News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1903-03-04

department. In almost a seconds time
| the mass of low wooden tenements that
stood crowded together on both sides
of Hope House was bursting with fire.
The maddened. panic smitten people
were carrying their goods out into the
streets. Under the shapeless mass of
! hot bricks and twisted iron beams in
Bowen street human forms could be
seen-here a face staring up, here a
hand a foot q trunk of formless hor-
ror. The whole pile seemed a writing,
tangled heap of human agony. Groans
and cries burst from it that were ap-
palling. The mass had fallen SO near
to the two men that some of the bricks
lay at their feet. Before either realized
what he was doing they were both dig
ging at the CHASTITY mound Hope House
forgotten for the time being. Their
hands were burned and torn by the hot
bricks and splintered beams. Barton
| especially seemed inspired with unusu-
al strength. He was drenched to the
skin. His light overcoat was soon a
mass of tattered rags. He was lifting
beam that lay across a figure that
had moved a hand thrust out Of the
debris. Gordon was helping him.
IT'S Mrs. Caylorw Gordon exclaimed
as the face of the figure appeared.
The woman was crushed into sick
ening physical mass, but she was alive
and conscious.
IT'S Mr.. Gordon, Mrs. Caylorw said
John, with a sob, as he tenderly wiped
the face and with Barton's help lifted
off the beam that had crushed her.
The woman gasped and spoke feebly,
but clearly:
do you think I'll see Louie? He was
good boy-a good boy"
Yes, yes, Mrs. Caylor, and his body's
straight now, and he's out of pain"
"a good boy. Yes, out of pain now"
she murmured. Gordon and Barton
lifted the form and carried it over to
Hope House entrance. There was no
need of words. No other place was
possible. AS yet the fire had not
touched it. The crowd that surged
through Bowen street had suddenly
left everything else unsaved to protect
Hope House. Miss Andrews was out
by chat tangled heap of torture and
death, digging with her hands at the
monstrous pile, working with a mans
energy and shaming more than one
man by her calm but determined cour-
age
But Hope House had suddenly come
to mean more in few seconds than it
had meant in dozen years to the peo-
pie. That silent, pale, resolute, awfully
patient woman who had been loving
them resistlessly all these years, who
was now over there digging at the liv-
ing graves of the people, what of the
place called her home, the center of
her benignant influence? 1t should not
perish. The people of Bowen street
surrounded the place and fought death
for grim hour, aided by reinforce
ments of the department. In almost
a dream of action Barton and Gordon
had participated in this wild fury of
defense. They first carried the body
of Mrs. Caylor into the hall AS they
laid it down both knew that what they
laid down was a lifeless, shapeless
heap of bones and flesh. She was with
Louie now
On the other side of Jordan.
In the sweet fields of Eden
Where the tree of life is blooming.
The men rushed out to the defense,
and in that next hour Waterside dis
trict witnessed as heroic a struggle as
any age of chivalry ever boosted. 1t
was not an occasion for the depart
ment to dictate any rules or methods
of procedure. The people made rules.
They tore down buildings, flung them
selves upon flaming fragments,
stamped under foot and literally beat
back the fury of the encircling fire.
And Hope House was saved. When it
was all over, the building stood black
ened, defaced scOrched, but intact,
and into its archway came streaming
a dark procession of forms bearing
dreadful burdens, which were laid in
straight rows through the hall and on
the library floor. Before the gray
dawn broke through the pail Of smoke
dripping with a driZZling air that pen
etrated even the warmly dressed early
risers on the boulevards, there were
forty-seven forms lying side by side on
the floor of Hope House, and under the
CHASTITY mound how many more no
man dared to guess.
John Gordon found Miss Andrews
still at work out by the ruins
You must stop and eat something"
he said gently, but firmly, And us he
spoke he laid his hand on her arm.
She was bearing on her face and per-
son the marks of her desperate energy.
But she had never ceased to be Grace |
Andrews, calm, self poised patient, in |
domitaGle, but never hysterical or
nervous.
A faint color appeared in her face, !
and she let Gordon bring her some |
thing to eat. She tasted it sitting on Il
beam near the ruins. The french, who |
knew her, never thought of refusing |
her place With the workers. Through |
the dawn up into the increasing light |
of the awful day that revealed new |