The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1870-07-20

: red leaping freight behind him, hal
in the pale moonlight before, Anni
Somers saw again the deadly CLEAN
of the knife he was brandishing. III
waited, as if for an answer; and sine
none came, he sprung forward like
wild beast, but did not touch her. a
that moment, a broad, vivid blaze G
light burst oyer them, and, raisini
her hand with gesture that awe
even him, she said: 5a. ..lE.
"Stupi Yon may spare yoursel
the trouble of killing me, for we will
t both be dead in few minutes. zh
house rs OH tirfs% ..-,it'
He started gave one glance owe
his shoulder, and saw that she spok,
the truth: Every moyeablc articl,
of furniture that he could find in th,
room he had craiiimed into the fire
place, and piled high on the hearth
so that, famed HOW by the draughi
from the door and window, the flame.
shot up in fierce pyramid to the
very ceiling, and n volume of dense
sttoke rushed suddenly over the two
standing face to face in the dressing
c,oset. Madman as he was, Peters
was not so mad but Tint he realized
at once his terrible danger, and fear.
ed it. He gave one frightful cry
and turned as if to rush into the
burning room but the woman who
moment before, had shrank from
him, now seized him by the arm.
"6o on will kill yourself if YOU GO
there" she said. Look tie win
dow is OPEN Here is your only way
Let yourself down by this cord
lie paused and glared at her suspi-
ciousIy He saw at once what she
meant, but he plainly ,iistrusted her.
"You want me to kill myself" he
growle1, $50 that then L can't kill
you. But / won't do it. I'll go this
other way, and I'll leave you 10 burn
up. You will have fine big fire to
burn III, But" sudden thought
seemed to strike him-''l'll kill you
first Then you can't run away"
lie lifted The knife over her, but
she caught the wrist of the hand that
held it, and pleaded once moro, not
for her own SAT. ty, but for his.
"For Gods sake listen to mc-for
Gods sake do as 1 tell you. Why
should 1 wish to kill you? You new
er harmed me or mine. My child is
safe, and for myself l am not afraid
of anything you should do. You will
die horribly if you go into that room.
Here--here. This Is the only way of
escape.
She drew him, almost by main force
toward the window, and put the cord
in his hands but as she did so. a
sudden, horrible change, came over
his face, terrible convulsion seized
him as in a grip, and he fell back,
foaming and gasping, in fit of eri
lepsy.
For moment Annie Somers stood
conioucd cded, the awful perplexity of
the situation binding her, as with a
grasp of iron. She knew at once
what the paroxysm was, and she
knew also that utter hOpclessness OF
striving to force any knowledge of
peril on the poor wretch who lay at
her feet, like one of those possessed,
out of whom our blessed Lord cast
seven devils long ago, in distant Cali
lee. She might have saved herself,
for the cord was still in her hand, but
even in that hour of supreme danger
the heroic heart within her snid no to
this. She would not, she absolutely
could not, seek her own safety, and
leave this helpless creature to the fate
which awaited him. Thtre was still
little time before the flames reached
her-she would wait, until it was I'M
possible to wait longer, until the duty
of self-preservation called upon her
10 go. If she could only have closed
the door-pf communication between
The two rooms, this might have been
soon; but the door lay prone at her
feet, and, drawn by the draught, the
smoke rolled over her with III Toca
ting density. By an effort of strength
that was almost miraculous, she lifted
the head of the epileplic and laid, it
on: the window sill, that the fresh air
might rush over his face, and that he
might not BE- smothered to death, as
would inevitably have been the case
on the floor. Then she knelt down
by him and prayed, rs she had never
in all her fife found need to pray be-
fore-for, ungrateful creatures as we
arc, it is only when all other refnge
fails us, and when all other hope is
dead, that we turn to theone ltefuge
which never fails, ,,and invoke the hope
that never dies
OF what she said she had no after
whether the familiar
forms of accustomed supplicatien rose
10 her lips, or whether ner anguish
broke forth into its own wild appeal,
she knew not; but, at las, she rose
to her feet, with the consciousness
that she had no longer time tolose.- -
Terrible as the thought was. she must
go, leaving behind her this man whom
she could not save, even by dying
with him. Perhaps, to really brave
antl generous heart, there could be of
fered no harder necessity than this
But Annie Some s felt, very tfuly,
that her life was not her own to fling
away So she rose to her
feet, and as the steadily advancing
flames attacked the side of the wall
nearest to- her, as the floor grew
hot beneath her feet, and the room
beyond presented only sea of fire to
her gaze, grasped the cord which was
her only hope. She was not at all
sure that her wounded and paining
arms would bear her safely to the
ground,, bat he could only make the
But before doing so, she
eaned over her companion once more,
10 see if there was yet hope of his re-
covery. Tke violence of the parox
ysm had abated some little time be-