The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1884-07-31

doorway. He struggled to free himself
from their vice-like grasp. He fought
with them, cursed them and finally
broke down and cried like a child.
Maxon's fierce tones recalled him to
himself.
"Why, man, do you think we would
let you go into that fiery furnace again?
Sect There goes the roof now"
With a gentle. waving motion the
roof seemed to slowly vibrate to and
fro, then sank down with sudden
crash, and a flying column of sparks
celebrated its downfall.
With half dazed senses John Proctor
stared about him, AMI his gaze wan
dered to the sky above, where an angry
crimson glow had blotted out the stars,
and rested upon the distant mountain
chains weirdly rejecting from their
scanned fronts and craggy peaks the
glare of the unrighteouS flames. Would
she admire them now?
Surely it was a spectacle to enchant
the eye of an unprejudiced spectator.
whose whole possessions were not be-
Ing SdCfluCeu 10 Inc cuccG.
He turned collectively to the scene
before him. There was still something
to be done. The cream of the stock
had been destroyed, but unless some
piles of lumber to the right of the
building were speedily removed, the
fire would communicate with the whole
outside stock, stretched for several
hundred yards along the railrO ad track.
He turned to the crowd of men who
stood inactive. gazing upon the scene:
"Come on and help us save the lum-
berr'
A couple of dozen men came prompt
ly forward. The lumberman saw, to
his surprise, that the volunteers were
almost exclusively composed of the So
called professional men of the town.
The local officials of the railroad, a
dapper, well-dreSsed set of fellows,
viewed with contemptuousf
eyes by the hard-working portion of the
presented themselves al
most to a man. The tall form of Judge
Cheeseman, stiff and somewhat aris-
tocratic legal luminary, loomed up in
their midst. A quiet-looking little real
estate agent leaped upon pile of shin
giles and began to fling the punches
down to a German chemist below. The
two rival editors, (for the least of New
Mexican villages usually boasts its min
iature newspaperdom,) who had ex-
changed shots on Gold Avenue the
previous day. glared cordially at each
other along the lengths of the timbers
they undertook to transport to place
of safety The laboring population
offered scarcely a representative, save
in the persons of few contractors and
who had learned to know
and like the pleasant young lumber
man.
The men worked like heroes. Their
energy never waned until a faint light
in the east began to rival the red glare
Of the flames, through the medium of
the high, rare atmosphere, cast over
The desert plains for miles around, and
every piece of lumber was removed to
} safe distance.
Worn and wearied. John Proctor sat
lown to rest upon the wheel of his own
copying press. A gradual change bad
aiken place in the ranks of the lOungeis.
Many of the spectators of the night had
rome home to refresh themselves with
/ nap, and the remainder were rein
orced by a struggling corps of men
who had slept through all the turmoil
Ind excitement. One of these, a stout
ellow with big diamond blazing in
lis shirt bosom and q mimic beer bot
lie suspended from his massive watch |
,hain, was recounting his experience,
Is all people revel in detailing their in
lividual impressions on the occasion of !
. fire.
"You see I was sleeping like log |
When Lizzie caught hold of ns Sffoul- !
Ter and she saws: Bob, Bob, wake up,
tell you. The sky is all afre and |
here must be an eclipse" l reached |
Ip to see if my pocket-book was safe
The worGs brought back to John
Proctor a sense of the loss he had sus-
aimed. At that moment MaxOn Strolled |
p, flushed with exertion. He had
ust administered sound kicking to a
Ouple of young MexicanS, whom he
ad detected making of with a keg of
uilding hardware.
"MaNon," he said, abruptly, did
hat fellow who got me out last night
ONE out safely himself?"
''Now think of it, returned Maxon,
he went back a minute; but he got out
II right-just as the roof fell in. |
bought at the moment piece OF fall
lg timber hit him, but be scrambled
# fast enough"
A dread suspicion asSailed John
'roctor's honest heart; but he repelled
sturdily. Yet all day long as he
'andered dreamily about, answering
thousand idle questions or fishing
rom the ruins various mementoes of
ne wreck there would constantly in
rude upon him the memory of two
reedy, devouring eyes. peering through
window, strange retreat into a
urning building, and disappearance
ito the shadows. When night came it
-as necessary for some one to stay and
uard the ruins, for, if the wind should
ise, some smouldering piles of lumber
hight be famed into blaze, and the
of the stock be swept away.
laxon, weary and hollow-eyed, offered
is services.
mot bit of it, Maxon. Go home
, your wife and babies, L have engaged
man."
Proctor did not add that the watch
ian he had engaged was no other than
imself, but when the rest had gone
ONE he remained there alone. Sep
rated as it was from the rest of the
OWN, by night the place was a dreary
olitude. Once the call of mocking
ird thrilled in the distance. A fiery
ye, miles away over the level plain,
eveloped into the headlight of the To-
omOtive of the evening train. which
numbered past on its way to the depot