, 1874-11-29

bricke. mortar. TILES. lead, and ragged and torn
beams, hugo pieces Of wood snnpped and torn
like matches-we toiled on hour after bouo tili
she dark night came, when the gas-plpes a1aa 1nat
and the gas lii, so that It dared anu ota2eo
and cast u strange wild lieh. over the ruined
place. There had been flames burst forth TWO
or three times from parts Of the ruins, but fe"
sprink1inga from the h1e.engine in attendance
had put them out: and as VIC worked on the rub
bsh grew cooler and cooler.
Some said that the child could not hare been
there. bat the sight Of her mother tearing out
Was sufficient when once she got away from the
people who had her in their house, house
where but part OF the windows had been broken
by the exploson,-and came running to where
and wood tilI I got two Or three
to take her back, for 1 couldn't have
But remember SO we'll asking myself why it
was that women mil let down their back hair
when they're in state Of excitement, and make
'emselres look 80 wild.
By and BY some one came to say how bad my
vile was, aud that abe wanted to see me; but l
felt that couldn't 20. and kept on in feVered
sort OF way. work, work and I've thought since
that il she had been dying it would hare been
all the same. However, heard soon after that
she seemed little better; and found out after
wards that doctor there had given the poor
thing something that seemed to calm her, aud
she uent to sleep.
It would have been strong dose. though,
that would havo sent me of to Sleep as still on,
hour after hour, I worked there, never tlrlng.
but hitting beams that two or three men would
have gone At, and tossing the rubbish away like
80 much straw. .
The owners were kind enough, and did all
they could to encourage the men, sending out
beer aud other refreshments; but the heap OF
stun to move was something frightful, and more
than once felt quite IN despair, and read! to
sit down and CRY weakly. But was At it again
the next moment, and working With the best OF
them.
Hadn't you better leave now?" said one Of
nv masters tsl Ill see that everything ls done-
gave him one look. and he lald hls n hana .a
kindly on my shoulder, and said no more to me-
about going and heard him cay % Poor TEL
low /" to some one by him, as he turned away.
We came upon the bl!er quito half dozen
yards out Of its place. ripped right across where
tho riyets went while zs for the engine 1t was
one curious bit OF iron tangle-rods, and bars:
and pieces of iron and b1ass. twisted aud turned
aud bent about. like so much string and the
great flY-wheal was broken IN half dozen
places.
This showed US now where the great cellar
like place-the stuke-hole-was; and we worked
down now towards that; but still clearing the
way. for how could tell where the child might
be-? But it was weary, slow work; every no"
and then rigging up shears, and fastening ropes,
and pully, and s!,eaf, to haul up some great piece
was, ne made very little progress in tho dark
night.
Once We had to stop and batter down wall
with scaffold pole: for the police declared !; to
be unsafe. aud the Sergeant would not let us
work near 1t till it Vas down; and all tho while
Was ragiug like madnan at the check- bas II
was OF no use, and the man ~as night. He was
dong his duty, and not like me. searching for
the little crushed form of my darling IN the
the cruel ruins. The people made me worse, for
they would talk and say what they thought, go
that could hear. Ona would Hay she might
10 on: when kept stopping. in spite Of all !,
tried not. listening to what they said, and 1t all
seemed so much lost time.
The engine-rootn now cleared, and, n
spite Of my trembling and horror, as every big
piece was disturbed, nothing had been found !;
but all at once as We we're trying to clear behind
the ber. and get down to the s:oke-hole, one OF
the men gave cry. I caught at the man near
est to me. and then lights, rubbish, tue strange
wild sce"e all seemed to run round S'a me; and sai
some ono brought me some brandy.
Iwas myself again directly, and, stumbling
over the bricks to where knot of men had COL
lected and \ policeman had his bull s-eVe Ian
tern open. aud they we're stopping to iook a.
something that lay lust under beam they had
raised-to the Left Of where expected che
would be found.
.'Smaahed," heard aome one. With his back
to me, say; aud then some one else. ..Poor lit
tie thing, she must have run past here!
Then. with nv throat dry aud my eyes staring.
I ctept up and thrust two men aside. right and
left. when the others made WAY for me without
speaking, and, when got close up covered my
face with NV hands, and softly kne!t down.
The policeman said something; and some ono
else spoke cheeri1y; but couldn't hear What
they said. for my every thought was upon wha.
was going TO see- And now, for the first time,
the great, binding tears cane gushing from my
eyes, so that when I slowly took down first one
hand and then another, was blinded, and could
not see for few moments; till, stooplng little
lower, there, smashed and 1attened. covered
with mortar and dust, was nv old red cotton
handxe, cher tied round the basin aud plate that
held my dlnner, dropped mere by my little dar-
ling.
For few moments I was, az it were. struck
dumb-it WINS 10 different sight to what had
expected to see; and then i 1eaped up and
laughed, aud shouted, and danced-the relief
"Cone on!" cried again; and then, for an
hour or more, we were at it, working away till
the light began to come Ii the east, anu teA us
that it vas daybreak.
Late a. it was, plenty Of people had stopped
all the time; for, somehow or another, hundreds
had got to know the little bright, eolden-haired
thing that trotted backwards and forwards every
do it, bu. then, bless ,ou, that was our pride;
Tor the wife combed, and brushed. and dressed
her up on purpose And tine aud proud We used
to bo OF the little thing. going and coming-so
old-fashioned. Why, lots Of heads used to 5e
thiust out to watch her; aud seeing how pretty:
aud artlcss. and young she was. we used to feel
that every one would ~ ana protect her; and it
was so Time after time, that night. saw
motherly y-looking women, that / did not know.
with their aprons to their eyes, sobbing and cry
ing; and though didn't notice IL then, 1e-
numbered it we'll enough Afterwards
ahl and always shall; while the way
in which some OF the men worked-Well-
to-do men, who would have thought themselves
insulted if you'd offered 'em shillings for their
nights job-showed how my poor little darling
bad won the hearts Of all a.ound- Often and
often since, too, L could have stopped this one
ana shook hands with that one for their kind
pess; only there's always that shut-npness
about au Enslishman .hat seems to make him
all heart at = time OF sorrow, and piece OF
solid bluntness At every other time
Well. it MAS now just upon morning, and ne
we're Iii worked up to pitch OF excitement that
nothing could be like. We had been expecting
to come upon the poor child all the afternoon
and night, but now there could be no doubt OF
it. She must be here; for we were now down iu
the stoke-hole, working again With more vlGor
than had becn shown for hours. Mems faces
were flushed md their teeth set. They didn't
talk. on!y IN whispers; and tho stuff went flying
A-1.1