Catoctin clarion., 1915-09-09
NO. 26.
A WoMAN'S CAMPAIGN
BY HAROLD CARTER.

Public opinion was not enthusias-
tfcally in favor Of Raphael when he
came to live in East Kemp. Raphael
was an Armenian, and his color was
that Of the lining Of ham sandwich.
OF course his nationality was not 80
much against him as the fact that he
had foreign ways.
He had peddled cheap jewelry in the
district for several years when he sur.
prised everybody by buying the Drew
cottage and establishing himself there
with his wife and son, q lanky, ham.
colored lad of thirteen. Apparently
he had amassed all the money he
needed in the peddling line, for he set
to work to raise poultry and vege-
tables, which he sold to Hiram Smith,
the grocer.
Something has got to be done
about those people" said Mrs. Daunce.
the leader Of the social set in East
Kemp. We've got to draw the line
somewhere, or we'll all be black and
tan before we know where we are"
Everybody followed her lead obedi.
emily. 1t was not mslics-just stu
pidity, and q sense that the Raphaels
were rather out Of their proper ele-
ment Mrs. Daunce forbade her son
Harry to go to the Raphaels' house.
Harry and young Raphael-his father
had changed his oriental name to
Washington-had played together =
good deal. Harry felt badly about It.
But the word had gone forth that the
Raphaels were to be ostracized.
can see Raphael now, In Hiram
Smiths store, always with smile on
his pleasant face, and q CHEEKY word.
He was the kindest-hearted fellow, and
most of the men had a good word for
Raphael 1t was pre-eminently Q wom-
ems crusade, inspired by the desire
to keep the aliens across the river.
Raphael joined the volunteer IRE
brigade among his other activities.
The sight Of the fat. bearded man run
ming like boy to every blaze was .
ludicrcus one. When they served out
brass helmets-donated by Horace
Daunce-Raphael was the proudest OF
the proud.
Harry Daunce had been Ill with
scarlet fever for three weeks when the
great fire destroyed tho DauncS home.
There was no need to sound the dre-
bell. The flames lit up all East Kemp.
and within nve minutes the engines
were out and the horses galloping
wildly toward the scene.
In the front Of the crew, his face
wild with excitement, was Raphael
in his big brass helmet. He was
shouting to the beasts - they GAL
loped up the steep hill toward the
furious flames that leaped skyward
out OF the burning roof.
The servants had got away, but Mr..
and Mrs Daunce and the boy were
trapped in the burning wing. Horace
Daunce showed that there was some
thing more than superciliousness In
him that night He caught his wife
in his arms and crawled along the
coping, leaped six.foot parapet with
her, and crouched among the sparks
until they got a rope to him.
The moment he had got his wife to
the ground he ran back into the
flames. He had got half way through
the hall toward the stairs when fall
ing beam knocked him sensslesA and
one Of the men ran in and rescued
him.
The boys white face appeared at
an upper window. He was q chip on
the old block. He didn't scream or
cry-just sat at the window and
looked out and waited.
Half dozen men dashed in, but
Raphael was the first. He vanished
in an inferno of smoke and fame. and
1t seemed an eternity before he WAS
seen at the window beside Harry.
He seized the lad In his arms and
disappeared within the room again.
Only the coiling smoke came out. A
crash followed. and tho whole floor o1
that room fell in. The flames shot up
above the roof tops.
We had about given up hope whom
out Of the debris there appeared .
figure, the almost nude body Of q man.
crowned with a huge, brass. mockinS
f1reman's helmet. In his arms, which
we're smoldering, Q carried . limp
body wrapped in 'anket. He stag
gered out of the fire I'd smoke. which
shot forth angry tonsues after him.
as If infuriated that he had escaped
its malice.
He stood for an instant gaping W
cantly about him; then he came stag
gering down the steps: and % RAe
phael laid the body of the boy at Hor.
ace Daunce's feet. Inside the blan-
kets was Harry. half asphyxiated, but
absolutely uninjured by smoke or hre.
Raphael sat down and looked up at
us. He presented spectacle that few
Of US care to think about. Mrs. Ra-
phael, who had been revived, ran for.
ward, but suddenly another woman
shouldered her away. It was Mrs.
Daunce. She took Raphaers burned
hand in hers and kissed It.
1T is nothing" he said, in his queer
accent. II am an American now, and
you have all been 80 kind, 20 very
kind to my wife and me. And %
Washington, no grow up among
friends, to be An American"
His eyes closed. and he fell hack.
saw Mrs. Daunce trying to comfort
Mrs. Raphael. and I knew that the
woman's campaign would be aban,
doned.
Copyright. 1915, by w. g. Chspman.)