The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1879-09-13

and then the lamlllW lace OF W ater Stieet
would come in view, with the familiar names
of Lyman Shorbs, Waterman Dalzei!, Shonc.
berger and others. Old man CroSson would
be busying himself about the ron-clad Monon-
gahela house that he declared would not burn
in the midst ofh-l." About this last We will
; see. The steamers Lehigh, Captain Price and
the Queen of the West with many others, lay
at the wharf.
Soon they were in the city, amid the rnmb-
ling of drays, baggage wagons carts, coaches,
&c, and felt as though they had been from
home at least two whole months.
CHAPTER V.
HOLOCAUST.
i We will now shit the scenes little and lie.
in the year 1915. The occurrences of the pre-
vi0us chapters were confined to 1874.
James Clcndennlng was, true enough, assist
an, IN high school in the Quaker village Of
Mt Pleasant Ohio. He correspondent regu-
arly with Miss Julia Thorn, who kept HIM in
good heart IN spite of his tendency 10 dcspond-
ency.
Miss Agnes suddenly discovered that her
school education was not complete, and enter
ed the Washington Seminary under very
efficient principal, Mrs IL, and a fine
corps of teachers. She exchanged letters oc
casionally with certain young law student in
the city of smoke and cobble stones and made
some very warm friends among the young la
dies congregated at this very desirable place
of learning from almost all parts Of the Union
And from the other establishment on the hill
| (the college, she, with others, received some
flattcrlng propositions, all of which she stead
fasly refused.
| Mrs Wentworth, husband and son were hap
| py in the possession of wealth, ease and com
81, t,., H.,
preciative community Mr.. W. owned many
stores on Water street, from which he collect
| ed his rents regularly
| People came and went IN the busy city, and
all went happy because all were industrious.
| There was apparently no cause for apprehen-
sion As the health Of the city was good and
the good Lord had set his seal in the heavens
to the effect that the earth should never again
be destroyed by flood.
SO, at the dinner hour on the 10th day of
April 1915, when the fire bells rang and the
engines ratified over the cobbie stones, people
said: at may be a false alarm" and one lit.
tie fellow ran TO the window of a fine house on
I'd street and said to his mother, as the engine
came along: Here mother here comes the
false alarmn'
SO the citizens continued TO cat dinners
while small fire burned down near the point.
IL was a windy day and the shingles were dry
as powder, and soon cloud of smoke told the
dcnizens that the fire was making Roadway.
BY and by more general alarm was given,
and people said: There may be quite fire,
1t is a favorable day for It,"
Again little interval and the bell on the
church at the corner of Sd and Ferry streets
began torlng vigorously, and then people SAID
"If the old Presbyterian church bell is ring
ing, that means business, we may have large
fire"
Again the cloud of smoke increased and the
occupants of the iron-clad hotel-thc Monon.
gahela house-Sad: 1--WE Will go down and
see about this, they may need our help" And
80 they went Uucle Crosson and all the gentle
men bOarders.
By and by the boarders exclaimed Per
haps we had best see to our trunks"
"Oh, mol" exclaimed Uncle Crosson my
house would not burn If it were IN the middle
Of Hades, or, more properly speaking, hell
itself"
So the boarders loitered to see the fire; but
by and by, seeing the shingles flying for the
distance of two or three blocks. and alighting
on the house tops and each starting little fire
on It's own account, they concluded twas time
to walk, then to rum and when they arrived
there the building was all IN blaze, and 1t
was unsafe to enter it; and shortly they found
they must go north speedily to save their own
lives, for the fire was sweeping like hurri-
cane to Piper town and moving everything
before It,
On the streets leading north there was a
lively scene-Carts, express wagons, carriages,
hacks, every kind Of vehicle, bearing all sorts
of burdcns--burcaus, sofas, pianos chairs, beds
and bedding, stoves carpets, looking glasses,
and few laden with groceries and iron;
while the sick were IN carriages, in chairs, on
beds and on the backs of friends, fleeing for
dear life, for although many persons are ready
to die, vet few want to be burned to death.
There goes a woman with bundle on her
back.
Coed woman, what have you there:" cried
n man. meeting her
BREAD, to be sure"
us It baker's?"
ut is, indeed"
swell, it will soon he baked again"
What do you mean -
"Why, it Is all atirel"
Help me put it out, will you"
"Yes, / will, ma'am. Now put il on your
back again"
But in the effort to do this, her silver spoons
fell from her bosom. please hand me up my
|spo0nsY'
II will, indeed"
There, thank you Nov go and help some
body else" And he went with alacr:ty, for
his family were safe two miles away
Here goes a little girl with long yellow hair,
a negress has her by the hand, in her arms she
carries a poodle dog she is minus one shoe
and her bonnet But there comes n rush, the
buildings at their side are on fire. and the fran
tic crowd rush across the street.-The little girl
steps upon burning shingle and runs a nail
in her bare foot She stops to pull the nail
out, and Dinah Is swept along without
her; the crowd sweep over her, and the drays,
wagons, coaches and carts move on-but where
is the little grl? BY and by she emerges from
the moving mass, with the dog still in her
arms and tear IN her eye But she is saved
las by fire" and to day is the wife of proud
husband and the mother of many brightcved
,Iil,lrap N Irishmon saw hpr and check pl