Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1866-08-02

till / left the neighborhood deal
with me regularly. But times
grew SO much better that | took {
store in a good street at the othel
end of the town. and one way ane
another saw no more of my police
man for three good years.
eOne night, just such a cold
night as that on which | first saw
him staring at the hams, / was
awakened long after midnight by
a cry of fire. / started up to see
the flames through the floor, and
to know the store down stairs was
all ablaze. The stairs were on
fire, also, and when, as 1 opened
the entry door, the hot air and
smoke rushed in and almost
smothered me, / gave up all hopes
of getting my poor wife and our
helpless little ones out of that
burning building alive and safe.
Help came to US, however, and
though in clambering down the
ladder / slipped and broke my arm,
Twas thankful when / saw, as |
thought, all were safe. Twas SO
faint and i'll from the accident, you
see, that | hadn't all my wits
about me, and believed there was
no one missing. My blood ran
cold when my wife clasping her
hands, with an awful look upon
her face, screamed:
Sour little Lucy, our little Lu-
cyis left behind"
'EShe had slept with the hired
girl since her baby brother was
born, and the woman in her fright
had forgot her little one. There
she was at the top of that burning
building, out of the reach of any
human help. 1t seemed to me as
1 looked up at the walls-a great
yellow sheet of flame, with blue
CLEANS here and there-as though
devilish headswere peeping out and
grinning at us. Still, hopeless as
it was, I should have gone back IN
to the burning house, and saved
my baby or died with her, if l had
been able to stand. No one else
would venture. 1t would be
foolish sacrifice of life, they said,
for no doubt the child was already
Smothered by the smoke, and
though / raved and pleaded, and
made wild promises, they shook
their heads and bade me have pa
tience.
T'Patience! I thought that I was
going mad as the face of my little
girl-my sweet, pretty pet-rose
up before me. But just then a
tall man dashed through the
crowd and came towards me-"
"Quickp' he shouted, (which
room is the child in-speak quick
ly, which room?"
"The back one on the upper
aoor," I groaned, and he dashed
away from me, parting the throng
with his strong arms, and in an
other moment / saw him mounting
The ladder. / heard them calling
lina to come back, bidding him be-
ware, and speaking of him as
though he were dead already. But
ne never needed them, and as I saw
lim hidden by the black smoke
which poured from the window, /
my face and prayed that
he angels who walked in the
iery furnace might 60 with him.
'Perhaps they did. Something
stronger than an earthly thing
must have been there, for in few
minutes they seemed years to
ne then-we saw him coming
lown the ladder with something
n his arms. The burnt body of
ny child, perhaps, / thought, but
ls he came closer j saw that it was
ny own laughing, living darling,
With her blue eyes open and her
little arms about his neck.
'The roof fell In the next mo-
nent, but my treasure was safe,
md that was all / cared for"
,""What shall / say or do to thank
Vou," ] said, as / grasped his hand.
I'm a ruined man, and | can only
give you my blessing; but let me
xnow your name al least"
you forgotten me?-
Don't you remember me?' he said,
Is he bent oyer me. "Look
again." alLr ~
: s1 did, and I saw pair of
fI~L