The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1878-11-28

The sentry at the gate civiIly shoulder
ed" his rifle rs passed, and in reply {,
my question. told me that the captain ant
the whole party had gone, leaving wort
for me to follow If liked.
Yes; but how? They've taken all tn
cars, sentry"
YES, sir; but there's the gig, sir.
Whose gigY"
THE boat, sir. You can scull down al
most as quick as they can drive, yer hon
or"
Good" | would pull down. It wa,
not far; the moon was still bright.
knew the river pretty well.
No sooner thought than done. A sol
der from the guard-room came across ant
helped me to launch the gig.
That's a big fire, sir; they do say it.
at the Hall below. Poor creatures!
hope they'll all escape. All right, sir?"
l replied in the affirmative. He let &c
the painter, and with two vigorou.
strokes of the light sculls l was in the
stream. Fortunately | knew almost ev
cry turn and bend Of the fine river, or
should have more than once had a very
narrow escape, if l 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, did not think;
but | noticed they kept close to me-now
swimming away, now in the dim light meet
ing, then dividing, turning round, serarat-
ing themselves, and soon inclosing my
sculls. SOFAS to impede my way and -ndangcr
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 ex-
changed dripping confidence as to what
they would do next. What they did do
shall be told in due course.
Such great effects from trivial causes
spring.
The blazing house was now almost visi-
BILE. The rejection was caught by the
water Just beyond me. On | scudded
around the bend of the bank, the stream
hurrylng ME down, and now | have
opened up the town reach, and the burn
ing and half demolished building is crack
ling and roaring half mile off. The
smoke, dotted with million of sparks,
flies up to heaven, while screams and cries
and the roar of falling timber ascend with
them to the lurid sky. Those tiny Jets of
water only serve to aggregate the thirst
IN that fiery throat, and not to quench it;
no man can live near such a fire as that;
the heat even in my gig was soon felt DIS
tlnctly. and the two pianks beneath my
feet winked at 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 staple roofs, and were crying
and shrieking for assistance. Twenty
men at once rushed in to offer ropes and
help. What could they do? The unhap-
py inmates, clad in evening dress, looked
weird and unearthly in the fiery glare.
One was lady, three were men. Taking
off their coats they knotted them by the
sleeves, and let down the lady to the lower
roof in safety. Such cheer arose for this.
Well done, brave men. well done, British
chivalry is not yet dead when Englishmen
and lrishmen can act like this. | watch
ed and waited; pulling in. the heat was
great. | pulled away TO the opposite
wing, abutted ON the river, now almost
wholly clad in flame and smoke. but still
itself unburning.
What Is that? Can it be a man or
woman kneelir there, and unobserved
amid the shrouding smoke by all the rest,
who are gazing at the gallant men around
the staples? The soldiers had arrived,
and were doing service; but no one else
perceived the solitary form wrapped in an
ulster coat. and trembling on the wall
above the river
Not moment was to be lost pulled
in hastily
7 lap . snoIo' , Tsi As sPokes
once zee, nn r and NJ, rattiad ..Inpn"~ nniloJ
JIM noie anu la''ieu' jump iyehea
Ia my my i Iaot. ~ iii l., .
the swiftly rnnn;n"r;v.r md Tho nsrsnn /
Addressed ieanad foot 6rs, Tntb;nL;n,.
" I moved snJSenIv. The ,;cbt n;n rnct.
ed In vain atte;nntaJ 70 rsc ss mn
balance. tbe hoat t;npeJ over anJ 7 fai,
beadlon, into The watar now covsred
with deIr;s q
Tho t,vo nl,rts starteJ af,or ma ,o,o,b.
..r r,nn, hanaatb tbo th,.,,ts
sanl. and ne d;,i 90 7 ,bo,.bt of
Rosie and made nm NV mind 10 de ;f !
must bpt I St,u,,led w,anf,,Ilv for ne, On.
~b;Is '"' VIII
Wba, ono &c unw;,,;n,,, unds- ,v,to-
tho brain saamS 20 hacon,a hns;a, tban ~
ali othar .:r,a 49,, 10. ~, H.. :,
that half n;nnt. or so .hat VII" My. Uu ndar
meath I saw many acts Of NV i;f. or.
cnmst ancas lnnLaJ fro,, r,r ,oamta, ,o;n,
sc 'r,a,r 80. J;go.,.t e -. ~, :. Ill I'm
70 INV LoJ;i;, en- had ,' J. ns ,;r "a
20 ran.n, nf nv r,sbnosS q, 49, TO- lin
AZ MI 20 far.;ra ,nr o,a ~, I'D az,
f. : nnu ~ 10, 'TLsNI ny ehIln ahs 'neh
,Sa;u nnt ont NV r;aht ,r,u .nd n" nr,s'a.a
So,nntL,rnn I, ms ,'I,nL ep'"
Saa;m hod, 49,; pam r" oiouo he
al H. S.ad IT. ILL. up I'I Ia 80 -
save was sens;hle er;deut,v A''" ' "
saw va" e
l was oeiighted 70 nnd that ne, too, was
iioating on plank, the twin supporter OF
my srni; anu now those good irien9s Toss
ed about, and drove up against each other