Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-10-20

hurried toward the burning building.
Perhaps there was something her tired
hands could do to help the poor wretches
who were trying to escape death. What
would become of them, of her, If the
factory burned?
She knew. before she reached it, that
the factory could not be saved. The
windows were loop-holes of fire. The
caves were wreathed with flames that
coiled and uncoiled themselves like
writing serpents.
Suddenly great cry rang out from
the crowd, and she saw hands pointing
to the window of a room over the main
entrance. Looking up, she saw Lever
son standing there. His face was very
white. He must have been asleep, men
said, and the fire had reused him from
what might have been pleasant slum-
Der. to put him face to face with an
awful danger.
1T is death for him." thought Lois,
with stihed breath There's no pos
sible way of escape"
"Pll try to save him." cried voice
she knew-Dicks voice, and there was
something grand in the sound of it.
Then she saw him fighting his way
through the flames, and the last glimpse
of his face showed her how brave it was
in the wild tempest of fire and smoke
She held her breath. and waited, pale
and trembling, while her heart kept
saying over and over, in a prayerful
kind OF way:
"Dear Dick! Oh, God save himI''
She knew then, in the face of the
awful danger. that the lover who was
risk NO his life so nobly was more to her
than the lover he was risking his life for
! could ever be. She had made her choice
at last.
Suddenly, through the fame and
smoke, she caught sight of Dicks face
at the window of Leverson' room. He
had Leverson in his arms.
Throw up rope" shouted Dick.
"Be quick, for Gods sake
Some strong hand flung the line he
asked for. He fastened one end of it
beneath the arms of the unconscious
Leverson, and lowered him to the ground
| Just as the flames burst out of the win
dow below him, wrapping the whole
front OF the mill in seething sheet of fire.
A groan went through the crowd.
There was no hope for Dick. He had
saved life at the loss of his own.
"Dick, Dickr' rang out a woman's
voice, sharp and shrill, and full of terri
bic entreaty. TRY to save yourself for
ny SGker'
He heard, and leaned far out OF the
window in wild desire to save his life
for the sake of the woman lie loved. He
saw the wire of one of the lightning rods
not foot away from the window. May
be it was strong enough to hold his
weight. But could he 90 through the
hell OF fire beneath him? 1t seemed
death to venture. 1t was certainly death
TO stay where he was. Lois had called
HIM. He would make a wild effort 10
save himself.
He leaned over and grasped the rod
and swung himself over the window
ill, and slipped down, down, down!
The rod bli,tered his hands, but he
chung to it. The flames billowed up all
about him. but he Held his breath and
slid down. down, down! The last he
remembered was that he was in the
midst of whirlpool of fire, with the
thought in his brain that he was ALWAYS
going down, down, down!
The first thing he remembered after
that was woman's face bending over
him and n wOman's tears dropping on
his face, and then woman's kiss was
on his lips, and woman S voice said
brokenly:
"Oh, Dick! poor, noble, brave, dear
Dickn' And he saw Lois above him
and thought he had got to Heaven.
They told him he was hero. Lever
son came and took his poor, wounded
hands in his and told him he had saved
his life. and that he should do great
things for him to prove his gratitude.
And he did.
And Lois is satisfied with the choice
she made.