Litchfield enquirer., 1874-07-02

Phillis scarcely saw the woman's face, but the woman had seen hers, and caught at her with horrible cry. It was Janet Ayres. Phillis, all bruised and shudder- ing, stared at her as if she had been a spirit.
 ''Theel-Janet Ayres!' she said, just as she had done when they met upon the staircase
 The woman covered her face with her hands.
 ''I came last meet, ," she said, " an this mornin' I come heer,-fur his."
 There was no help for them,-no place for them among the writhing mass upon the stairway.
 We must wait," said Phillis. cit is certain death to try the stairway: it is on fire. They arc mad with terror"
 ''It is certain death ony wheer," said Janet Ayres. '"Th' fire Il be on us afore we can say prayer
 But Phillis caught her by tho hand.
 'Come to the window" she said, ''and let us cry to them in the yard. They must see or hear us."
 The floor was hot under their feet, the smoke was suffocating and blinding them, but they made their way to the window, and flung themselves against 1t, beating their hands. But they were only two wo- dreds shrieking with voices as loud as theirs, and in the yard tho engines were rattling to and fro, and firemen were shouting, and men and women screaming to their children. who were crushed or burning within.
 ''They cannot hear our voices," cried Phillis; ''and tho smoke hides us. They waited for a while, and then tried again and then again, and even again, and then there came fearful crash and such burst of shrieks that women who were safe tainted, and men turned sick as death. The staircase had fallen, and with it its human burden
 Philli3 sank down upon her knees, pray ing aloud. Her companion sprang at the window again like wild animal, waving her arms frantically through the broken panes.
 'We canda burn heer," she shrieked. '"They nun see us.- Help, lads! Help, help!" And then to Phillis: "Shut tn door an keep the smoke out, or we shall choke" And when Phillis had obeyed her: ''Come hero. and help me t mak' 'em hear
 And the terror in their voice make them so wild and shrill that 1t was not many minutes before they were heard, evon ill the midst of the roar of flames and voices. Some woman ill tho crowd heard them first, and, looking up, saw the waving hands.
 "Eh, lads," she cried, God help us! -thar's some wrenches on t thirds flight crying fur help, an their hands is all cut to pieces wi breakin' thro' tn winder- glass" "
 It drew the crowd to their side of the building in a minutes time-rushing round with new cries and wilder frenzy shouting to the desperate imprisoned creatures at the window-yelling to the iiremen and growing almost mad with ex- citement. ''Play on the room," they cried insanely. Bring the ladders! That s Janet Ayres's voice! Aye, an by God! that's tn Quaker wench's! Lasses, it's Phillis Denham an Jenny Ayres. Whar's the new oyerseer?"
 They called for the overseer, for from the first outbreak of the flames he had been the coolest and most active among them. He seemed to know what to do when every one else had lost presence of mind.
 "We can't save the place." he had said, ''let us save the lives" and he had work cd amid fire and smoke almost like a man with charmed life.
 The news of the discovery flew to him at once, and next minute he was forcing his way through tho crowd-a tall fellow, with blue eyes and uncovered tawny hair.
 "Stand backI' he shouted. "What is shis about these women?-" And then his eye was caught by the frantic hands, and he broke off with an exclamation of horror.
 Bring those ladders" he cried-and then, to the crowd, "Who are they?"
 "There's two O en- he was answered by dozen voices, "a Quaker lass and Jennie Ayres- Jennie Ayros and Phillis Denham."
 ''Dunnot see as theer's much use O try in tn ladders" said more than ono man, doubtfully. 'It's main dangersome work. It canna be long afore tn walls crack in, an then-'
 ''Henders," said one of tho owners, who had just arrived, all in hurry, ''God knowssit's sickening, horrible thing, but but it's hard fate to face, and it is a bad look out. The walls may fall in, and
 'Let them f,lI," he cried. 'It' not my way to stand by and sec women die. Good God, Phillis! to think it should be you
 And in spite of protestGtions and warn ings, he had the ladders against the wall, and when they were ready he was ready too, heavy hammer in his hand to break in the frames of the fastened windows. God knows what tumult rose in their breast, when, looking down upon their deliverer, they beheld this mans face. Janet Ayres fell back with groan, turn ing to the woman whose life she had Lighted:
 s'Dost tha see?" she said. Phillis answered with white lips.
 ''Aye! see, she said "I see," and hid her face.
 There was moments pause, in which she heard the woman at her side panting as if for breath, and then Janet Ayres touched her sleeve, and when she looked at her she saw such deadly anguish III hel face as made her start aside. ''See," said the unhappy creature. ''see thee heer. Theer Is na a moment-he will be heer-he canna talk two-th ladder will not bear it-and the one as stays be- hind" She broke off with la shudder But she began again, 'I nun be tn one as stays behind," she said. "He nun talk thee" "Nay." cried Phillis, passionate pity and passionate heroism rising within her. ''Never that. God forgive me for the hard words have spoken to thee; will stay"
 The woman, crouching on her knees, wrung her hands together. Was she tempted by an agonizing thought of hel own sin and the purity of this unstained creature whose soul was so much safer than her own.
 ''Theer is ma minnet," she said, Che is here now," and so he was-beating 1T ! the window frame.
 ''It is thee he nun tak'-fur tn childt sake-I've glen her up. Happen it'll gi me chance-I dunnot know-but wan chance-fur the child's sake. I've axet fur one in my way-an' happen this is it He nun talk thee.'
 And then the man was in the room, black with smoke, scorched with fire