Year: 1871

comfort to dcspairing hearts. "lIave you
seen my wife and children ?" would be
asked, aud the answer given: "Yes, they
are safe at Lake View by this time"
(" Won't you look out for my baby" (or
Willie or Johnny, as the case may be) Out
would come tablets or papers, and names
or inquiries would be noted down, oven by
the man who was making almost super.
human efforts to save few goods from his
burning house. Some friend-it WA days
before knew who-took my parrot and
forced bottle of tea and bag of crackers
into my hand as wandered, aud l was
enough myself to give it to a friend who I
found almost faiuting with heat aud fatigue,
and who declared that nectar and ambrosia
never tasted better. At last found my
self opposite Unity Church. Dear Unity
will her little circle of devoted ones ever
come together again, and worship some.
times, and work for the poor sometimes,
and sing and play in her beautiful under
parlors sometimes, and love each other al
ways? know not, but l know that l
went and bent my hands together, and
ragged hopelessly, when l saw that the
beautiful homes on the west side of Dear
born street were gone, and the Ogden Pub
lie School was one bright blaze, while the
graceful and noble Congregational Church,
next to Mr.. Collyer's Church, had caught
fire. Nothing could save our pride and
joy, our darling for which we had made
such efforts in money and labor two short
years ago, that the fame of Chicago muni-
ficence rang anew on our account through
the civilized world.


was grieving enough, heaven knows,
over my private woes; but awokc to new
miserics when | saw our pastors great
heart, which had sustained the fainting
spirits of so many, freely give way to lamcn-
ations and tears. as his precious library, the
slow accumulation of twenty laborious and
economical years, fell and famed into
nothingness in that awful fire. l turned
away heart-sick and resumed my miserable
search after the face which l now felt
almost sure should never see again. A
new sight soon struck my eye. What in
the world was that dark, lurid, purplish
ball that hung before me, constantly
changing its appearance like some fendisll
face making grimaces at our misery! !
looked aud looked, and turned away, and
looked again. May l never see the sun,
the cheerful daily herald of comfort and
peace. look like that again. 1t looked
devi!ish, and piuched myself to see if l
was not loosins my senses. 1t did not
seem ten minutes since l had seen the
little, almost crescent moon look out cold :,
quiet, and pitiless, through a rift in the
smoke cloud, from the deep blue of the sky.


Two dear children, whom had taught
peacefully on Friday, in our cheerful school
room, on Chicago avenue, met nc, crying,
ooh. have you seen mother? We have
lost her." This appeal brought me to my
self. L felt that had something else to do
than wonder aud grieve; so l persuaded
the lost lamb to 90 with me to friend on
Lasal!e street, where | felt sure VIC should
find help and comfort, and which every
body supposed would be safe. Indeed, a
very curious and rather absurd feature of
this calamity was that nobody thought his
house would burn till he saw it blazing,
and also felt perfectly sure that this was the
last of it, and that he and his family would
be safe little further up; SO the North
Sidcrs never began to pack up till the
fire crossed the river, and then the lower
ones moved about to Erie street, six squares
from the river then stopped. They were
driven by the flames another half-dozen
streets, losing generally half of what they
saved the first time; then to Division street.
then to Lincoln Park, where heaps and
heaps of ashes are all that remain to-day of
thousands of dollars worth Of eatableS and
furniture.


Exhausted and almost fainting, weeping
and sorely distressed, / finally landed in
a friendly house, far up on Lasallc street.
As I stepped inside the door, E ap.
pearcd, quiet, composed, and almost indif-
ferent. Burnt? Oh, no; he was all right
Did I suppose he was fool enough to stay
and be burned? There was D., too.
ifI wanted to see her in the parlor. Did
l feel reverently thankful? Ask yourself





80 oh rch N ho