The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-10-04

InG
from under the beam and raised herself up OF
her elbow At that moment she heard q cry
"Fire! fire! God Almighty help them
The ruins are on fire"
A man working over the debris from thu
outside had taken the notion, it being rather
dark Just there, to carry q lantern with him
s'For Gods sake" voice cried from the
crowd, 'don't stay there with that H. ht.
But willie this voice yet sounded, it was the
dreadful fate Of the man with the lantern tt
let it fall-and it broke on the ruined IN sss
That was at 9 o'clock What there was to be
seen from that till morning could never be
told or forgotten.
A network, twenty feet high, of reeds and
girders, Of beams, pillars, sta:r~ays, roofing,
ceiling. walling wrecks of looms, shafts,
twisters, pulleys, bobbins, mules, locked and
inter ;wined wrecks Of human creatures
wedged in; face that you know turned up al
you from some pit, which twenty-four hours
hewing could not open; voice that you
know crying after you from God
knows where mass OF long fair
| fingers Of hand over there the snow-bright
red under foot; charred limbs and helpless
trunks tossed about strong men carrying
covered things by you, at sight Of which other
strong men have tainted the little yellow jet
that fared up. and died in smoke, and fared
| again. leaped out, licked the cotton bales
| tasted the oiled machinery, crunched the
melted wood. danced on the heaped-u stone,
threw its cruel arms high into the night
cared for joy ut helpless tiremen, and swal-
lowed wreck, death and lite together out Of
your sight-ths lurid thing stands alone in
the gallery Of tragedy.
,1,, l..J ia I. ~.
lie gan to sob out that she WAS afraid to die
alone. ''Come here, Molly" said Sene; ''Can
you crawl around?" Molly crawled around.
" Put your head in my lap and your arms
around my waist, and will put my bands in
yours-so, there guess that's better, isn't
it
But they hid not given him mp yet In the
still unburned rubbish at he right some one
had wrenched an opening within a foot of
Sene's face. They cIawed at the solid iron
pintels like savage things. A fireman tainted
in the smoke.
"Give it up" cried the crowd from behind,
"it can't be done! Fall back sD-then hushed
awstruck.
and knees over the heated bri cks. He was a
very old man. His gray hair flew about in
the wind
81 want my little gall he said ECant
anybody tell me where to find IN, little gal?"
rough fellow pointed in perfect silence
through the smoke.
I'm have her out yet. am an old man,
but can help. She's my little gal, you see
Hand me that there dipper of water; I'll keep
her from choking maybe Now, keep CHEEKY,
Sene; your old father II get We out Keep
up good heart. child. That's it -
cts no use, father. Don't feel bad, father
l don't mind it very much"
He hacked at the timber; he tried to laugh;
he Is wildered himself with his cheerful words.
"No more We needn't, 'Senath; for it'll be
over in Il minute Don't be downcsst vet
Well have ye safe at no ne before We know it,
Drink little more water; do now. They'll
get at We now, sure?"
But out above the crackle and the roar wo- |
mans voice rang like bell:
"We're going home to die no more"
A child's notes quavered in the chorus. |
From sealed and unseen graves white young
FPS swelled the glad refrain
"We're going, going heme."
The crawling smoke turned yellow, turned |
ed, voice after voice broke and hushed utter
y. One only sang on like silver. 1t flung de-
lance do vi at death 1t chimed into the lurid
ky without remor. For One stood beside
Ter in the furnace, and His form was like unto
he form of the Son of God. Their eyes met
Why should not A>enath sing?
"'Senath +" cried the old man, out upon the
turning bricks; he was scor ched now from his
ray hair to his patched boots. The answer
anne triumphantly,
To die no more, no more, no more!
Sene, little Sene!"
Some one pulled him back.