The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-11-24

1x-sr-. sieenfn,- in the hotel wheel me IRE broke
oir. and You'd doubtless nave pertsfld i1s.d it
Scherner norm, l6-year-old girl Wno waited
through a window. that she had br0Nen out
with her bare hands, and getting her 70 place
lower floor, and. Notwithstanding lhal the hotel
was fun Of ire and smoke. she managed 60 get
% each one o. Iae rooms ana arouse the cues -
though she Was sometimes compelled 20 break
IA the door 70 dc II . os linsea ~ the lsss
just ia the nlck Of rLme-l
We we're sittin round the IRE down at Harper
'L0Iher night
When he Subject sort o'.switehed aroun' an
As TO whlch'd ae the earnest IN the sareum-
stronger man or weaker woman and we ali de-
I'd be ~ Tar the Drawer when it come to harder
An t seemed to be decided. for we argyed
A silTia' found the heater in the Patterson
hotel
They must a bin three dozen, fer the once was
o. trayeiin' men an farmers an others. On the
The register recorded thirty-seven Of Us. there.
An fer once the host admitted at ne hadn't
SO, we'd hxed the question past the shadder
of course against the women fer they wusn't
We took turns at gettin' sleepy. fer twas ten.
the clock had said
umpnantly 10 bed
Since 1 start to write this story there's a few
thoughts cum TO
Coupled with an Old quotation bout what fools
If you d change one word to ..drummers.' or if
FARMERS you make it.
Ihered be some 1hTty-seven at d feel most
Fer before we'd had our breakfast there wus
An some lhirty-seven of Us thought some
thoughts o. wider range.
But III tel you ali the story as we heard it all
How d glrl of one opinion thirty-sevsn had re-
A girl of sixteen summers was Miss Maud
Schermernorn.
Made 10 Show 8 naughty grandeur at We read
But twas c.ean. an so not harmful to her more
But if we've got any money an. she wants an
She cah have the best ats goin'; every one o
Fer since W. had that argument she's grown
somehow more dear
To some CnIr1y seven Of US that are mighty q al
we re here
Twas about four in the mornin' Maud was
BY a most salarInin' crackIin' an a suffocatin'
smoke
AT nearly hlied her lungs up an took away her
As she stood within the shadder Of a fast
She dun Iake no hours 70 philoserphze bit
As 70 the respective merits q the sexes as 70
For size saw the fire comm an she thought she
o. some 1hlr1y-seven Of Us in the Patterson no.
tel.
1t didn't take her hours to decide jes what to
But she woke her roommate Matte, an to-
Never sfoppm7 Ter 10 dress EN- for they hadn't
To the BAGS s.airs in their night clothes, but
Fer the back stars wus afre an they
But woman Won't be burned up when she once
So she TOOK her only chance an broke the win
der with her arm.
An Dropped the tainted Matte to the groun
an out o harm.
She dropped the tainted Matte to the groun'
an -hen jumped out
With her arms al cut an bleedin' an her hair
An her fees all Burned an blistered an her
body bruised an sore
But size didn't lose her cOurage-they WIS thir-
Round the house like wind she darted DER
the rough an frosty ground.
Cleared the steps up 10 the doorway at single
Tried the door-it wouldn't open pounded on
it all IN vain,
Then, resortin TO the wInders, broke out ne arly
every pane
With her cut an bleedin' fingers. Then she
tore the sash apart
An climbed in at the openin with true cour-
Up the stars without falter. through the
smoke an through the flame
hOugh dn't know about tour redeem
said angel. an / meant it. for if ever meath
the
There was one 'at wore an apern this girl Maud
surely one
Up the stairs though they were burnln'. to the
bedroom doors she flew,
5taggerlu'. faIlin blind,y onward TIL she'd gone
the Whole list through.
staggerin'. blinded through the han way, fauin'
often the floor.
AIadly. wildly On She hurried batterin each
chamber door
With her knuckes nearly bone bare an her
blood upon her gown,
Never lettin' fear o'ertake her nor her courage /
dWindle down:
Never thlnkin' Of her own life, never thinkin' Of
such onseiishness as that WIS. there s no ques-
ton surely earns
A high-up place IN Heaven that'd suit her Jest
IS wsitin' on a table in the Patterson hotel
3linded by the smoke an fire, almost deafened
Ike one bound to do her duty if she lives or if
surnin. smofherln'. stumbiin' onward went our
ihe had woke the last one of us-she jess faint T
ed.-nOt TIL then
mans bed room door,
after she had filed her mission and her duty
Burned an bruised an cut an bleedin'. plum
exhausted. out o. breath.
Woman like. she sought oblivion IN the tempo
rary death
iut she lives to tell the story-though she does
or she don t regard it extry; an she tells them
What sries 60 be palaverin', an make her b,ieve
avs she simply done her duty an tried to do It
tut the speFet Of her courage rises high; twin
Dove the smoulderin' ashes O. the Patterson
nd that IS Why Maud schermerhorn has grown
50 mlghly dear
b sum tnlrEy-seven of us that are mighty glad
we're here.