Weekly Trinity journal., 1879-02-22
WEAVERVILLE, CALIFORNIA. SATURDAY. FEBRUARY %, 1879


hold of her and the fancy was so real,
that once or twice she put out her hands,
as though to boat it back, and cried out
sharply, in her fright.
"I'm going home," she said, at last,
sick, dizzy, faint. IT shall go crazy,
il stay here. I'm not sure but l shall,
anyway"
She put on her bonnet, and went out
into the warm June day. She saw the
hills beyond the town. far off, and
wrapped about with their own peace.
She wished she were ono OF them. Then
nothing would ever msve her. The
world, and the way OF men, would DO
no thing to her. The wheels might go
on and on forever, but she would not
mind them.
But which to chocse7 Which to choose,
The words made thsmselv into little
verse, and set themselves to the mo-
notonous hum of turning spindles, and
the click clack Of shuttles. Whenever
she shut her eyes, she saw great
room, full of beautiful and costly things,
with Lois, we'll and strong and then
she wavered, and the temptation, to prove
unfaithful to her heart, was almost
stronger than she could resist.
Suddenly, the clangor OF the factory bell
smote on her ears. She turned, and
looked down the road wondering, vaguely
| what the matter could be.
Avid, shri,l cry offro came to her. on
the wind, and at that instant, q great
black cloud of smoke broke from the upper
windows Of the factory. 1t was strange,
but the first thought that came to Sybil
was one OF exultation. If the factory
burned down, she need never 60 back to
her hateful work again. She would be
FREQ.
Then sho turned suddenly, and ran back
to the burning building. Perhaps there
was something her tired hands could do.
Sho knew before she reached it, that it
could not be saved. The windows were
loop holes of fire. The caves were
wreathed with fantastic cornice of
writhing flame.
Suddenly, great cry rang out from the
terror stricken crowd. At the window of
his private office, up stairs, she saw
Leverson's frightened facs. lie must
have been asleep, and had probably just
awakened 10 the reality of his awful
danger. She thought il was death. She
could SEQ no way OF escape for him.
"I'll try to save him." some ono said f.
1t was Dick. There was something
grand in the sound Of his voice, II seemed
to her. Then she saw him fighting his
way through the flames, and tho last
glimpse OF his face showed her how brave
and determined it was, in tho wild
tempest of fire. She dropped on hor
knees, and hid her face in her hands,
saying. over and over again, IN II
prayerful way, "Dear Dick oh, God
save him I" She knew, then, that tho
lover who was ri.king his lite for another,
was more to hsr, than tho lover he was
risking it for could ever be. She had
made her choice.
Another cry, like q grasp, from the
crowd. She looked up, and saw Dick at
the window OF Leverson's room. He had
Leverson in his arms, and the man
seemed to have tainted.
"Throw up rope !" cried Dick,
hoarsely. Some strong hand flung one
to him. He fastened 1t about tho un>
conscious man, and lowered him to the
ground, just as the flames burst out of
tho windows below him, wrapping the
whole factory in one soothing mass Of h-e.
A groan ran through the crowd. There
was no hope for Dick. Ho had saved a
life, but lost his own.
"Dick, oh, Dick I" SYPHILIS voice rang
out, sharp and shrill, and those who heard
it, never forgot the keen, awful pain in it.
"Try to save yourself-for my sake :"
Why she said that she never knew.
But they were magical words. He heard,
and leaned far out of the window, in a
wild desire TO save his life for the sake of
the woman who loved him. He saw the
wire OF one OF the lightning rods. not a
foot away from the window. Maybe it
would be strong enough, to let him down
through the roaring hell Of FIRE. lie
would try. As we'll die in that way, as
any other, IL it must be death.
He grasped the rod, and dropped down.
down into the lurid abyss. The rod
blistered his hands, but he clung to it.
The flames bllowed about him, and
broke over him, but he held his breath,
and slipped down, down, down. A
thought came to him, that he was going
down forever, and then-a blank.
The first thing he remembered, after
that, was woman's face bonding over
him, and woman's tears dropping on
his face, and woman's kiss was on his
scorched lips, and Sybil's voice was say
ing, in broken way, "Oh, poor, dear,
brave Dick I" and then he thought he
must have died, and this was heaven.-
They told him, afterwards, that he was
Il hero. Leverson came, and took his
burned and bleeding hands in his, and
said to him, that he had saved his life,
and that he would prove his gratitude in
II more substantial way than spoken
thanks. And he did. But Dick only
thought of one thing. Sybil had chosen
and the woman he had loved, and
hoped TO win-was won !
--
A SOUTHERN Judge read "Betsey and
IAro Outn for a couple who came seek
ing q divorce, and they withdrew the