The Abbeville messenger. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1884-1887, 1886-02-02

for years would come forward. l stood
at the Toe of the ladder. and told them
l was going up myself. l offered twenty
roublcs-fifty roubles-to any man who
would help me. But it was of no use.
Just when l was about to mount alone.
the ragged stranger-fellow, whom / had
before observed working so vigorously,
came running up. He had been too
busy in another place to know what was
going forward sooner. That was scarce
ly a time for taking any particular notice
of peoples looks, yet l had an i'm. res
sion that he was not altogether a
stranger to me.
He looked up to the roof. The delay
of those few minutes had given a fear
full advantage to the fire. '"Thcrc is
death up there" he said; "is sating
this mill SO very important to you 2"
eff it is burned, 1 am a bcggar.
Every kopeck 1 am worth is in it. A
hundred roubles if you will help me
save i'll"
1--WE can talk of the reward after
ward" he said, as he sprang past me
and up the ladder like a cat.
l was following, too eagerly, perhaps,
to be careful, and I nm Il heavy man.
A round broke. and down l came, with
a knee so much twisted that | could
scarcely stand. 1t was no longer in my
power to climb to the roof.
But from where I proppcd myself
against the wall l could see that ragged
fellow, who was up and doing enough
for three or four ordinary men. You
should lave seen how he sent the
shingles rafting down. Seen from be-
low, he seemed at times to be working
with fire all round him, but he went on
without minding it. l never saw an
Englishman-lct alone Il Russian-go to
it with a better will. l heard the pco-
pie round me say hat he worked more
like a fcnd than n mortal mainland so
he did. He handled the burning wood
rs though his fingers had been iron in
stead of flesh and bone, and scarcely
seemed to shrink from the flames that
blazcd up round his face. He never APP
pcared to rest or stay for breath till he
had succeeded in cutting off the COM
munication between the fire and the
mill.
l made the men below set the ladder
rs handlly as they could for him to get
down, and he did his best to reach it.
But he must have been quite used up,
besides being pretty much blinded and
suffocated with the smoke. Anyway,
he lost his footing, and down he went
through the ~raftcrs, and crashed among
the burning rubbish below. 1t was an
ugly fall.
We got him out rs we'll as we could;
and such a scorched, smokc-blackcned,
smashed-up copy Of Gods image l
Sho,l11 nnCnr wish fD n ornSp Int In
was still alive, and to the proposal to
''No; take him into my house." So
they ooh him in.
After VIC had got the fire quite under,
limped to the side of the bed where
they had laid the poor fellow. He had
come round n bit by that time. lie
tried to open his eyes, but it seemed to
me that the fire and smoke had not left
him much power Of seeing with them.
He spoke, however, more distinctly than
might have been expected, and his, first
question was whether the mill was safe.
l told him that owing to his. pluck it
was. l was surprised to find that he re-
cogniZcd my voice, and still more when
he named my name.
"You do not know me-" he said-and
indeed it was not likely that any one
should know such u crushed and shape
less mass of cinder as he was-''You do
not know mc-Fcodor ~Stcpanovitch.
They caught me, and took me back. I
knew you when you spoke to me in the
street, but dared not answer, lest they
should suspect you of having bcfriended
me. I have escaped from them again,
and am going home to %Ivanova. 1
must see my wife, and that villain Ma
karoff."
He lay a little, and then added: 81
am glad I was here to help you tonight.
l am glad they did not take me again
before I got here. do not think the
politZia will take me again"
And they did not; for he was dead
within an hour of that time.
That, sir, is the end of my story of a
Sibcriak. Do you happen to have a
light handy; for, somehow, Ihavc let my
pipe out7 And, bless me, my pipc-bowl
is quite wet. l believe Pm crying. What
an old ass I am !-.London Society.