Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1862-01-17

Fletcher's house, standing bare and brown
in the moonlight only few rods distant.
She could gaze with what pleasure or sor-
row she might, at the windows Of the room
where poor Jason lay tossing with the fe-
YER
She gazes earnestly thitherward, and her
breath comes thick and short, while her
heart seems rising into her throat For she
sees, gathered thick and dun above the
house, dense, undulating and ever.in-
creasing shadow, that threatens to obscure
the low-foating moon There is no wind,
and il rises slowly but steadilyl Deacon
Fletcher's house is on fire
Her shrill cries, uttered in wild and rapid
succession, aroused the household of Peter
Hopkins TO the fact that there was fire
somewhere-fre, thst most terrible fend to
awake before in the dead Of night. As for
Hannah it was but an instants work for
her to threw on little clothing and spring
FROM the low window into the yard. Then
she ran, with what trembling speed she
might, toward the burning house.
The smoke still rose somber and heavily
from the roof and about one Of the chin
neys little tongues of flames lesped up as
she approached. She could hear a fearful
cracking, too of that spiteful sort made by
the burning of dry wood. The house was
all Of wood, and old, and it was evidently
thoroughly afre within.
She realized this as she hurried up to it.
In the brief seconds of her crossing the
field and leaping a small stream that ran
near the house, she thought of Jason, so no.
BILE, so self-denying, so prosecuted, so beau
tiful, lying there in his little upper room,
powerless from the fever, and doomed to die
| dreadful death. She thought of him, weak
aud helpless, with no strength even to
shrink from the flames that should lap over
him and lick him to death with their fiery
tongues. All this as she sped across the
field and leaped tine stream.
Reaching the house, she glanced upward,
and could perceive the light of the flames
already showing itself through the upper
front windows, next the room where slept
the Deacon and his wife. Fortunately ia
sons room was in the rear, and this door
the tried fading it fast. Then she re-
membered that an old nurse from the vii.
lage watched with him, and she called
fercely on her name, but with no response
As she had approached the house, the
nearest out door was that facing the road
Immediately over which the fire was evi
IDENTIFY about to break out. Then she re-
memDeTed slde entrance, through an olO
wood shed, that was seldom locked, and she
Immediately made her way to it.
Meanwhile the fire was busy with the dry
woodwork of the house, and though there
was no wind, it spread with fearful rapidity
Already the flames had burst out through
the roof in two or three places, aud in tn
front of the house they were cruelty curl
ing and creeping about the caves. The!
seemed confined, however, to the upper por
tion of the building, and therein she hat
hope.
As she had anticipated, she found tn
side door unfastened, and she made her wa.
rapidly to the foot of the back stairway
When she opened the door to ascend,
thick, black smoke rushed down, almos
empowering her. The opening Of the doc
seemed to aid the fire, too, and there was
sort of explosive eagerness in the new star
it took as it now cracked and rOared abov
her. Then she recognized in the sickenin
smoke o smell of burning feathers, and sh
felt faint and weak as she thought that
might be his bed that was on fire.
TO BE CONTINUED.