Bennington semi-weekly banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 1894-1902, 1894-10-12
EYES TO THE BLIND.

oomplimented by his superiors for his cool
daring and his high sense of duty. Around
the corner from the engine house was the
Union hotel, one of the most popular
houses in the city, as it's owner, Captain
Brandt, was one of the most popular men.
Ned Freeman joined the fire department
when he was 20, with the strange hope
that the leisure it would give him would
enable him to study law.
For eight years he had watched Nellie
Brandt, the captains daughter, going to
and coming from school,
Six years passed from the time Ned
Freeman first saw pretty little Nellie
Brandt till he spoke to her on the occasion
of a slight fire at Nine. Leroy's finishing
school.
The death of a bachelor uncle in the
west about this time placed Ned Freeman
in position to complete his studies and
support him in comfort till he had won a
practice, but he remained fireman. The
only change was he took his meals at the
Union hotel.
Among the boarders at the Union hotel
was Lewis Loring, one of the richest
young merchants of the city.
Captain Brandt and his wife lived only
for their daughter. The parents noted
with delight the increasing attentions Of
Lewis Loring, and they took every oppor-
tunity to throw the young people together.
The attentions paid by Lewis Loring to
Captain Brandt's daughter attracted the
attention not only of the guests of the
Union hotel, but became generally known
throughout the city, and one daily paper,
On it's society column, announced that the
young couple were engaged, and that their
marriage would take place at an early
date. This paragraph met the eyes Of Ned
Freeman. 1t is strange how disagreeable
paragraphs do meet ones eyes, and there
upon he changed his boarding place, and
the Union hotel knew him no more
Things went on this way until midwin-
ter. 1t was midnight of the third day
after Christmas, and Ned Freeman, his
heart heavy with its unexpressed sorrow,
had just thrown himself into a bunk in
the engine house when suddenly the clang
of the gong brought him to his feet. Ned
and his companions threw on their clothes
and heavy helmets, the horses ran from
the stalls to their posts at the engine and
hose trucks, and within a minute they
were galloping out of the engine house and
down to tho Union hotel, from whose roof
fountains Of sparks were shooting into the
air. Ned's first thought was of Nellie
Brandt. He found Captain Brandt and
his wife and daughter in an upper hall in
the back part of the building, so bewilder-
ed by the smoke and heat that they did
not know which way to move. Selling
Nellie in his arms, he shouted to the cap
tain:
"Take care of your wife and follow
me!'
And in less time than it takes to de-
scribe it the four were in the street.
AS soon as Captain Brandt could get his
breath he cried to the young fireman:
"Mr. Loring's room is in the third story,
back. He went to bed late last night and
must be sleeping. For Gods sake, save
himp'
Without waiting to hear more. Ned
Freeman dashed up the two flights Of
stairs, and unheeding the whirling smoke
and flames kicked in the door of Loring's
room and found him lying on the bed. He
took the unconscious form in his arms and
in an instant was back in the hall.
Ordinarily a man of Lewis Loring's
weight would have been no great obstacle
to a man of Ned Freeman's strength, but
he was already spent by his efforts, and
now as he made his way back he was
breathing flame and smoke into his lungs.
Taking off his helmet, he placed it over
Joring's face to shield it from the flames,
forgetting that at the same time he was
exposing himself. How he reached the
street he could never tell, but he succeeded
and fell in heap in the midst of his COM
panions.
Ambulances were summoned, and Ned
Freeman, with the man he had rescued,
was taken to the hospital
In the papers next day were columns
given to the marked heroisn4 of Ned Free
man and deploring the fact that the fire
had destroyed his eyes.
Within few days Lewis Loring had
quite recovered from the shock, but Ned
Freeman remained in the hospital. The
epoch of his black days was the coming Of
Nellie Brandt.
One day, after he was able to move
about, Nellie took his hand and led him
up and down the hospital ward The
touch of her little fingers electrified him,
with half suppressed sob:
Slldll llOO udNO yOu as Bulu6 lOE
long, little girl. 1 wish had died in the
fire!'
Nellie frightened her grasp on his hand
and replied:
Med, there are two eyes ready to guide
you if you want them"
"Whose are theyH" he stammered.
"They are mine" she replied
And SO it came about that from that day
forward Nellie Brandt became the eyes of
the blind man.
Lewis Loring wondered why Nellie re-
aected him a short time after this, but the
city applauded when it learned that she
had decided to become the wife of the gall
liant Ned Freey<san.
But, against the prophecies of the doc
tors, Ned's sight came slowly back, and
one year after his marriage he had fully
recovered the use of his eyes.
he is now one of the leading lawyers in
the city where formerly he had been a fire.
man.-Exchange.