Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1874-03-12
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howl of rage and pain followed as it
sprang out again upon the floor, it's COW
ering a sheet of fire. Another bound
and it landed upon the bed, where, by a
frantic effort, it threw off its fiery cover,
and uttering yelps of pain it sprang again
to the floor and rushed around the room
| for q chance to escape.
The bed was all atire in moment,
and Mrs. Sloely uttered cry of despair
as the flames caught in every direction
and dense volume of smoke rolled up
through the aperture In the loft.
"Father in heaven, must we perish p
exclaimed the mother, as she pressed
the child to her breast. Husband
husband why do you not come and
save your wife and child from this hor-
rible fate?"
No answer to the frantic ejaculation
came to the ear of the distracted woman
save the cracking of the flames as they
caught upon the dry wood of the cabin,
and sent their forked tongues up to the
spot where she stood, while her ears
we're filled with the sharp cry of the
vol rs it ranged round and round in its
vain endeavors to escape, while ever and
anon the flames would catch upon the
fur, where it was already scorched off In
its first contact with the fire, causing it
to utter howl of agony.
Although death stared her in the face,
Mrs. Sloely was not woman to give up
so long as there was q chance for life
left to her. As we have already said,
there were no windows in the loft, 80
| L L. -
The roof was covered with hewn plank
fastened to the ridge-pole and the top
log of the sides by means of stout wood
en- pins. To remove one or more of
these was her only chance of escape, but
to do this with her own unaided hands
seemed to be impossible. Half choked
by the smoke and her child clinging to
her and crying with all its power. she
felt about her to find some instrument
to aid her in the accomplishment of her
purpose; but all she could find was a
stout stick of wood that her husband
had placed there to season for an ak
helve. Inserting this with all her
strength between the log and one of the
planks, she essayed with all her strength
to raise it from its place, but without
success. Finding this one immovable,
she tried another, and another, with like
result.
Hotter and more sitting grew the air
about her, louder cracked the flames
below, and fiercer became the cries of
the imprisoned wolf, while the cries of
her child rang above all, and rendered
her well nigh desperate. Hope was fast
leaving her. But one more plank re-
manned untried, and she had gone the
With the energy born of despair she in
serted the stick, and pried upward with
all her strength, and to her great Joy it
moved slowly and the welcome fresh
air of heaven came pouring in upon
them.
Inspired by hope, she attempted to
start another one by its side, but, with
all her strength, she found it impossi-
BILE, and yet the aperture was not large
enough to admit her passing through,
and again the pangs of despair seized
hold upon her heart.
The heat was becoming terrible, and
the opening she had made in the roof
seemed only an outlet for the smoke,
which, as it poured out, we'll nigh stifed
her. Clasping her child, she thrust him
through the opening, and, holding him
on the roof for a moment, she was about
to let him slide to the ground, at the
risk of dashing the life from mis- body,
when the sound of rapid footsteps were
heard, and the next moment the we'll
known voice of her husband sounded
like music in her ears, as he came across
the clearing, and by the light of the
flames, that had begun to break out in
several places, saw his child and the
head of his wife on the roof.
"Quick, husband, for the love of
God p shouted the mother, as she still
retained hold upon her child. And in
hardly more time than it takes to tell it,
he was upon the roof, and with his
strong arms had torn up another plank,
and sprang to the ground with his child,
and in a moment more his wife was by
his side, with heart OVERLOOKING with
Joy at their escape.
The cabin was burned to the ground
with all its contents, including the au-
thor of all the mischief. A new one
was erected, and therein, in after years,
the story we have narrated was often re-
hearsed to those that claimed their hos
pitality.