The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1877-12-06

harder. somehow. 10 & locke8 49,
fron - snrshirS A. 40 ~ 49,
mn; ~ tssn Il Is - & ~ sna mesi 8
| voluntary exile. s
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ret took boof ri wsI.J Y . n 49, {
few pares: but "a ~ not : esr
readSr. Is. bv-aSj nv az - x ~
strefched herseH ard 1900, - ,,s.k ~
cradIe vicnronsIv Thsn -. 3. 49,. ~, ~
i little IRE. that had been Hrhted ~
baby's safe into : hlss 49, .nd mt IL IN,
kettle On for ne nurserv tes- ma 81
that time the sunshine had enticed her
to the window arsin. and She al on the
sill looking out.
I" How Guiet IL a. y she thought. lean-
| ing ont % catch at the little rrane
| tendrils under the window. Elbow
much uuieter Il makes Il 'seem being
locked In. . 81
A little breath Of wind crept mast her.
and she looked back to sce & Il had
Weakened baby; and as she looked. It
seemed to her that ! thin. filmv veil
was between her and the cradle.
She rose to her feet and crossed the
room. As she did 80, the mist divided
before her and closed in again upon her
footsteps.
sit q smoker she said. aloud. II
wonder If one Of our chimneys Is ON
| fire."
Leaning out of the window. she
looked up and down, right and left, but
there was NO sight anywhere but un-
broken sunshine--no sound but the GER
tain, ceaseless activity Of life.
She looked back into the room per-
picked.
There again. between her and the
cradle, was denser, duller. wayerinc
veil of smoke.
Margaret grew white. Sprinrin1 to
the bell, she sent peal after peal through
the empty house, and poured forth her
shrill voice across the lawn and garden
beds. But no one heard.
LOCKED inr' she said. She was
standing by the cradle. terrified and
numb, her hands clenched together. her
breath coming fast.
"Oh, babyf' She knelt and lifted
the sleeping child from the cradle, and
laid him. wrapped in a shawl. in the
furthest corner Of the room. Thun she
stepped across the floor and laid her
hand upon the mantelpiece. It was hot,
and little tongue of fame was creep
ing from the carpet, at her feet, into
the draught of the window.
She started back with . Mortified cry
and sprang to the window, also, but
with no thought of escape. Margaret
had always the element Of greatness in
her that excluded the thought of self.
She only remembered now her mothers
face, the empty house, the sleeping
baby, and her whole soul concentrated
itself on one great effort.
81 must jump" she thought. 30,
if they would only hearr' She sent the
whole agony of her despair into the
voice that rung out over the lawn, and
strained her eyes into the sunshine for
the sight of human figure; but when
no one came, she quietly did the one
thing that seemed left for her to do.
Creeping from the window on to the
narrow outside ledge, she let herself
slowly down, until she was clinging by
her two young arms alone, and then she
loosed her hold.
And at that moment cry followed
her from the room above.
A little stunned, little giddy, she
picked herself up, and went stumbling
up stairs to the nursery Turning the
key and opening the door burst of
fame met her, but she stretched her
arms through it and took the child,
who was sobbing piteously in the folds
of the wooden shawl, gently carried him
down stairs and laid him in the hall,
then suddenly fell beside him herself,
and lay like one dead.
Five minutes later there was confu-
sion in the house. Mr.. and Mrs. Ches-
ney, walking slowly home by the ave.
nue., had seen first a shouting crowd of
figures on the lawn, then a Pickering
flame at the nursery window.
mot much of fire. Mr.. Chesney
said, coming quietly into the midst Of
the noisy group of lawmakers. "a
beam behind the chimney probably.
Telegraph for an engine; in the mean
time, carry up water"
"But the childrenr' gasped Mrs.
Chesney, with crimson spots on her
cheeks.
"Oh, they must be all rightr' said
her husband; but his wife had passed
him, and was STOPPING to gather into
sense some disjointed words Of Jim's;
and after that, the color died away
utterly out of her face, and only came
back, in rush of crimson, when she
came suddenly upon that prone, dishev-
elled figure in the hall.
Margaret, my darling she said,
kneeling down and taking the needless
head upon her knee, "open your eyes
and speak to metz
But Margaret was mute.
"Give her air." Mr.. Chesney said,
loosening the collar of her dress and
carrying her out ON to the steps.
why, her arms are blackened to the
elbow"
They are torn and bleeding" said
Mrs. Chesney; "she has jumped from
the window"
Impossible!'' he answered.
is she dead?" said her mother,
swered mat questlon py a sudden open
ing az ner motners nand-
r al Jumped oue, sIe said. Motner,