The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1879-03-14

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Nes. III SPITE "a ms rssnlnssan. |
found myself ,1nstnmlls reasaanr ii
thu ssrmnre rh.st I'm the smkr ii
qntt and air, ! ha.i appropriated III.
isa lasg. l,aek aud front rnams M the
top II thu hnuse for my iellrrnm and
sisa,l,, and thus slept every night Just
i.ensaih the ~his. chest
ls.for | had heen In the hsnse a
month. il i,eRan b. nj ~ nlghtmMr.
on me. nm incubus cnnld net shake ~.
l WIS oppressed and depressed u, IL. in
a Nay quite unaeconniahle. Was pnx.
yei nj mvalf. conld not have I've.
liescsl four WEEKS before that | should
ever have become 10 affected hy such
contemplate restlessness. disquiet and
ai>tm>i. These feelings At last reached
such pitch that | finally changed nv
bedroom. ! would not sleep any longer
directly underneath this accnrsed mys.
terions fabric.
Another month passed. during which.
more than once. ! WAS tempted 10 60
secretly onto the roof and look at the
thing again: there WAS no harm in that,
that was NO, forbidden In the bond,
and, need hardly say, saw nothing TO
provoke any new comment.
About n week after my last visit 10
the roof. a lengthy debate kept me
late at the House II Commons. and,
walking home for the sake of fresh
air. / fonnd the midsummer dawn
breaking m struck into Park LAM.
Reaching Oxford street ! was startled
by observing in the western sky Il
strong light. not due to reflected sun
rise. Al the moment l saw IL a fire.
engine passed me ut full speed, and
presently the first sign OF the commo-
ton which confagration causes in the
streets became evident. No man under
goes this experience. when he has been
away from home many hours, and sees
the red glare rising III the direction Of
his own house, without a pang 81 ankle
~, il not Of terror How well.iounde.l
was this sensation in the present case
was made evident ere | lad walked an
other 200 yards. yes, mercifnl powers
il was my house that was on fire!
| can scarcely record what followed
! only know Tint somehow | found my
self lii the midst ot the police and fire.
men. That ! explained to the super.
intendcnt who | wins. and that under his
escort ] soon ascertalned that all the in
mates OF my house. my children, their
governess and the servants, were In
safety, and had been taken into neigh
bor's 1t the rear. TINT. ~ soon ~
found this to be the case. l, nccompa.
nied still bs tho superintendent, mount.
81 y the top u M adjacent residence,
whence the iircmcn were directing thu
hose upon til. flames
Once on this vantage point. my mind
reverted to the white chest. Was il
still there Yes; the flames, though
bursting out fronl all the windows 81
the upper stories. back and front, had
not yet done more than wrench md
crack PORTIONS VI thu glass case. For h
time Il seemed ~ il this would lie the
most tllat might happen. The water
seemed 70 bc getting the upper hand
and, ~ il fell in torrents on the hoi
roof, such clouds vi steam were thrown
up with the smoke ~ would have com.
pletcly hidden everything from view
hut that onr position had been skillfnlls
selected. and WAS well To win.lwMrd ol
the burning mass. But presently, annie
the roar 81 the flames, there came d
dull, heavy rnmble for Il moment, and
then, with tremendous crash, the roo
fell IN. With il, Of course, went III.
fragments and framework of the glas,
case, and the now-charrcd and black euct
chest itself. hn.l my eyes upon il d
the moment, and down il went dee,
into the utter obscnrity of the dens4
smoke and steam which always sue
ce.ds to this climax Of 4 confIagration
For several minutes nothing was 10 b,
discerncd through the Overwhelming
wreAths of black.gray fumes. Bu
presently, though the light from III,
fire had hecn qnenched. there began 4
be visible. by the mid Of the increasing
light ~ the morning. the depths ii thi
pit of Achcron. Yet il was not NO yer,
deep after all, for the fire having orig
mated on tho second floor, the iallinl
roof had only crashed down, ~ vet, d
far IA the drawing. room. and there
when my eyes had become accmstomc,
% the spectacle 81 the indescrl,abl
debris. plainly belcld. resting slant
ways ACROSS stubborn remnant q
wall, what had been the white chest
i was now split and smashed, and il
contents were revealed.
Good Heavens what was II that
looked down upon turned my fac
away for 4 moment with ri nddcr, Ii
H.. II. 4 ~