The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1875-03-11
looked at the other with quivering lips
and dilating eyes.

looked at the other with quivering lip
and dilating eyes.
"My heavens! and have locked then
imp
Twas fairly beside myself with terror
I felt As if l must leap from the vehicl
and fly to their rescue. Old White
seemed to understand that life or dealt
depended on his efforts, and he exerte,
himself nobly.
| On we flew, down the hill, dashin,
through the little stony brook tha
crossed the road over the tumbled- dow
bridge, whose rotten boards ratified an,
started up from their places, past tn
hedgerows, that looked like one continu
GUS mass Of flying green; past little cot
tages with the children staring from th'
doors; thinking of nothing, caring TO
nothing but to rescue our darlings.
buried my face in my hands, and rocke,
to and fro in my seat, almost bereft o
reason, as I thought of the scene tina
might be awaiting US. Imagination con
jured up all the dreadful tales hat
heard or read to add to my horror
Once only raised my head, and saw, O
fancied saw, slender tongues of flame
cleaving the mass of smoke, which. hat
by this time increased fearfully in vol
ume and density.
At last, after what seemed an age, bu
was in reality only few minutes, W.
re ached the bottom of the lane whlct
led to our cottage. The angle was {
sharp one, and we turned with such {
speed as to send the hind wheel of the
old phaeton high in the air.
How l got out I never knew. I an
sure did not wait for the horse to be
stopped. Rushing to the door l threw
myself against it with such force as tc
break it in. The room was full of smoke
but as the opened door dissipated it q
little ! saw that it was empty! Then
suffocated with the smoke and overpow
cred by excitement, fell fainting to the
floor.
When consciousness returned found
myself in the house of a neighbor, with
the children all about me, pretty well
frightened, of course, but entirely un-
hurt.
How the fire originated is mystery
which we could never unravel Grace,
sitting with her back to the stove, and
with her attention entirely absorbed by
the pictures in the family Bible, did not
see it until Rover, the Newfoundland
dog, who had been quietly doing by her
side, attracted her notice by his evident
uneasiness, after which he sprang through
the window, fortunately taking the whole
sash bodily with him, and running at full
speed to the nearest house soon returned
with some Of its inmates.
Grace, in the meantime, bravely letting
down the two elder children through the
window, which was only about four feet
from the ground, took the baby from the
cradle and was about to follow, when
the neighbors arrived. The house being
old and built, as such houses usually are,
of the most combustible materials, not
withstanding all efforts, soon became a
blackened, smoking ruin.
Rover and Whitley lived to good old
age and were ever afterward held in af-
on that occasion.
One evening, about year afterward,
as we sat in our new house, built on the
site of the old cne, but more commo-
dious and comfortable in every respect,
/ remarked that "tAe fire had bene
flied us in at least one way, for un-
less the old house had been actually con-
sumed we should never have had the new
one"
'sI have felt the benefit of it in another
way" said my husband, gravely; "it
has taught me never to put off doing any.
thing which should be done at once un-
til more convenient season. If the
harness had given way on that day,
where mended it so slightly before we
started, although it would not have in
terfered with the safety of the children,
it would have added ten-fold to our
anxiety, because it would have delayed
our reaching them. made vow then
that if we were permitted to reach home
without accident would use my utmost
endeavors to overcome the habit of pro-
crastination; and l think you will allow
that have been pretty successful, SO
that, in more than one respect, we have
reason to regard that as memorable
ride"