Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1895-09-16
dinner and surprise her with the
flowers and a kiss.

for olnner-everything IN order there.
perhaps Nora has cried herself sick,
[ said to reassure myself. l went to
the bedroom-everything was in or
der but the room was empty. Nervous
ly hurried through every room,
looked into every closet, went down
cellar, out to the coal shed, up to the
attic. didn'J expect to find her in
any OF these places. [ was cure she
had gone away, but [ must look for
her somewhere
l went back to the bedroom again
and there found the note she had left
for me pinned to my pillow.
"Poor little tear stained letter!
Here it is, worn in the folds and yell
low with age-this is what she wrote:
'Don't think it is because [ am an
cry at what you did this morning that
[ go. | cannot stay, because [ cannot
make you happy. You will at least
live in peace without me. [ love you,
my husband, and I always will. Think
of me sometimes and how much [ low
ed you. But, no; if it makes you sad
to think of me, forget me. God bless
you. [ love you. NORA.
''That was all. It gave no clew. Was
she living or dead?
eff living, was determined to find
her. [ searched for her everywhere,
advertised, traveled-all in vain.
Nearly three years passed, and not
u,ord h n boord from bor T had al
most come to the conclusion that she
was dead. During that time was it
that my hair turned white.
81 was working as reporter on a
New York morning paper, gathering
news and searching for my wife.
cone bitter cold night the last week
in January was sent to report fire
that had broken out in large tene-
m ent house in one of the poores
quarters of the city. The greater part
of the building was in flames when [
arrived. The firemen saw that it would
be useless to try to save it and were
directing their efforts to getting out
the frightened inmates. l did what 1
poor wretches.
CAT last, when we thought they
were all out the smoke cleared away
from part of the building, and by the
light of the flames that leaped up we
saw the figures of two women in one
of the windows. One of them had a
bundle in her arms and was preparing
to leap to the ground. / motioned
her back. In a moment a fireman
moved ladder to the place, assembled
and returned with one of the women,
a little hunchback. The other, the
one with the bundle, clasped it con-
vulsively, tottered and would have
fallen to the ground but for the fire.
man who had just reached her. Quick
ly he descended, bearing her uncon-
scious form.
{" 'Guess she is 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.
''I 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.
A pretty little thing, 1 thought as l
disengaged it from the blistered arms
that clasped il. The woman was bad
ly burned about the body. | drew
away the towel that she had around
her head and saw-my wife! pale and
worn, but still the same features, the
same clustering brown curls on her
forehead. My wife, given back to me
like this! Frantically called for help,
for doctor. There happened to be
one in the crowd.
"He looked at Morals burns and
shook his head. There was no hope.
She would probably never open her
eyes again, but she did. The great
lark eyes looked up at me, and the
fps murmured: 'Maudie-baby.'
'sI held the baby over her. She
smiled family and said:
i" Neutrality-suspicious. will
Tell him-I always -loved-I'-
'sBut her eyes closed, and her head
ell against my breast. She was dead.
ssDid she recognize me in those few
moments? God only knows. | could
lot tell. =
ssThe crippled girl who was with her
n the window, and whom she insisted
N the fireman rescuing first, told me
low she had met Nora in the hospital
,ver two years before, when Maudie
vas born, Morals kindness to her and