The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1872-11-07

ing on tue wall, and knowing IGal
eO1ld get over the ground more swift
ly by riding than driving, | threw :
Onyhis back, and in a minute or twt
was dashing along the road iH tin
direction of home. ! shall never Tor
get that ride. Although L urged ny
horse with whip and voice until h'
few rather than gsllOped, the pac,
was far too slow for my excited mind
Woods, bridges, with the mOOnli
streams whipping beneath them, ,Iarn
houses, where the deep-vOiced watch
dogs were wakened by the loud beat
I of hOOfs, shot by me like things in {
dream, and at last, breathless, ant
I painting, We clattered up the lOnl
cansewayed street OF the village where
1 lived. All was dark and silent iT
the houses, and the windows seemed
to stare blank and vacantly in tx
white moonlight. Suddenly q horse
and rider appeared at the other end o.
the street, and a loud voice uttered
q cry, "Firer' At the same in
slant the church bell was rung vio'
lently. and at once, as if by common
! impulse, the whole village started in.
to Iife. Lights appeared in the hous'
es, and a hundred windows were dash
ed quickly up. saw saw white tig.
ures standing at them, and heard
voices crying "WheTe?" Checking
my horse with q jerk which threw
him on his launches, l listened fol
the reply, ''Craigside House -
Good heaven! my worst fears were
realized. 1t was my own home.
elloked down the agony, which al.
most forced a cry, and pressing on
with redOubled speed, soon arrived al
! the scene of the fire. The house was g
large one, and when I reached il
smoke was issuing in thick, murky
volumes from the windows of the Sec
ond fiat, while fierce tongues Offiames
were already leaping along the roof
A crowd ofmen were hurrying cOnfus-
edly with buckets and pals of water,
In the center of a group Of women
found our maid, Mary, stretched on
the grass in a swoOn. "My wifew ]
exclaimed, and 1 rushed forward,
"Where is she ?" 'GOd knows, sir, /"
said one of the men; 1--WE have twice
tried to reach the second fiat, but were
each time driven back by the smoke
and fire." Without saying o word 1
entered the house, and ran along the
lobby. The stair, fortunately, was
built of stone, but the woodwork on
each side was one mass Of blazing and
cracking flame. Before I had taken
three steps l fell back, blinded faint
ing and half suffocated with the
smoke. Two men who had followed
me caught me in their arms, and
tried to restrain me by force from en-
deavOriDg to ascend again. Don't
attempt it," they said "you will
lose your own life, and can't save
hers" "Let go, you towards ~ l cried,
as soon as could speak, and with the
strength of madness dashed them
aside. Irushed up the stairs, and this
time succeeded in reaching the first
landing in safety. The room which
we used as our bed chamber led off a
small paflOr which was situated on
this fiat. Cropping my way through
the smoke found the door, but to my
horror it was locked 1 dashed my
self against it again and again, but it
resisted all my efforts. To return as
I had come was impossible, and 1
knew that the only hope of saving
even my own life was to go forward.
Despair gave me strength, and lifting
my foot, struck it violently against
one of the lower panels of the door.
It yielded little. Another blow, and
It was driven in. / crept through the
opening, but so thick was the smoke
ia the parlOr that 1 could distinguish
nothing. "Maggie, Maggie ~ Ishriek-
ed, ''where are you ?n but no answer
was returned. Crossing the room I
gained our bedroom door. To my
great joy it was open, and stretched
on the floor 1 found the apparently
lifeless form of my wife. / bent over
her, on placing my hand on her heart
I found that it was still beating. ]
lifted her very gently and tenderly,
and carried her in my arms to the
window, which I broke open. OF
what followed am only dimly con-
sciQus; l haYe a confused remem-
strong arms helping effb5iiRRglng lsnI l;lI and the
people cheering; but it is all very
vague and indistinct. My next recOl-
lection ia that of finding myself in my
fathers house all bruised and weak
but with my own wife bending Ovel
me with loving hands. We had beer
burned out of house and home. For.
tunately, everything was insured; but
even had it not been so, l had beer
content 80 long as she was spared L
me.
On the evening Of the next day
when the short winter twilight wa
fast closing round, and the first snow
flakes were falling, Maggie drew |
little stool close to the couch on Whicl
1 lay,thinking over the strange event
which I have related. 1 had saiC
nothing to anybody regarding tn
warning which 1 had so mysterious
Iy received; and when questioned q
to what caused me to return so Oppor
tunely, had always made some eva
sive answer, for l feared that tn
reality would never have Obtaine'
relief.
"WilIie,n said the soft low voice o
my wife, ''if you had not come HON
ID
"Hush, my darling. Don't talk lik
that, for can't bear to think of it,.
"But it might have been. And d
you know, Willie, I had a strang
dream on that awful night ,"
"a dream, Maggie? Tell me wha
I it was ?"
"You remember" said she, lraW
ing closer to me, "the evening 20
took Mary and me into the telegrap
office, and told US all about the bal
teries, and magnets and electricity
and a great many things which W
couldn't understand at all, though W
pretended to do SO, lest you shOul
think US stupid ?"
Perfectly" =.
uAn6-vn EoEaaenTSr, too, hO'
/ ssfd that I would like to send me:
sage with my OWL hands, you mad
me take hold of the handle, and the
you guided it, while sent messag
to your brother Robert, who was i
the office at Lowestoffthen And til
end of il was, Come hOme-com
home y When L repeated it over an
over again, until could do it quit
well without your help?n
1 turned quickly round, but she wa
gazing intently at the fire, and di
not perceive the startled look I CAV
her.
"Well,n she continued, "the nigl
before last, when you were away,
|, could not sleep for long time after
! went to bed; and when did sleep,
: dreamed - such q horrid dream
: thought that I was i'll your offiC
4 again; and I fled there because I wi
chased by some terrible thing. / di
! not know what it was, but it was clio:
behind me, and 1 thought nObOd
, could save me but you. But you wei
! not there, and so signed the word
: Come home - come homen as yC
D had taught me, thinking that wOuI
: be sure to bring you. Then, whe
you did not come, 1 felt its hot hreat
2 on my cheek, as if it were just gOir
. to clutch me in its dreadful arms, ar
: 1 screamed so loud that awOke. III
= room was all dark, and filled wi
Y smoke so thick that when jump
up tainted for want of air. And,
7 Willie, if you had not come just wh'
. you did, might"
"There, Maggie; don't let US thiI
7 of what might have been, but rath
= let US be thankful that we are spar
+ to each other still :"
S An Irishman one morning went o
J. Very early in search of some game
d an estate where the game laws We
e strictly enforced. Turning a sha
Il corner, whom did he meet but I
: gentleman who owned the estai
d Paddy seeing the game was up, Coz
IS IL advanced toward the gentlem
Ie and said,-