Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1872-02-15

| Fire Fire ~
Mrs Moss leaped from her bed in terror
at the thunderous beating on her door, to
see one half the wall of her room lur;d,
! smouldering mass, which, even as she
rushed past it toward the outer door,
\ burst into live flame behind her.
| The street was already full of half
dressed people.
Miss Waring" cried half score of
voices where is she?"
! mot here, she did not come home last
night" came from the widows pale
! lips.
Thank God fer thatr'
And through it all-tbe tumult, the
shouting, the hurrying steps, the rush of
the destroying tire-she lay in that
strange, unbroken trance of sleep. No
one could reach her now; the whole lower
story was one shell of fire, which burst
! through melting panes and smoking clap
boarding Men, wsmen, and children
ran aimlessly to and fro, or stood, as if
fascinated, with their useless pals and
buckets in their hands.
the very hearts blood of those who
heard!
She stood in the little gable window,
black masses of her hair sweeping down
! her white robe, her hands outstretched in
! an agony of fear and entreaty A deep
groan of despair went up from the crowd
below, seeming TO her quickened senses to
! fall back from the leaden sky with dull,
| hopeless rebound. She understood all
| now One thrill of dreadful anguish
| from the strained chords that bind every
human heart to life, and Margaret Waring
/ was calm.
! In that supreme moment she seemed to
| have outlived the patriarchs. Life, with
all its hopes and fears SO real last night,
seemed now long past and dreamy. She
/ felt the breath of eternity on her brow.
/ Yet, with mysterious double-sense, she
was conscious of all the small details of
| the scene She saw the strange light and
! shadows playing over the horror.stricken
| faces below, the vivid outlines Of the
nearer trees against the inky sky beyond,
even the fiuttering of frightened birds
amid their branches.
Some of the old Huguenot blood burned
| in the veins of this girl her slender limbs
were moulded of the pure stuff out of
which martyrs were made. An old hymn
! Of her childhood sprang to her lips wild
and sweet the quaint melody rang outupon
/ the air
| 1.-The Lord is coming, is coming
In chariot Of fire
Fly up my soul, to meet Him,
On the wings Of thy desire :
There is a sudden movement in the
crowd, a focal gathering of all eyes What
/ do they see?
! 4 bOyish figure, appearing no one
knows how or whence, climbing toilsome-
/ Nv up the steep roof slope, clinging with
bare feet and hands to the smoking
shingles, sliding, slipping yet advancing
still He has reached the top, he runs
along the dizzy ridge, he throws himself
mt full length along the angle above the
gable window, he is fastening something
TO the cornice spre.
Something falling between her and the
sky strikes Margarct's hand. II is the
end of rope rudcly knotted, and above
she sees the face Of Harold Thorn. All
the sweetness of life swoons back upon
her with digging wish.
4 Come ~
She steps upon the window-sill, and
grasps the rope She does not once look
IdOwn-the boy holds her with his mag
netc ewes She feels the strength OF
giants Jingle along her slender wrists.
ner old, childish play with her brother,
at sea farng, with mimic rigging fasten-
ed TO the great beams of the barn, viii
serve her now, climbing for her life.
/ Uni up the rope strains, bat holds
| In upl she feels his hands Half
clambering, half drawn, she lies painting
on the roof. The crowd cheers, but only
| family yet, for the flames are bursting
! through the roof now, and the danger is
I only begun.
/ Holding fast 70 each other, they work
I their way down. Great clouds of smoke
burst up, and snatch their breath. They
stand upon the shelving caves, they leap
! together upon tn lower roof of the wing
! bruised, choking, but unfaltering.
! Courage !. yonder a hundred waiting
arms
"Now ~ cries Harold, Jump"
Margaret springs through the snifocat-
! ing smoke-ghe feels hereif caught up and
| borne-shc struggles for "A sight of Hal.
| There is "a flash, rumbling like an ava
/ lanche great columns rise of mingled
! smoke and flame.
"Hal. Hall! she shrieks, but there isno
answer.
The people fell back as Deacon Thorns
strong arm took up his boy, struck TO
death i'm his brave breast by a tic from
the fallen chimney. He breatbcd, butt his
ewes were closed
The old doctor came near, and shook
his head A culver of pain distorted the
boy s face. ,
Lay me down, father y he gasped.
"Where is she -
She dropped upon her knees beside
him-shc, who would have drawn the
blood from her own heart to feed his life
one hour-and took his head upon her
breast.
80 my son. my son = groaned the
stern, strong man. LOOK at meat me,
O my child ~
The boy turned his head toward him,
smiling fceby. but, in a moment, bis un-
certain gaze wandered back to Margaret
face
" Greater love -" he whispered {;
"say it,
"'Greatcr love bath no man than this,
that man lay down his life for his
friend =" she answered.
A glow, not Of the freight, shone upon
his face, then faded slowly, slowly-and
she closed his cyes.-Gotten A3e.
LEwESBKCK tells Of an insect seen with
the microscope, Of which twenty seven
millions would only equal mite. Insects
/ ~ ,ariptfs Lipdg may be seen in the Cayl-