The Grange advance. [volume] (Red Wing, Minn.) 1873-1877, 1875-11-03

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had pushed it aside, hut had bee obliged
to draw back for IN instant to avoid the
stream Of hot air and dense smoke that
came pour ing out; but only for an in.
slant did they wait, one glisteripg CLEAN
Of light from above had pierced the dark:
ness beneath, ard shown them at one
glance three PROSTATE forms lying on the
barn floor. 80 49, 80 It 4
How they dragged them out, and car
ried them away OH the cool grass, ncither.
Of them ever knew; but there were but
three =" =
paul my little Paul! where is Paul?
James, where is Paul?" screamed the
mother above the roar of the flames,
which had gathered new strength by the
draft of air caused by the opening Of the
barn door. u.
But alas poor mother, the only an
swer that came to her was great crash
the roof and the upper beams had fallen
in, and the flames burst forth anew. max
ing the air ana ground hot where they
stood, so, that for few minutes they
were obliged to give their. attention to
drawing farther away the still inanimate
forms Of Seth Sitter, Norman and Joe.
The latter opened his eyes as his father
laid him down upon the porch and said
barely loud enough to be heard above the
great confusion:
us brother PAUL down out Of the NOW.
Seth? 2" - -
But the mother and father both caught
the words, and knew for certainty that
their Paul woald never be with then,
again until they went to meet him be-
yond the shores OF Time.
Meanwhile the flames had spread to
the granary, and enveloped the stack of
hay which James Ellison had only that
night so proudly described to his wife as
the handsomest stack in the county add
ing that ''thcrc was not one man in
thousand could make as nice stack of
hay or grain as Seth Sliter.''
The neighbors began to gather. having
been Weakened by the unusual light CT
sounds, they could not tell what, any
more than they could render assistance
to the man who sat, helpless and speech
less, looking on while the flames sucked
up his rich harvest, and thinking only of
the boy Paul, whose body was burning
too' somewhere in that great pile Of
fame.
When Seth Sitter became able to talk.
he took all the blame upon himself, He
had not felt sleepy, and had concluded to
take his usual smoke so str etched full
length upon his elbows, with his WOO! hat
under his pipe, to catch any fire should
any fall, he had commenced to smoke :;
supposed he must have fallen asleep
almost immediately. for when he next
knew anything he was aroused by Nor
man. who told him the s'barn was on
fire!' and begged him to help get Joe
and Paul down; farther than this none of
them could tell one word; not even how
they came upon the barn floor but Joe
had an arm broken in two places, and it
was supposed he must have fallen or
jumped.
James Ellison is wiser, sadder and
i poorer man for that months labor at
Seth. Shter's hands, he paid teri ible
price, and, though winters SHOWS have
Whitened the plains, the smiles have not
yet returned to his face. Italmost breaks
his heart to see his wife's pale face and
wistful look, but never word Of re proach
has fallen from her lips.
Seth Sitter still works at James Eli
sons, and even the beveared mother no
longer fears to have him among them.
| In every respect he IS changed man.
The lesson he learned at so bitter a cost
will last him lifetime; and since that
dread night. he has used tobacco in no
way, and VOWS to devote the remainder of
his life to serving those whom he caused
to suffer so much by his own care}essness.