Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1868-05-28
fat the @Autl1e Girtle,
LAYING WITH FIRE.
BY REV, F. R. GOULDING.


!, who lived in the same valley with DR.. Cor.
. don, had been playing with fire. They
J, had met, early that morning, at their play
ground, for the purpose of roasting sweet
potatoes, and of having children's party.
| They had made their fire by the side of a
stump, and had piled against it quantity
of leaves and dry sticks to burn ashes e.
nough to make their potatoes roast.
u The fire was quite hot, and it blazed so
high, whenever fresh armful Of dry stuff
was thrown on, that the children screamed
with delight, and ron for more sticks and
leaves to make it blaze higher. This was
no doubt very pleasant, and innocent e.
nough too; but those poor little children
had no idea what a dangerous play that was.
Billy Sheppard, merry little fellow,
about seven years old, brought big arm
full of bushes and grass to throw on the
fire, calling to the others, as hedid SO "See,
how big my blaze will be !" when he felt a
sharp pain on his leg. He had run against
burning branch that stuck out from the
fire, and in moment his heated clothes
were in blaze. ~
The instant he felt the fire, he tore at
his clothes to get them off, and screamed
to the others to come and help him. And
they did come, every one of them, and
helped him all they could, but they did not
know what to do. One boy tried to loosen
and tear off the burning clothes; and girl
tried to beat out the flames with her sum
bonnet, but the boy got his hands badly
burned, and the girls bonnet took fire and
she had to throw it away. There was no
water near by to throw upon it, yet if Billy
had only thought to fall flat on the ground,
and roll over and over, he mig ght have
smothered out the fire himself. But he
never thought of that, and when the fire
began to burn him very badly, he broke a.
way from the other children and ran home
as fast as he could. ... .-..... ...
Now this running in the open air, with
his clothes on fire, was the worst thing be
could do. Instead of stopping the fire, it
only made it burn faster, by causing a kind
of breeze as he ran; aud when he reached
home, he was so badly burned from his
neck to his knees, that he could not live.
i His mother sent some one to tell DR..
Gordon what had happened, and to beg
him to come over and do what he could for
her poor child. The Doctor made William,
his servant MAJ, saddle the horse, and rode
over to Mr.. Sheppard's as fast as he could
carry him; ;; but the moment he saw the lit
tie boy, he told Mrs. Sheppard that moth
ing could be done to save his life, and that
he would probably die that day or that
night. All that he could do was to give
him some medicine to relieve the pain, and
perhaps put him to sleep, and besides that
he wrapped up the raw places with o thick
coating of wheat -four, which he said was
very cooling to burn of any sort, whether
it were great or small.
i Late in the afternoon, as has been said,
j Mrs. Gordon took Frank and Anna with
her to see how Billy was. Before they
reached the gate they heard his screams,
which at first were very loud, but they soon
became weaker and weaker, until they stop
E ped altogether. Poor Billy was dead.
l. This dreadful death of little boy thai
went from home that morning as we'll anc
happy as anybody, made Frank and Anna
feel so bad that they could hardly. think o.
!, anything else; and when they were assem-
|, bled in their fathers study, that evening
they almost forgot to ask for their usua
story But they did ask him, and he ans
!, wered:
81 will tell you one, but it must be ab0u
|, fire. And before telling it I must say some
thing in very plain way about what chal
oren ought to do, and something too about
, what they ought not to do, to keep from be-
, ing burned to death as Billy Sheppard was.
''Do, do, father, if you please" they both
answered, and he went on to say:
eff you will listen we'll, I will tell yor
first, what they ought not to do.
"They ought not to play scith fire, moi
with those things that make fire, such az
matches and gunpowder, until they are ole
enough to know how to handle them safely
eff their outside clothes are Of cotton
they ought not to go near large or hot
: fire, nor should they be in the company o.
: those who are playing with it; for heatee
cotton takes fire almost as quickly as gun
powder burns very fast andis hard put out
ssShould their clothes take fire, they
3 should never think of running, or of going
out into the open an; for this is the wors
; thing they could do, and will be almost sure
, to cause them to be burned to death.
5 "Tbese are the things they ought not tt
. do. Do you understand them?"
f eyes, SIR Frank answered. "We ough
not to play with fire or matches or gun
3 powder; and We ought not to 60 near a ho
s fire with cotton clothes on and we ough
e never to run through the open air with ou'
e clothes on fire"
s 81 see you understand said his father
;. "and now think of little Billy. Ifhe hat
. not played with fire, he would probably hav'
e been alive to-day. Or if, when playing
f with fire, his clothes had not been Of cottol
/ they would not have blazed as they did,
r Or, if when his clothes were on fire he hat
not run, it is possible that he and the 9th
ers might have smothered out the fame
e and saved his life.
s "And now, father, please tell US some
O thing that we ought to do, said Frank.
e Gall persons who have much to do witt
e fire." DR.. Gordon replied, sought to wea
e outside clothes of wooden, which neve
S blazes, or else have their cotton clothe
i rinsed in strong alum water after washing
;. which will make them almost as safe a