The central Presbyterian. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1856-1908, 1884-06-04
Ghildren's Column.
A Little Hero.

When his mamma was young lady
her dress caught fire, and she was badly
burned. The burn left scar on her
arm which will never go away.
Dickey was kissing the hurt place one
day, and plying poor mamma.
How did they put the bad fire out,
mamma? p
Papa was in the room at the time,
dear, and as quickly as he could he
snatched large rug from the floor wrap
ped it about me, smothered the fire and
put it out. But for that mamma might
have burned to death instead Of only
being hurt on her arm.
" Remember that Dickey, and if you
ever see a child with its dress on fire,
try to wrap some heavy wooden thing
about it, and the fire will go out because
all the air will be shut from it.
Dickey looked thoughtfully from his
big blue eyes az think l can remem-
Der that mamma"
The beautiful autumn time came soon.
Yellow, brown and scarlet leaves fell
from the trees, and lay in heaped-up
ridges in the shelter of the fences.
The children loved to run up and
down through them, scattering them to
left and right with restless little feet.
At night the air was blue with the
smoke of leaf bonfres which cleaned at
every street corner.
One windy day Dickey and Kitty were
playing in the leaves with their little
neighbors next door, Neddy, Grace and
Willy Dean.
With broom and rake Neddy and
Dick got the leaves into great pile near
the sidewalk, while Grace carried leaves
in sheltered spot where they lay in
brown heaps. Even the babies, Kitty
and Willy, helped with all their little
might, and filled their chubby arms in
the corner, only to drop the leaves by
the way until they usually reached the
pile with only two or three left.
Heres pile for you p said Neddy.
Lets have a bonfire now. I say,
Grace, you get some matches. will you ?"
L don't think we ought to, Neddy,"
said Grace, for mamma is away, and
you know she said we must not light a
bonfire unless she was here to watch US. y
"Oh, she won't care I am big enough
to take care of Willy, and you can take
care of yourself. Don't be a baby Grace !;
but get the matches"
Grace wanted to obey mamma, but,
unfortunately, she was always influenced
by her twin brother whom she adored.
So she got the matches and gave them
to Neddy, who soon had rousing fire
blazing toward the sky.
Such fun as it was The children
nearly ran their little legs off to feed it
ali the nice dry leaves it wanted.
Twice baby Willie, darling two-year
old todler, nearly fell into the fire in his
eagerness to throw his tiny handful of
leaves on the bonfire, but Neddy caught
him in time.
The wind grew very strong and blew
the fire in quick flashes, first on one side
and then on the other of the pile of
leaves.
Neddy and Grace had run down to the
corner for fresh supply of leaves, and
Kitty was racing after them. Dickey
was stirring up the fire with broom
handle to make it blaze more fercely,
when an angry burst of wind swept up
the street. In a fash the fire burst out
arms about little Willy, who was stand
ing there.
In an instant the white dress was all
ablaze, and a cry of terror went up from
the baby lips.
Dlckey turned at the sound, and, as he
saw the cruel FIRE, his heart seemed to
stop beating.
What could he do?
Across the street stood Mrs. Baileys
carriage with the pretty robe thrown
upon the seat.
Dickey dashed across the street,
snatched, the robe, and throwing it over
WHY'S head, pulled him to the ground
Vas the dreadful fire out?
He pulled the robe aside. The flame
flashed out He beat it frantically with
his hands.
All this was done in much less time
than it takes me to tell it, The cries of
the children brought Dickey's mamma
and nurse to the sidewalk, just as WHY'S
mamma drove up.
She sprang from the carriage and
threw off the robe which covered her
baby.
The little hands and face were scorch-
ed, the yellow hair was singed and
matted, the white dress was burned
nearly to pieces, but her darling was
alive
Thank God for that
Dickey's mamma knelt beside him
Ny brave thoughtful boy, you have
saved Willy from a terrible death Are