The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1903-04-15

into Hope House. AS he laid hln 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
its last. Miss Andrews kissed the dis
figured face, and the first tear that
Gordon had ever seen her shed fell on
the body.
"One Of our children in the kinder
carten. Oh, my God! For this slauSh-
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 q 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
Eve families were instantly beggared,
saving only the clothes they wore, and
| left without roof to shelter or q 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
ersnip order grew out Of awful coGfu-
sion, and Hope House, transferred into
hospital, knew at once that she who
had been the gracious head Of the set
tlement 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 re-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, ':is my friend Mr..
Barton in the way here!''
I'm the way! I 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 so easily enough.
I tainted out there I'm not used to
night work. They saved Hope House,
Miss Andrews:''
eyes, thank God," she said softly.
Even with all the horrors Of that night,
and the awful sight out in the hall and
library, she felt q thrill at the thought
that the people had loved her little.
"Get me out of here, john" Barton
said again as Miss Andrews stepped
I back into the hall and resumed her
work. Its the beginning of-the end,
| and / don't want it to come to me
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 doo-, but
| the groans, the shrieks for mercy, the
| walls Of friends discovering relatives
in the piles CT crushed humanity ou.
on the floor, had swept into the room
and Barton had shrunk down III the
| bed and shuddered Gordon Went out,
closed the door and ordered a carriage
for Barton When It came, he went to
help Barton get ready. To his amaze
ment, he was up and waiting. When he
got I'D of the bed on which he was sit
! ting, he reeled on his feet and would
! have fallen if Gordon had not pat al
arm about him.
! You are not able to leaTe!'
..I am, tell you. I will never die
here. III live long enough to get 20 my
rooms. And III live long enough to
write up this horror too. The Gay Of
judgment ought to begin today for
some of the people in this God forsaken
metropolis, John. There's your friend,
Mr.. Marsh! I suppose the building was
insured. He never lost anything, Ell:
| Not that sort!'
Gordon supported him through tie
hall and Barton, in spite of his tre-
mendous will power, nearly fainred st
the sights and sounds there. Miss An
drews was helping one Of the surgeons.
a great crowd thronged the entrance
to Hope House, and Gordon had great
| difficulty in getting Barton out to tie
carriage.
He put him into it and was stepping
in himself when Barton pulled tie
door and told the driver to go on.
| Gordon hesitated.
You're needed here. Go On, driver.
III promise to live till tomorrow, JOHN.
| Go in and help her. She needs some
one"
The carriage started slowly on &C.
count Of the crowd. Gordon waved
silent goodby. When the carriage was
out Of Bowen street, Barton tainted.
he lay like a dead man in corner of
the carriage, and when the driver
reached his rooms and got down to
open the door he was frightened at the
sight Of what looked like corpse in
the carriage He and Williams carried
Barton in, and before noon Barton lay
in a tremendous fever, which the doc