The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1894-09-26

nay husband, and l always
will Think of me sometimes
and of how much l love you. But, mo;
if it makes you sad to think of me,
forget me. God bless you. love you.
NORA
ssThat was all. 1t gave no clew.
Was she living or dead?
s'If living | was determined To find
her. searched for her every where,
advertised, traveled-all in vain.
Nearly three years passed, and not a
word had heard from her. / had al
most come to the conclusion that she
was dead. During that time it was
that my hair turned white.
Il was working as Il reporter on
New York morning paper, gathering
news and searching fer my wife,
.sOne bitter cold night the last week
in January, 1 was sent to report fire
that had broken out i'm large tene-
ment house in one of the poorest quar-
tiers i'm the city. The greater part of
the building was in flames when | ar
rived.
The firemen saw that it would be
useless TO try to save it and were di-
recting their efforts to getting out the
frightened inmates. did what ] could
to assist them in rescuing the poor
wretches.
''At last, when we thought they were
all out. the smoke cleared away from a
part of the building, and 10y the light
of the flames that leaped up we saw
the figures of two women in window.
One of them had a bundle in her arms
and was preparing TO leap to the ground.
| motioned her back.
'In moment fireman moved a
ladder TO the place, assembled, and re-
turned with one of the women, little
hunchback. The other, the one with
the bundle, clasped it convulsively, tot
tered and would have fallen to the
ground but for the fireman, who had
Just reached her. Quickly he descend
ed, bearing her unconscious form.
Guess she's about gone. Get a
place ready for her, quick. Let me lay
her down. he shouted.
"Off came my overcoat, and the fire
man laid her on it.
II stopped TO see if she was badly
burned, and also to see what was in
the bundle.
"A little child about two years old,
round-eyed and frightened, looked at
me from the wet, steaming blanket
that was wrapped around it. \ pretty
little thing, thought, as | disengaged
il from the blistered arms that clasped
! il.
'sThe woman was badly burned
about the body. drew away the tow
el that she had around her head and
saw-my wife, pale and worn, but
still the same features, the same clus-
tering brown curls on her forehead.
Ny wife! given back to me like this!
''Frantically called for help, for a
doctor. There happened to be one in
| the crowd.
sHe looked at Nora's burns and
shook his head. There was no hope.
She would probably never open her
ewes again. But she did. The great
dark eyes looked up at me, and the lips
murmured:
4" 'Maudie-baby'
al held the baby over her. She smil-
ed family and said:
"'Maudie-perhaps-papa-will-
Tell him-I always-loved-I'-
"But her eyes closed, and her head
fell against my breast. She was dead.
:Did she recognize me in those few
moments? God only knows. l could
not tell.
"The crippled girl who was with her
in the window, and whom she insisted
on the fireman rescuing first, told me
how she had met Nora in the hospital
over two years before, when Maudie
was born, of Nora's kindness to her
and of her weary struggle for bread.
'And she il was who found and gave
To me the wedding ring and a tiny
locket with my picture in it that was
fastened around her neck when she
died. She had never parted with them,