The St. Cloud journal. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1866-1876, 1866-09-20

things were al! row huddlcd together al:
one window, for the fire was gaining on
them, SO that unless they were xoou
helped they wouldn't w;iut it.
"Crash ! crash y Didn't I let my
I!I!|c axe play aro"rd :kc sa>hcs ui 'Eat
window, and soon !savc clearance, for
it Was ia led up, and then when the
poor things heard me, aud saw the light
shining Oh my helmet. how they iil
,hrick for help.
just then looked down 1T the te;,th
and cansh: sight of one fellow stand
ing below with u short ladder in Iii.
hand, which mi ght have been of use i:
the poor things had been in the first
floor; aud then made ready to throw
my rope acroys, when just :s 7 was
read y to lot go, und then going to try
and catch 1t, Il thought str"ck me, and
l let the coil cf rope fall down into the
court, a"d but one end as I kept hold
Of, and then when the poor things saw
it let down they shrieked again, and one
of them fell back from the window.
"Tie on that ladder" / Ishoutci, ''ani
some of you ccme up" aud one of my
mates soon tied the rope to one of the
rounds, and then with two or three
more run into the house, while I haul
ed away till got hold of the bottom Of
the ladder, tor they sent the heaviest
end up first, and then dragged it in at
the window, and balancing the other
end up Continued to push it across and
into the window of the other house
across the court, and so made sort of
bridge, only it was all askew fol the
houses were not quite opposite to one
another.
just as III done this in comes my
mate with two more men. and [ sets
them to work to hold the ladder while
[ took hold Of the rope, and then made
ready to crawl across on the thin bridge
I'd riggcd up. It was for life and
death, or I wouldn't have vcnturcd on
the slight, bonding wood 70, though
a ladder set nearly upright may be strong
enough, it makes it a deal weaker to lay
it down level and then 60 and crawl
along it. I knew how it would be,
though, 50 I. tied the rope round my
body, and made my mate hitch the 9TH
er end round "a big hook in the wall,
used for pulley, so that in the event
ofa fall, if the rope held good, I should
mt have gonetall the way. They tied
one end OF ths ladder, too, for to keep
it steady, andthen there was scran4b-
Ing across, with the ladder bending
and quivering, and the crowd under
Meath hurraing and clapping their hands
just as if Was doing bit Of Blondin
to please them.
1tO" '''~9 ladder did bend !; 50 that I
thought it must 8 i've way, and Me 90
crash into the court; but it didn't; and
the next moment I was in the window
Of the burning house, with the trem-
bling women clingiug to me.
"Now them" I says to enc man,
you can creep across" and pointed
to the ladder.
II can't leave my wife," he says,
holding half fainting woman against
the window, where the smoke wasn't
quite SO dense.
"You're a trump, you are" I thinks,
and then I hauls more of the rope over,
and makes it fast around the poor wo-
mans waist and then we laid her Oh
the ladder, and the three on tho other
side hauled, and so they soon had her
in at the other window, though the rope
was so tight that it must have hurt the
poor thing terribly.
Then they loosencd the rope again,
VIC sent ano,her woman over, and she
was inscnsiblc with fear, and We got
her over all right, though she too, slip
ped of the ladder. Then there We're
two little girls, one after the other; and
it vas sad to see how they trcm6!ed
aud shook-!oo much frightened to cry
as we'll they might be, for the heat was
awful and I knew that another quar-
ter of an hour would find the room We
were in red hot.
We got another over-a young man
and he was dragged over too, Tor he
dare not try to crawl across, an! sup
pose TO Il man as amt used to such
things, to creep over place like that,
all those feet over the pavement, and
when you've been frightened to death
nearly by waking out Of your sleep to
find the, next place Oh fire, is rather
trying; and now there was only that
chap whose wife had been sent over
first, and who had worked all he could
to help me and another terrible coward
ly chap, whom I'd had quite . set to
with to keep back, 50 as to save the wo-
men and children first.
And now this chap as I've just spoke
about made rush to get at the ladder.
and he was in such /. horrid fright that
| don't believe he'd got over safe, and
besides [ knew there was time for us all
to get away if things were done quietly
SO, considering as it wasn't his turn, !
held him back for the married man to
30 first to his wife, when the other Que
almost shrieked out with rage and fear.
"Let him 90 FIRST says the married
man, "I'll watt"
"'Taint his turn" I says, rather OBJ
stinatc like. cover you go!' and at
such time one can't be intcrfercd
with, and having made my plans so far