The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1872-07-24

Ahon oooh'y3 .'' - " 'n"StN, 'Ho
grounds became thronged with poo
ple, the engines Of the fre-company
came up at gallop, and began to play
upon the roof adventurous spirits
thronged the house, tossing the costly
furniture recklessly out Of the win
dows and injuring far more than they
saved. Others again, came to pilfer,
the flames rushed steadily on, the
people talked, the engines played, the
flowers stared at the light of tho
great conlagration, or wither,d away
beneath it's fierce heat-a scene Of
wild pandemonlum replaced the odor-
Gus quiet Of the summer night.
In the midst Of this, Devereux
came hastily up to Kennon, who stood
on tho outskirts of the crowd, talk
ing to Rose Inglesby. Itstruck them
both, as he approached, that he looked
singularly pale and agitated, even for
o man whose house was burning
down.
"Kennon," he said, hastily, edo you
know where Mrs. Inglcsby is? Have
you beard-have you seen her any
where ?"
"Mrs. Inglosbyw Kennon repeated,
starting, and growing so pale that
the pallor Of the other face was, by
contrast, insignificant and natural.
'My God-nol Is she missing?"
II can't find her." the other an
swered, "and one of the servants says
something about seeing her in the
library. But she can't have been so
foolish-so mad-as to stay there
until now. Perhaps sho has gone
home.--Miss Inglesby, do you knowr"
81 am sure she has not gone home,
Mr.. Devereux," Rose answered, tremb-
ling with sudden, vague fear.
The two men looked at each other.
In all their lives neither Of them ever
forgot that horrible, sickening mo-
ment.
"Did you leave her in the house ?"
Devereux sharply asked.
II left her for you to bring out"
Kennon as sharply answered.
1t was easy, then, to SOC how the
thing occurred. Devereux had not
heard Of her presence in the house
when he hastily left it. Kennon had
Quilted it even before that, thinking
Alice safe under tho guardianship Of
the man she had been so eager to
save. She, on her part, had fingered
in the library until escape was cut off
by the flames.
"What are we to do?" Dcvereux
asked, in the midst of the awful,
husbed panic which seized them.
"You may do what you like" said
Kennon. fercely. II am going after
her."
He turned quickly toward the
house, but Rose caught his arm. AT
that momont she forgot every thing
her sister-in-law, Dcvcreux, maid
culy reserve, every thing but the fear
that he would rush madly into dan,
ger. r...
80 Mr.. Kcnnon," she cried, "dont
don't be rash! Perhaps Alice has
gone hvme!"
Kennon answered nothing he only
brushed her aside as if she had been a
butterfly, and went on his way.
OF what eDsued be had never more
than vague remembrance. Ho rec
objected mounting a tireman's ladder
to tho library-window-that same
window at which Alice had stood a
few nights before, thinking Of him
and climbing into the room already
full Of dcnsc, black smoke. But all
this was singularly confused nothing
was clear, until he found himself
kneeling over half.suffocatcd and
unconscious woman on tho sward
below. Even in her Inconsistencies,
however, she did not relax her clasp
Of Il small picture which she held.
Strangely enough, it was the en-
craving which had hung over Dover
eux's writing-table.
How brightly and joyously the
next morning broke over the black
ened ruin Of the once stately Dover
eux House How gayly the birds
sang among the roses, how softly the
shadows fiskercd over the green turf
Flow little any thing in Nature seem
ed to reck of the destruction which
had been wrought between the set
ting and rising of the SUM-
"And it would be all the same if it
had been human life instead of q
housel" thought Alice Inglesby, as
sho rose and stood at the same win
dow where she had been standing
when the flames broke forth the night
before. Her attack of unconscious
ness had been very slight-for she
was not a woman prone TO fainting-
fits-and, thanks to n superb consti.
tuition, had loft no ill effects beyond q
little languor and paleness. There
might have been more, however, if
she had net been skept up" just then
by the fictitious strength of excite
ment. During her vigil Of the dawn,
she had taken a resolve which had
been lacking in her vigil of the night.
Somehow, light had come to her, as
we'll as to the world. Things which
had been cohicting before, seemed
thoroughly harmonious now. Stand
ing there in the bright sunlight, her
future life showed itself in new as
pect. Every thing within her was 30
changed, that tho whole outside world
seemed changed also. Should she
ever forget the look in Kcnnon's eyes,
whom she opened her own on his face,
there on the turf last night? 1t had
conc straighter to her heart than il