Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1893-09-15

TLER, PA, E'RIDA
/ mis- exertions, the young man fell ex-
hausted beside her in the street Ef-
forts to revive him proving fruitless,
he was taken to the hospital In one of
! the ambulances which were busy carry
ing off the victims of the holocaust.
The remainder of the history of that
nights fire is told In the loss of over
two hundred lives and many thousand
homes. To the rest of its horrors the
young inventor was for the time OBJ
Eyious When. sometime during the
next day, he became conscious, 1t was
to see devastation unparalleled before
IN the history of the country. 1t was
to find himself, like thousands of his
fellow-citizens, a ruined man, and his
| happy prospects of the day before
blasted. His machine, the dream of
his ambition, the key to his happiness,
had been consumed by the all-devour-
ing monster of flame which had devas-
tated the posse ssions of rich and poor
alike.
On heap of ashes which marked the
spot formerly occupied by the house in
which he had lived, he sat down and
wept like a child. The newspapers
had already told him the course which
the fire had taken, and he knew that
Jessie Harmon had not suffered from
tho effects of the conhagration.
Fortunately we are not permitted to
see far ahead of US in this world, and
he, sitting by the ashes of his hopes,
was spared the knowledge of all the
misery, ingratitude and neglect that
he was doomed to suffer. Wrecked
physically and financially, he was
unable to battle along with the daunt-
less spirit others showed who had only
their possessions taken from them.
From the day Of the fire he was q
changed person. The doctors decided
that the nervous shock incident to his
experience at the fire and the loss of
his invention, over which he had toiled
so many years, had caused a sort of
paralysis which might possibly be
cured by time. People who had known
him as the strong, hopeful and ener-
getic young inventor, now regarded
him with ill-concealed disdain and sus-
picion. Like a hopeless wreck he
drifted aimlessly along, apparently in
capable of an effort to regain his
former energy and hope.
1t was little wonder that this change
in him should lead Miss Harmon, who
was a practical young woman, to dis
courage his attentions, and ultimately
to marry some one else.s Drifting along
with the tide of "down-at-the-heel"
L.. f.
gotten, even by his old acquaintance.
His time was spent idling by the lake
shore, and around the busy scenes of
rehabilitation where the trowel and
the derrick were eternally busy, and
where he managed by transient labor
to earn sufficient to secure him the
small amount upon which he seemed
satisfied to exist.
Once, when he heard that the demand
for labor was brisk there, he went out
to the stoclkyards and requested en-
ployment; but his blank looks and lack
of spirit brought him only refusal.
Almost two years went by in this way;
and no one thought that Allan Penton
would ever bestir himself again in this
world of activity and aggressiveness.
On certain evening when he was do
ing some trihing work in one of the new
buildings which were going up with
such marvellous rapidity throughout the
burnt district" an accident happened
to the young man. Some falling de bris
struck him, telling him to the ground,
a1j he was once more taken to the hos
pital His wound was serious one,
and his life despaired of; but, unex-
rectedly, after long period of col
lapse he rallied, rapidly regained his
strength, and once more stood up to
face the world. Those who saw him
beheld something akin to what the
watchers at Bethesda were wont to see
when the angel had troubled the pool !;
for the Allan Penton who stepped forth
from the hospital was, strange to say.
again the sanguine, ambitious self of
former days Something had been
lifted away, certainly, for his eyes were
bright and clear with hope, and the old
light of mastery kindled within them.
What had effected the change no one
knew or cared he felt the fire of new
life burning in his veins and again
heard ambition whispering her fairy
tales in his ear. Events move rapidly
towards the central point of this short
life drama. Surprises, like mlsfortunes,
seldom come singly. Allan Penton no
sooner felt the new life quickened in
him than an incident occurred which it
seemed that destiny must have with
held until the proper moment
In making his way down Wabash
avenue through the busy crowd which
throDgs its sidewalks during the shop
ping hours, revolving in his mind plans
for the future, his attention was sud-
denly attracted by woman's cry.
Looking up, he saw alighting from a
car riage a stylishly dressed yoaag
woman. Several of the bystanders
stared at Penton, who was evidently
the cause of the young lady's excited
behavior, and who stood as If rooted to
the spot What the matter was did not
seem at all evident, and must have been
subsequently inexplicable to those who
were watching the proceedings. The
bewildered young man saw an exceed
ingly charming young lady drag an
elderly gentleman from the carriage
and towards himself Bat it took him
only a few moments to solve the mys-
terry, and the trio were soon smiling
and chatting, to the surprise of the on
lockers.
At suggestion from inc elderly gen.
tleman Penton entered the carriage,
and they drove off together, 20 avoid
the attention they had attracted. Tho
young lady's conduct was very Simply
explained. She was the person who
had been the unconscious cause of all
the young inventors misfortunes-the
brand which he had plucked from the
burning in De Koven street Judging
from the way in which her soft brown
eyes were fixed upon the handsome
features of the young man, she was not
unlikely to cause him yet more trouble.
During the drive, Penton learned that
the young lady, in saving whom he had
almost lost his own life, was the daugh-