Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1883-07-06

les SIT L worked lDr tHe com
pany until they failed about year
ago
1T did not fail exactly" said the
, stranger, with smile. 1T has gone
! into operation again. My son wrote
me to try and hunt you up. He is
i'll want of a faithful. competent man
to act as foreman. Would you like
the place.
Il should very much | have a
dependent family. and have been out
of steady work for some months"
Those keen eyes took a rapid sur
vey of the speakers worn and shabby
garments.
My son writes that there is some
thing due you OH your old account
Let me- see" Here the speaker
referred to letter which he took from
his pocket, Seventy five dollars. |
think l have tho amount with me-,
and if you will give a receipt 1 will
make it square with you"
1t was a long time since MIR. Irwin
had had sum like this at his dis
posal, and he could hardly realise his
good fortune, even when the roll Of
bills was in his hand.
His first collected thought was of
his dear. patient WIFE Poor Mary!
how glad she will be to know this"
he said to himself as he went down
the steps into the street, putting his
hand in his breast pocket to make
sure that 1t was not a myth.
AS he hurried along, eager to tell
her the good news. and impatient at
every obstacle in his way, he saw a
dense cloud cf smoke in the quarter
where he lived AS he drew nearer
he saw a crowd OF people following
some ghastly thing that was being
borne past him to the station.
"What is it," he inquired of a by
stander
"a woman burnt to death in ten
ement house on Front street"
Front street! That was where he
lived, and with quickened step and
sinking heart he rushed on. His
worst fears were realized. The
building he had left few hours be-
fore was a mass of smoking ruins,
whose numerous tenants were hud-
died out upon the sidewalk before the
few things they were able to snatch
from the flames, but among whom his
eyes sought vainly for those that he
most wished to see
Rushing up to one Of the women,
he seized her almost rudely by the
arm.
"Mrs. Allen, where is my wife?"
Il haven't seen her. The Lord be
good to us! it couldn't be her they
took away so burned and blackened
that her own mother wouldn't know
her."
For a moment Mr.. Irwin stood mo-
tionless, struggling with the sicken-
ing horror that palsied limb and
brain. Then, as he remembered the
ghastly spectacle he had met, push
ing through the crowd. he turned his
tottering steps in the direction in
which he had seen it borne.
In the shadow of such u terrible
bereavement how light seemed every
other trial, how black the ingratitude
that had made him unthankf1l for
the rich treasure of love that had
been his! What cared he for the op-
portunities thrown open to him? How
poor and empty seemed all that he
had hoped to do and win now she
was gone whose presence had made
his lowly abode such a heaven of
peace and rest!
"Merciful Father! take all else,
but spare my wife and childr' was
the cry that went up from his tor
tured soul, as the officer turned the
KEY of the room where the dead lay.
Upon a rude table, their faces
charred and blackened beyond all
recognition, were the unfortunate
mother and child awaiting identified
ton.
"Oh! ary-Oh! my boy!-can
this be your groaned the wretched
man, as he turned bis shuddering
gaze upon them
Here Mr.. Irwin felt a light touch
upon his arm.
"Richard"
| Turning he saw his wife with their
child in her arms. standing just back
of him.
The revulsion, from the extremes
of grief and despair to this blessed
reality, was too strong, and had it
not been for the officer who was
standing by, he would have fallen to
the foor
1t seems that Mrs: Irwin, who had
barely time to escape with her life,
had taken refuge in house opposite.
She had seen her husband lush past
on his way to the station, aud. divin-
ing his errand, followed as quickly
as possible.
The following day was truly
Thanksgiving Day" to both; and
not alone for the material blessings
that surrounded them.
And through all the prosperous
years that followed, years that whit
ened their hair and knit their hearts
more closely together, never did Mr..
Irwin omit on that day to refer to
this eventful season of his life, nor
fail to give thanks to the Giver of all
good for this crowning proof Of His
goodness "that they were spared to
each other"
KING KALAKAuA.-Apropos of the
recent coronation of King Kalakaua,
a friend of mine who spent some
months on the Sandwich Islands tells
pleasant story of that jolly sover
eign. He was invited with several
other prominent Americans to take
dinner at the palace 1t was hot
evening, and full dress was decidedly
uncomfortable However, they all
dressed up," and upon entering the
royal presence began addressing their
host as Your Majesty" Kalakaua at
first maintained his dignity. but be
fore the fourth member of the party
approached him, he burst out. Now
no more of that nonsense, please
just call me Dave" Then he drew of
his coat, invited the others to follow
his example, aud Dave and hi,
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