The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1904-10-10
ONLY AN ELEVATOR
BOY


When the Spanisb-Ameriean war
came on Hawkins & Co offered spe
ciai inducements 20 the young men in
their employ TO enlist Every man OF
spirit-so it was considered took ad
vantage Of the offer The daySbefore
they marched the recruits were given
"a lunch at the storea dry goods 1
house In the lunch room on Vie top |
floor. After eating and drinking aud /
being highly commended for their pa
triotism BY junior member of the |
firm they went down in the elevator, |
which was run by TONY Moxon.
why don't you enlist. Tony asked |
one OF the recruits, Ben Cummings,
jeeringly.
Crowded in the back Of the elevator
was Susie Toole, pretty cash girl, on |
whom Cummings had cast longing
eyes. He felt the effect Of his new
uniform. and as there was no Span
lard present upon whom % show his
pluck he must needs visit It on Tony
"Oh, Tonyts only an elevator boy
said another Of the party He doesn't
count
ooh. elevator boys aren't old enough
to pass muster, put in another. Since
Tony was twenty-five years old and
grown man. this was intended TO be
witty.
BY this time the elevator had reach J
ed the ground floor. and the soldiers
passed out Tony. who had not uttered
word in his defense, looked around
to see if an had left, when he espied
Susie Toole.
why didn't you talk back 1T EN-,
Tony n she asked
''Talk isn't knocks
| eNNell, why didn't YOU hit az emp
ooh. / didn't want 10 tell EN- why
don't enlist
Would you like To enlist Tonyl"
Yes, / would Anything would be
l better than the drudgery Of running
this elevator all day. But I'd like to
go anyway. | always had q fancy to
be soldier
Why don't you.go, them
What would mother dor She'd
starve'
That's right, Touy. You're a noble,
\ good man. You stick to your elevator
and your mother
Susie passed out and was soon an
swering the shrill calls for CASH
running back and forth all day as me
ehauically as Tony ran his elevator
The Spanish American war was Of
short duration, anu when II ended the
troops came home Those from Haw-
kins & Co.'S store had all been in camp
! III Florida and had seen no fighting ut
all.
These young men were in the same
regiment. and one day 1t was an-
nounced that the command would en-
ter the city the next afternoon Since
they would pass down the main street.
on which the Hawkins store was stu-
ated, the windows Of that building
were full of people OF course there
was not the same enthusiasm as IL the
returning troops had gone 10 Cuba and
fought at Santiago. but It was not
their fault that they didn't, aud they
were entitled TO a warm welcome
i While the people at Hawkins were
waiting for the troops, suddenly smoke
was seen issuing from the upper rear
windows. aud simultaneously there
was a cry of fire. The members Of the
firm In the office looked at one another
with blanched faces Their building
was fun Of people, and Il was on fire.
There would be slaughter worse than
that before Santiago, for the victims
| would be women and children The
staircases were narrow and steep 0ll
each side Of the store were two eIeva-
tors, but who would run nm elevator un
into a burning builaingg
! Three of the four elevator boys az.
serted their posts III the FIRST alarm
The fourth boy was Tony Moxon. ana
lie did not deseft his post The head Of
the firm was rushing about wildly on
| the ground floor when he noticed
Tony's elevator come down loaded
with people AZ soon as II could 81
| emptied Tony shut The door and start
ed back The sight Of bis insignificant
elevator hoy going up through tbs
smoke 70 the region of flames quoted
| Mr. Hawkins
II seemed half m hour before Tony
came down again and delivered anoth-
en- cargo of women and children By
this time the upper floors were in Il
whirl Of lame. and tile smoke on the
lower floors was sitting Nevertheless
Tony shut the gate and pulled the wire
rope
You're not going up againgr in
/ quired the head Of the firm, aghast
| Before the words were spoken the
legs Of the elevator boy were just dis.
| appearing above the ceiling Tony
stopped this time at the fourth floor
i The fifth was TOO hot for any one to
/ live, be thought. and All must have
come down But, hearing a Shrek
above, he went on AT the elevator
gate lay body There was too much
smoke to see it distinctly, but Tony
took 1t IN and descended. picking w
people by the way. When he reached