The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-01-01
SAVED FROM THE FLAMES.
An Event in the Life of q Man who Sleeps
In n New York Public square.


in the park, he always slept in the same
place on a bench that stood alone by
itself, secluded somewhat il q curve OF
one of the by-paths, sothnt when Returned
off the beaten track it was almost the
same as going through a door into q
chamber: and of all tie broken or de-
liant men that througei the park at
night, forced, like himself, from want OF
work, to sleep out of doors, no man ever
disputed his right to this bench, whether
he came early or late. He was up now
with the birds, and having .ynwned and
stretched himself, shaken his trousers
down oyer his boots, and smoothed out
the wrinkles from his coat, he picked up
his hat from the groundand set it beside
him on the bench, and took q broken
comb from his vest pocket and untangled
his hair and combed out his immense
red-brown moustache from which the
dye had almost faded, leaving only q
fringe of black along the lower edges.
AS he pat on his hat he exchanged salu-
tations with two police officers who were
crossing the park, and then, havingtaken
M eye-opcner at the nearest drinking
fountain, he started for Broadway and a
breakfast.
Night came, and with it rain falling
heavily. In a strange place he would
have thought nothing of sleeping in the
rain, but here in New York, where he
had friends, he could readily find shell
ter. Walking down Prince street, he
passed. under the green lamp that stands
at the corner of Wooster, and turned
into the Prince street police station AS
he leaned across the railing talkingIXh
the sergeant, the door opened atN
followed by q gray-haired old man, on
whose face the sergeant and the man
from Washington square read: II am
looking for my daughter, as easily rs
most men could have read the words
from a printed page, for long experience
had made them skilled in faces, and the
precinct is full of living graves, and
fathers and brothers came searching
often.
Guided by the ward detective they
started out again, and the man from the
park followed. If the old man had been
less absorbed he would have marveled at
the sights and sounds around him, OF
Haunting women and tceming rum shops,
and block after block of houses with
open doors. Passing on, they stood OPP
positc the house they sought, and paus-
ing for a moment before crossing over,
The old man shuddered at the sounds of
rcvelry. Suddenly the music and laugh
ter ceased, and they heard the rafting
of the chain and the shooting of the bolt
that secured the inner door. Then the
door flew back, the gas Jet in the scarlet
globe in the vcstibule lared in the draft,
and there came crowding into the street
a motley throng, young men and old,
and women, some in street attire, some
III evening lress, and others whose cos
tune was like that worn by ballet girls.
AS the last came out, q little wreath of
smoke curled silently after her, and
police officers pressed back across the
street the quickly gathered throng.
Three minutes later a steamer came
%plunging round the corner from Blocker
street, and soon others came !; but the
fire was quicker than they, and flames
and smoke poured from nearly every
opening.
Everybody out ?" asked an officer Of
u of the women.
"All but one," and at the same mo-
ment that one appeared at q window III
the topmost story, and looked down
upon the surging multitude. Fire shot
up from beneath and drove her
back, but she came again and stretched
out her arms imploringly, and when,
with all the rest, the old man looked up
at the shuddering woman he saw his
daughter. He would Lave rushed in to
save her, but a fireman, whose beard
was curled close to his face where the
fire had scorched it, smiled grimly at his
impetuosity, and smiled again as he
turned toward the building which was
filled aud sheathed with fire. Nothing
but ladders would do now. ooh for q
ladder !" sang out a voice from the
crowd, and as if in answer they heard
above the clatter and roar of the engines
q welcome sound, distanced somewhat
by intervening buildings, but still assur-
ing, the irregular booming of a hook N
ladder trucks gong, made fainter now
and then by the attenuation thai follows
swift movement, but coming nearer and
nearer, and bursting out clear and strong
rs the horses camc tearing round the
corner, guided by rcins that were as
straight as bauds of steel, leading back
to q square shou!dered, angle faced,
blue-shirted man, whose seat was as firm
a though he had been bound to 4 rock.
What i driver!
Secure past every obstruction, straight
to the burning building, the truck came
booming down to the clangor of going,
and the sharp, k%er-lamp! ker-lamp
ker-lamp! ker-lamp. of iron-shod hoofs
that beat as true together as any
matched pair Of thoroughbrcds, and be-
fore the wheels had ceased revolving
the mon were on the ground, a ladder
off, its foot braced against the curbstone,
and it's upper end circling in the air, and
while yet it tremblcl over the pavement
a fireman was springing up from rung
to rung to be at the top when it should
fall against the building. Quivering
nearer and nearer to the woman the lad
der drew, carrying the fireman with
arms outstretched, and it has almost
touched the wall when a great blast of
fire and smoke belched out, shrouded
the woman and blowing away the ladder
to fall crashing in the street; and when
the draught drew it again it disclosed
the woman clinging to the window sill.
A shudder ran along the crowd and fixed
every eye upon the spectacle, so that
they failed to see a man who had jumped
into the patrol wagon, a big, powerful
man, with an immense red-brown nous
tache from which the dye had almost
faded, leaving only a fringe of black
along the lower edges. Selling q coil
OF rope, he sprang into the open space
that the heat had cleared in front of the
burning building. Coolly, but with
marvellous q%uickuess, he knotted the
end of the rope, and in another instant
he had made a running moose. Then he
took up the coil and spread it out along
his left arm, so that it would u free,
stepped back, measured with his eye the
distance to the chimney that rose above
the window, and then deity threw the
moose. It went sailing up, circled for