The Literary echo, and Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1851-1854, 1853-08-18
WHOLE NUMBER l25

anu Henry Ashton WcnJ VI Dch' nv
two o'clock he awoke, feeling heated
and feverish; and to cool himself he
began to think of Alice Herbert. He
found it by no means good plan for
he felt warmer than before, and soon
sufiocating feeling came over him, and
he thought he felt strong smell of
burning wood. His bedroom was one
of those unfortunate inn bedrooms that
are placed under the immediate care and
protection of sitting room, which, like
Spanish ducnna, will let nobody in
who does not pass by their door. He
put on his dressing-gown, therefore, and
issued out into the sitting-room, and
there the smell was stronger; there was
considerable cracking and roaring,
which had something alarming in it, and
he consequently opened the outer door
All he could now see was thick smoke
filling the corridor through which came
red glare from the direction Of the
stair case but he heard those sounds
of burning wood which are not to be
mistaken, and in minute after, loud
knocking at doors, ringing of bells, and
shouts of "Firc fire !" showed that
the calamity had become apparent to the
people in the street. He saw all the
rushing forth of naked men and women
which generally follow such catastro-
phc, and the opening of all the doors of
the house, as if for the express purpose
of blowing the fire into fame. There
were hallooing and shouting, there was
Screaming and tears, and what between
the rushing sound of the devouring ele-
ment, and the voice of human suffering
and fear, the noise was enough to awake
the dead
Henry Ashton thought of MS port
manteau and wondered where his SER
want was !; but seeing, by number of
people driven back from the great stair
way by flames, that there was no time
to be lost, he made his way down by a
smaller one, and in a minute or two
reached the street. The engines by this
time had arrived; an immense crowd
was gathering together, the terrified
tenants Of the inn were rushing forth,
and in the midst Henry Ashton re-
marked one young woman wringing her
hands, and exclaiming, ooh, my poor
young mistress my poor young mistress!
my poor young lady"
"Where is she, my good girl ?" de-
manded the young soldier.
" In number eleven" cried the girl,
/" in number eleven. Her bedroom is
within the sitting room, and she will
never hear the noise"
There she is," cried one of the by
standers who overheard; "thero she is,
| dare say"
Ashton looked up towards the house,
through the lower windows of which the
flames were pouring forth; and across
the easement which seemed next to the
very room he himself had occupied, he
saw the figure of woman, in her night
dress, pass rapidly.
" A ladder" he cried, 4" a ladder, for
Gods sake There is some one there,
it be-"
No ladder could be got, and Henry
Ashton looked round in vain.
The back staircase of stone," ho
cried "she may be saved that way"
"Ay, but the corridor is on fire."
said one of the walters; "you'd better
not try sir it cannot be DONE"
Henry Ashton darted away, into the
nm, up the staircase, but the corridor
vas on fire, as the man had said, and the
lanes rushing up to the very door of the
ooms he had lately tenanted. He
ushed on, however, recollecting that he
lad seen side door, and shook it vio-
emily, for it was fastened.
81 will open it," cried voice from
within, that sounded strangely fomiliar
o his ear.
The lock turned-the door opened
nd Henry Ashton and Alice Herbert
TODD face TO face.
"God of Heaven !" he exclaimed,
atching her in his arms. But he had
% time for explanation, and hurried
ack with her towards the door Of his