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

had been moving slightly, touched his
warm cheek. When John Gordon came
over to lift Barton up, the childs arm
encircled Barton's neck
Gordon gently unclasped the arm
and, lifting up his friend, carried him
into Hope House. AS he laid him down
Barton opened his eyes and whis-
pered, "Never mind me, save the 9th
ers."
Gordon kneeled and kissed Barton's
forehead, and, leaving him in charge
of one of the residents, he went out to
the work. When he and Miss Andrews
had dug out the child, it had breathed
it's last. Miss Andrews kissed the dis
figured face and the first tear that
Gordon had ever seen her shed fell on
the body.
zone of our children in the kinder
garten. Oh, my God! For this slaugh-
ter of the innocents who shall be
counted guilty"
She carried the child into the house,
and when she came back there was an
added divinity of righteous Indignation
in her blue eyes, added sadness in the
lines of her patient face
Day broke on Waterside district,
Ward IS, over scene that had never
before been witnessed in any part of
the city. There had been very many
fires before this horror of tenement
house fire Ward IS. But no disaster
had ever before been marked by such
sickening slaughter of children. In No.
| 81, Mr.. Marsh's double decker, twenty
nine children were burned or crushed
to death. In the other blocks twenty
three more were victims of the falling
wall or the nights exposure. Seventy
five families were instantly beggared,
saving only the clothes they wore, and
left without a roof to shelter or a cent
to pay for bread. Great piles Of value
less furniture and bedding filed the
streets and alleys, soaked by the rain
which continued all day. Hope House
stood solitary and alone, chOked with
the dead and the living, among whom
| Miss Andrews moved with an angels
! pity and a commanders frmness. She
was perfectly self possessed and knew
| just what to do next. Under her lead
Crship order grew out of awful cOnfu-
sion, and Hope House, transferred into
a hospital, Knew at once that she who
! had been the gracious head of the set
tement was also its director under the
shadow of this fearful calamity.
Barton had been carried into one of
the residents rooms When Gordon
came in to see him after he had yielded
! TO Te-enfOrcements sent in by the de-
! partment, Barton was lying so pale and
! still that Gordon feared the end had
come but the great eyes opened in
moment, and Barton whispered:
Take me up to my rooms, John.
| Williams is used to caring for me, and
am in the way here
I'm the way. Miss Andrews" Cor
don spoke to her as she appeared at
the door of the room, lis my friend Mr..
Barton in the way here?"
I'm the way! l feared you had
passed on. Mr. Barton, when l saw
you carried into the house by Mr.. Cor
don. You are not able to be moved.
The exposure
THE exposure did me good"' Barton
interrupted almost roughly. Send for
carriage, John. can go easily enough.
l tainted out there I'm not used to
night work. They saved Hope House,
Miss AndreWs?'
yes thank God" she said softly.
Even with all the horrors of that night,
and the awful sight ont in the hall and
library, she felt thrill at the thought
that the people had loved her a little.
Get me out of here, john" Barton
said again as Miss Andrews stepped
back into the hall and resumed her
work. It's the beginning Of the end,
and l don't want it to come to NE
here"
Gordon did not demonstrate. Under
other circumstances he might have
done so. When he had first entered the
room. he had partly closed the door, but
the Croaus the shrieks for mercy, til,
walls of friends discovering reI~JI|cS
in the piles of crushed humanity out
on the floor, had swept into the roon
and Barton had shrunk down in ~
bed and shuddered. Gordon went OJt
closed the door and ordered Il carriage
for Barton. When it came, he went 10
help Barton get ready. To his amaze
ment. he was up and waiting. When lie
got up off the bed on which he was sit
ting, he reeled on his feet and would
have fallen if Gordon had not put an
arm about him.
you are not able to leave"
Il am, | tell you. l will never die
here. I'll live long enough to get to my
rooms. And I'll live long enough to
write up this horror too The day of
Judgment ought to begin today for
some of the people in this God forsaken !
metropolis, John, There's your friend,
Mr.. Marsh! l suppose the building was
insured. He never lost anything, Ell?
Not that sortr'
I r.. l..