, 1874-12-19

lbASltA-- - II " u 4 anu 'loA4 10 YOU an
good.
Bustins> Well. no. only one, and thai
vas quite enough for though it didn't
hurt my body II did hurt my heart, and
If you happen 10 be father you'll under
stand what mean.
1t was dinncr-time AZ our workS-a
great place, where the engine used to be
going TO pump water night and day, 50
that there were two Of as: and one week
I'd be on daywOrk, next week nightwOrk,
and 50 on Now il so happened that our
water IN that part was terribly hard
water that would cover the inside Of a
bIlcr with thick fur in no time. But
whether II was that or no Icant say; all
/ know Is that one dlnnertime | went out
into the yard 10 wash my hands and
have a cooler, when | heard a strange
Wild, rushing noise, and felt something
hit me on the back Of the head; and
then, turning round, | stood fixed 10 the
spot, for the air was black with tiles,
and bricks, and laths, and rafters, while
the whole place seemed 10 be crumbling
up together lust like Sif you'd builtUp a
tall card-house and then tapped il so
that il fell. one card on top of another,
till there was a little heap all lying close
and snug. 80 that out of u tall building
there was nothing left but some smoking
ruins.
| knew il was not my fault, for had
looked at the gauge Just before, and the
pressure Of steam wasn't heavy l knew
there was plenty OF water in the biler,
and the Safety-valve was all right; 50
that all l could do was to be thankful
for the accident happening at dinner
time, and also for my own wonderful
escape. And then, though | wasn't
hurt, something seemed to come over me
like q flash, and struck me to the ground
in an instant
When | came 70 l felt horribly sick and
deathly like, and | looked about from
face to face wondering what WAS the
matter: for couldn't make it out why
| should be lying on my back with peo-
| pie round me in the yard-one holding
up my head and another sprinkling my
face with water.
Then it all came back at once, and
ShuddcrCd rs | turned my head and
I looked ut the ruined works; for | knew
what it WIS struck me down 10 the earth.
/ | said before it was like Il flash, and it
was-it was one quick thought which
, came across my brain, for | knew tha.,
! being dinner-time, my little goldcn-haircd
. gal would have brought mv 'lowancc tied
/ up in a basin; and something tola me
| that she had gone into the stoke hole 10
find me when had gone into the yard.
3" Let me get up" | says; and ran
/ toward the ruins, and began tearing
away at the heap of brick rubbish, while
] = "A ND AL "a h.,-
/ ing that there was some one underneath,
! began tearing away at the rubbish like
/ fury.
BY and by the police came and some
/ gentlemen, and something like order was
/ got 1t and people worked well 10 get
! down to where the Stoke-hOle had been.
/ | had SAID that there was some one
I there, out crViuu shape ny uI,ysrtl 10
/ say who il Was; and some said it was
one man, and some another; but who
/ rectly back from his dinner or because
/ he had heard the explosion. So, by and
/ by, people began to look from one 20
I another, ana ask who il was.
" Ask Wilum," says some one; he
was here at the time and some one
asked me. But | had no occasion to
! speak, for Just then, alarmed al the child
not going back as usual, the little gals
mother came shricking out, and crying:
Where's little Patty where's little
Pattv:' and then, when no one spoke,
she gave a sort Of pitiful moan, and sank
I slowly down-first on her knees and then
sideways Oh to heap OF bricks; and
remember thinking it was best, for
could not find II in my heart to 20 to her
help, but kept on tearing away AT the hot
bricks and rubbish.
1t was puZzling and worrying; for one
. could not seem to be sure of where any
thing had once stood, in the horrible con
fusion before us. One said the stoke
hole had been here, and another there;
but even !, who had worked there two
years, could not be sure amidst the con-
fusion.
Hour after hour went by, and still We
worked on; while, as every big raiter or
beam was lifted and dragged away, |
was obliged To turn my head, for | felt
sick, and the place seemed 10 swim; for
| expected to see Patty's little bright
curlS torn out and hanging to the Jagged
wood, and that underneath there would
/ be something horrible and crushed.
htlth II " d0L I lAItbbi fNN 'AA''N N'''A
say, when there was 4 little, bright,
blue-eyed child in the caSe-one OF those
little things whose look Will make your
great rough hand fall to your side when
raised in anger, while the tiny thing can
lead YOU about and do what she likes
with YOU? Pr'apS | amt manly; bui
! somehow children always seem TO get
the upper hand of me.
And so on We worked, hour after hour;
men getting tired and dropping OIL, but
ALWAYS plenty ready 10 Ill their places; ;
while ii never thought of it, but kept
on tearing away till my hands bled and
the sweat ran down my face; Out /
turned away every time there was some
thing large lifted, for ! said to myself,
e. She must be under that" And then
again and again in my mind seemed to
see the torn and crushed face OF my dar-
ling and her long curls dabbled IN bloou,
In the midst of the piled-up, blackene q
ruins-bricks, mortar, tiles, lead, ana
ragged and torn beams, huge pieces OF
wood snapped and torn Ike Matches
we tOiIed on hour after hour till the dark
night came, when the gaSpIpes that Aad
been laid bare and plugged were un,
stopped and the gas lit, so that II HareG
and blaZed, and cast strange, WIG
light over the ruined place. There had
been flames burst forth two or three
times from parts of the runs, but few
sprinklings from the fre-englne IN al
tendance had put them OUT and as We
worked on the rubbish grew cooler ana
cooler. -, III -.
some said that the child could. no,
have been there, but the sight o! Aef
mother tearing out was sufficient, when
once she got away from the people l "lo
had her in their house-a house W"Aefe "
but part Of the windows had DeeH
|, broken by the eXplosion-ano came lun
a. The bricks and wood till got Two OF
three to take her back, for l couidn
have left where I was to have saved my
= life. But I remember 80 well aSklne .5i =.
,,vseIf whv il was that women Will LEI