Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1871-11-25

for tho embcllishmcnt Of our little room,
and which had turned them into bower
Of bcauty-must they be left? AT last l
stopped before our darling, tender and
sweet picture of Beatrice Cenci going to
execution, which looked down at me
through the dismal red glare, which was
already filing the rooms, with a sanity
and wearied sweetness that seemed to have
something wistfuI in it. I thought, II
will save this, if I die for IT," but my
poor parrot called my name and asked for
a peanut, and could no more have left
him than if he had heen n baby. But,
could ! carry that huge cage? No, indeed /;
so reluctantly took my poor little canary,
who was painfully futtering about and
wondering at the disturbance, and kissing
him, opened the front door aud set him
frcc-only to smother fear. But it was
the best could do for him if wished to
save my parrot, who had prior right to be
considered one 70 the family, if sixteen
years of incessant chatter may be consid.
cred to establish such right.
What sight our usually pretty, quiet
street presented. As far as | could sec,
a horrid wall-a surging, struggling, en-
croachiug wall-like vast surface Of grim
acing demons-came pressing up the
street; wall Of fire, ever nearer and nearer,
steadily advancing upon our midnight help
lessness. Was there no wagon, no car
riage, in which we could coax our poor
=, and take him away from these mad
dcning sights. Truck after truck, indeed,
passed by, but filed with loads of people
aud goods. Carriages rushed past drawn
by struggling and foaming horses, and
lined with white, scared faces. A truck
loaded pith goods dashed up the street !;
and, us looked, A ,mes burst out from the
sides, and it burned to ashes in front of
our door. No hope, no help for property !;
what we could not carry in our hands we
must lose. So, forcing my reluctant parrot
into the canary birds cage, l took the ca se
under one arm, and little bag. hurriedly
prepared, under the other, just as my sis
ter appeared with b, who, thank God,
was calm and self possessed At last the
good friend who had warned us appeared,
and, leaving all his own things, insisted on
hcl ping my sister to save ours, and he and
she started on, dragging Saratoga trunk.
They were obliged to abandon it at the
second corner, however, and walk on, lcav-
ing me to follow with E-," Come E--,
let us 60" said 1. AGO where | am not
going. Where is the use 2" he answered.
and he stood with his arms folded as it he
were Interested merely as curious spec
tator. urged begged, l cried, went
on my knees. He would not stir, but pro-
posed going back into the house. This l
prevented by entrcatics, aud | bcsought
him to fly as others were doing; but no.
a kind of apathetic despair had seized
him, and he stood like rock while the
flames swept nearer and nearer, and my
entreatics, nay even my appeals to him to
save me, were utterly in vain. Hotter
and hotter grew the pavement, wilder the
cries of the crowd, ana my silk aud cotton
clothing began to smoke in spots. 1 felt
beside myself, and, scizing =, tried to
drag him away. Alas! what could my
woman's strength do? There followed an.
other shout, wild push back, falling
wall, and was halfa block away. aud E
was gone. Oh God, pity those poor worms
of the dust, and crush them not utterly,
was my prayer.
How passed the rest of that cruel Sun
day night l scarcely know. Wondering,
staring, blindly carrying along my poor
parrot, who was too tired to make sound,
lscemed to go ina dread. Starting north
to get help, run7ing back as near to the
fame as l could in the vain hope of finding
q, bitterly reproducing myself that
had ever left him for an instant. passed
three hours of which can hardly give
any account. I know that, as turned
wildly back once toward Dearborn street,
l saw the beautiful Episcopal Church of
St. James in flames. But they came on
all sides, licking the marble buttres,es one
by one, and leaving charred or blackened
masses where there had been white marble
before. But the most wonderful sight of
all was the white aud shining church tower
from which, as looked, burst tongues of
fire, and which burnt as though all dross
Of earth were indeed to be purified away
from Gods house forever. As the tower
camc crashing down, the bells with one
accord pealed forth that grand old German
hymn, All good souls praise the Lord"
l almost seemed to hear them, and to see
shadowy Nicholos striking the startled
metal for the last time with his brave old
hands. If this is right, If it can be right,
make me think SO, groaned my soul, aud
the souls of many weeping women thut
night, as they fed houselcss aud lost
through that Paudemonium of fame and
tumult. t.-e eat
Constantly faces that knew, flashed
across me, but they were always in dream,
all blackened aud discolored, and with an
expression that I never saw before; "Why,
c., is that your" some frightened
voice would exclaim, aud kind hand
would touch my disordcred hair, from
which the hat had long since fallen off, and
some only little loss distracted, would
whisper hopefully word about e.,
that he might not be lost, that the actual
nrasanco of Aamo vroulI ornusn hs,, o,l