Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-12-21

into weeks, and at last, after six
weeks hard work and run TO Cha
was on my way home
again.
s'Well dOner' was the verdict
passed upon my efforts, and was
very welcome, accompanied, as it /
was, with a check of fifty guineas. /
@Call on me when / return to |
town." said my friend, sin about |
five weeks time, and / will tell |
you something l think you will be
glad to hear"
My thoughts Immediately flew
back to Rosie; not that that had
by any means forgotten her; but
now / was idle again felt even
more detected than ever. Liqu1da-
ton cases are not romantic.
/ was now at liberty TO join my
brother. / telegraphed at once, and
at eleven O'Clock that evening / was
knocked up to take in the reply.
1t was short and to the point. 1t
ran thus "Come along, old fellow,
stay as long as you like"
went. lived with the detach-
ment and what fun we had Fish
ing in a fine river close by: cricket;
a little shooting, for September was
upon us now rowing up and down
the stream, and dining with the
hospitable Irish residents, made up
the total of our days of parade or
inspection.
One guest night-for we had our
little social parties OccaSionally-we
were sitting at the open windows,
when tho sub of the party ex-
claimed:
"What a glare there is yonder
It's a fire, 1 believe"
"Bedad, you're right !" said one
of our guests. SITS down by Sir
Johns; he has a house full. / hope
it's not the house itself"
''Shall / turn out the picket ?'
asked my brother. "Why, look, it's
increasing; they may want assist
ance."
AS he spoke the flames mounted
UP, and the lurid smoke rose high
into the glare above.
"Sound the fire call and turn out
the pickets, Hamblyn." said my
brother. ''Take the men down at
the double. Well drive over.
Come on. Look sharp ~
: l hurried out for coat to cover
my dress clothes. OF course, being
in hurry, was delayed. In the
dark / CROPPED unsucceSsfully, and
at length when / crossed from my
room, l found that the Others had
driven off in the cars our guests had
come over in.
The sentry at the gate eivilly
''shOuldered" his rife as passed,
and in reply to my question, told
me that the captain and the whole
party had gone, leaving word for
me to follow, if / liked.
ayes, but how? They've taken
all the cars, sentry"
"Yes, sir but there's the gig sir"
Whose gig?"
"The boat, sir. You can scull
down almost as quick as they'll
drive, yer honor"
"Good" / would pull down, 1t
was not far; the moon was still
bright. 1 knew the river pretty
well.
No sooner thought than done. A
soldier from the guard room came
across and helped me to launch the
gig;
say it's at the Hall below. Poor
creatures! l hope they'll escape.
All right, sir ?'
| / replied in the affirmative. He
let go the painter, and with two
vigorous strokes Of the light sculls |
was in the stream. Fortunately |
knew almost every turn and bend
of the fine river, or | should have
more than once had a very narrow
escape, if / had not been quickly
upset. Urged by a reckless daring,
! / sculled rapidly on alone.
! Alone, all but for the company OF
two good planks. Whence came
they, and whittier they were bound.
l did not think; but L noticed they
kept close to me-nOw swirling
away. now in the dim light meeting.
then dividing, turning around, sep
! arating themselves, and soon inclOS-
ing my SOULS, so as to impede my
way and endanger my safety. They
Rugged me so closely at last that
lay on my oars, and clutching the
intrusive boards, pulled them into
| the boat, where, under the thWarts,
they exchanged dripping cOnfiden-
ces as to what they would do next.
What they did shall be told in due
course.
"such great effects from trivial causes
! spring.
The blazing house was now almost
visible. The reflection was caught
by the wateIs just beyond me. On
! l scudded round the bend of the
/ bank, the stream hurrying me
/ down, and now l have opened up
the town reach, and the burning
and half-demOliShed building is
cracking and roaring half a mile
! off. The smoke, dotted with mil
lion sparks, flies up to heaven,
while screams and cries and the
roar of falling timbers ascend with
them to the lurid sky. Those tiny
the thirst in that fiery throat, and
not quench it; no man can live near
such a fire as that the heat even in
| my gig was soon felt distinctly, and
the two plankS beneath my feet
WinkPd to each other in the glare,
and glistened side by side at the
thought of what was coming.
a yell, roar! Four people had
! got upon the crumbling parapet,
some feet above the stable roofs,
and were crying and shrieking for
assistance. Twenty men at once
rushed in to offer ropes and help.
What could they do? The unhappy
inmates, clad in evening dress,
looked weird and unearthly in the
fiery glare. One was a lady, three
were men. Taking off their coats
they knotted them by the sleeves,
and let down the lady To the luwer
roof in safety. Such Il cheer arose
for this. Well done, brave men,
well done! British chiValry is not
yet dead when Englishnen and
Irishmen can act like this. |
watched and waited; pulling in,
the heat was great. / pulled away
TO the opposite wing, abutting on
the river, now almost wholly clad
in flame and smoke, but still itself
unburning.
What is that? Can it be man
or woman kneeling there, and I'M
observed amid the shrouding smoke
by all the rest, who are gazing at
the gallant men around the stables
! The soldiers had arrived, and were
doing service; but no one else per-
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