The San Francisco call., 1897-02-28

'%<HE. lived in Placer County, not
SS1A far from where the pretty town of
-G. Auburn now stands, for it hap
pened many.years ago ill the early COS,
and / expect that but few now residing
there have any recollections of the affair
the family consisting of her father,
miner her mother and little brother,
dwelt: in small shanty erected under
cover of a convenient ledge. The shanty
was a miserable structure of two rooms,
but It held what many a grander dwelling
failed to contain, loving household.
The mother lay sick with the fever. and
Carmen, then girl of T. performed the
'uTudgery of the house. Her little brother.
a curly headed romp of five, was Car.
- mems great responsibility. The father
q. was away from early morning until late
. at night at his work, and so the little
20 HANDS of y found plenty to do In ON
.. mon with. the custom of miners, the
father kept store of giant powder in the
house, which in the present case was con-
famed in a sack placed in an old box that
stood by the foot of the bed where lay the
~:.sick mother. The upper part O: the
shanty, under the sloping board roof,
was utilized as q stowage place for Old
Q dunnage and. rubbish. One night the
father was absent in the mine, on night
work. By some means the shanty took
ire probably from the cracked and deiec-
tIye; adobe chimney Carmen awoke to
; tind. that the roof was afre and sparks
-dropping Gown.
'..:::Springing up. she loudly cried to
: awaken her muther and Tommy, but the
LITTLE boy became frightened and hid his
..cl}edd beneath the covers of his bed. Car
"nien sprang to lift him from the bed
:: when'she saw a shower of sparks falling
. upon the powder-box. Recognizing the
.'aswful danger, she attempted 10 leave the
child. for the moment and carry out the
:, powder, but in her excitement she caught
foot in the overhanging bedciothes
and fell to the floor, breaking her thigh
- BONE. Unable to arise, the brave girl
: cra:Il ed to the box of powder, and draw
. ing herself up, covered the box with her
body. The mother had by this time sue
. ceeded in getting out of bed and getting
outside the now furiously burning shanty
and managed to take with her the little
boy. The cries of Carmen: "Oh, take
Tommy out, won't you'll" turned for 8
time the mothers thoughts from her
dapghter's danger. The fire had aroused
some of the neighbors, who speedily ran
to the burning shanty and lent what aid
they co1ld. Carmen was discovered and
removed. Her rescuers found her almost
hidden beneatha mass of burning cinders
her back frightfully burned. Tender hands
bore her to a neigh boring shanty, where
all that could be done TO alleviate her suf-
.iering was. eagerly bestowed. But human
aid came too late. The brave little spirit
fingered until the following day and then
departed for a brighter land. 1t was no.
known until after she had recovered con-
seriousness, a short time before she died,
that she had broken her leg. Her last
words were, kiss me, Tommy, dear; I've
saved you and I'm so happy"
p" The world is prone to indulge in hero
1. Worship. And 1t is right and we'll that it
should do so. For the better qualities
that go to make up our manhood and
WON anhood. grow and strengthen with the
exercise of our sentiment aroused in SYM
Pathy with heroic deeds. Yet the world
Is apt to overlook the lesser in its contem-
patton OF the greater. The girl who on
her homeward journey by way of the rail-
road'track discovered a broken rail, nd,
taxing OH her petticoat, waved il
toward the coming passenger train,
found herself famous because of the cir
cumstances which placed her act so prom
inently before the public. The press sang
the praises of the heroine and placed her
name upon the lips of the multitude: bnt
the other gil. who from childhood labored
and slaved to support with the toll Of her
hands a sick mother and drunken father |
until when death brought blessed relief il
iound her woman in years, but past the |
realization of woman's hopes, was a |
greater heroine although unknown.
Noble deeds are not confined to the |
crowded battlefield. The self-sacri6ce |
made by hum bic hearts in !owly Life. often |
.unsung, are fully as noble as are those
acts which performed in the full view of
the world have received the plaudits of the |
multitude. Out on the bosom of the Pa |
ciEc, beyond sight of land lie the FarelIon
Islands, few fishermen's families reside |
on theelonely rocks. The little children of |
i'he fishermen are by their utter isolation
Idebarred from partaking of the priceless
Leritage of the average child, the free edu-
cation which crowns the American child
king. A San Francisco girl, cultured
and beautiful in feature, but more beauti-
dul In heart, gives up the enticing pleas
ures OF city living and takes up her resi-
dence upon the dreary Farralones to teach
the fishers children. The act has no dra-
matte side judged from the sensational
-tandnoint but it is most noble deed In