurried to meet lady com
ing from the embroidery counter and all
three LEFT the store together. Hetty stood
there watching them, but it was not hu-
man forms that she saw. Nineteen dol
lars and thirty cents" seemed to be writ
ten in large figures and hung between
Der and the street. How much that
sum would mean for them-for Kate
Why, it would take her to the seashore
and keep her there whole week-two
weeks, for Hetty suddenly recollected
hearing Of cottage where working girls
were taken for fortnight for only twelve
dollars.
And Kate had been a working-girl in
this yerv store of Trask x Co. before the
long hours had broken down her consti-
tuition SO that she could scarcely walk
across the floor. Hetty was still think
ing Of those figures when she went home
that night. She tried her best not to.
'It's wicked" she murmured TO her
self. "Hetty Brand, there's a word in
the dictionary to describe just such per
son as you are in her heart now. It's an
ugly word, too"
She had TO pass church on her way.
As soon as she came in sight Of it she
fixed her eyes on the door and walked
very slow by, forcing her mind to recall
the days when they all lived in the coun-
try and had gone to the meeting house
regularly every Sunday.
Il wouldn't have dared to even think
about such thing then" she told her
self.
at does seem as if poverty must be
wicked when it makes people 50 sinful. ("
And now she forgot those figures for a
time, and walking along with springing
steps because Of it. But when she had
climbed the four flights Of stairs ald saw
through the open door of their sitting
room Kate close by the window, lean
ing on her elboE, her eyes fixed on the
sun, red bail of ire in the west, as it re-
preaching ii for causing her so much
misery-when she saw this, Hetty's lips
came firmly together with the determin-
alton that she then and there formed" f"
Mother" she said, while they were
eating their supper. we've never had
our things insured.
Mrs. Brond paused with the teapot
raised ready to fill Kate's cup.
why, Hetty, child" she exclaimed,
what nonsense you talk What do We
want to have insurance for when it's the
most we can 90 10 pay for necessities
Besides, wha; have we to insure? Only
ourselves, | guess, and money wouldn't
pay US for losing them
She dared an afectionate look at Kate
one with anxiety in it, too, as she realiz'
ed how hard it would be TO save her life
in case Of fire.
-No, it isn't nonsense, mother" Hetty
persisted, and then she tod of the con
versation that she had overheard at the
store.