The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-09-19

ridden, and haven't as fair a show as the others.
Come along"
as the Boston slugger, he picked Jake up as If
he'd been nothing but baby, and begun Juggling
him downstairs On the first food he stopped
at the door of Mr.. jacobson, who was the
housekeeper-that is to say, the tenant who got
his rent free for looking after the house and
keeping things straight-he stopped at the
housekeepers door, and he banged away
at IL with the toe of his boot till
old jacobson woke up, and he told
jacobson that the house was on fire, and for him
out as quick and quiet possible, and then he
hurried down to the street, with Jake in his
arms. Every step lower they went, that smell
OF smoke grew stronger and stronger. They
was wheeling and coughing like folks with the
asthma, when they got out into the open air.
But when they did get into that there open air,
what do you supposed l don't know as you'll
believe it; Jake, he hardly believed it himself;
but the truth is, sir, strange as it may seem to
you, the truth is that Jake, he seen! Yes sir.
He seen the lampposts a-fiickering down the
street. He seen the stars shining in the sky.
He seen Malloy a-standng near him. He seen
everything there was to be seen, as clear as he'd
ever seen them in all his life.
II was to talk on steady from now till doom's
day, sir, never could give you no idea of the
wonderful, terrible. thrilling feeling that Jake
had, when he realized that he actually seen.
AS l say, at first he couldn't believe it, But
there was the stars, and there was the lamp
posts, and there was Malloy, all as large as life;
and though it was hard to believe it, it was hard
er yet to doubt it. However amt going to try
to make you understand how Jake felt, because,
as l told you, / couldn't do it; and then anyhow,
I've got other things to speak Of
Malloy, he carried Jake over to the other side
of the street, and he sat him down on the curb
stone, and then he run off to give the alarm.
Before he cot back, half the people had come
out from the House O Horrors, and the half was
still a-coming queer lot they looked, too,
many of them in their night dresses or under
clothes, just as they'd jumped out of bed, and
most of them carrying bundles of things which
they hoped to save from the fire. The fire, also,
which up to now had been pretty much all
smoke, was beginning to show itself through
the basement windows 1t was found at the In
vestigation held by the fire marshal that that
fire started in the cellar. Before it got done it
had worked it's way up to the roof and Quilted
the whole building. But as | was saying, when
Malloy got back the street was full of people,
and the neighbors, they was waking up too, and
everybody was yelling and hollerlng as if their
lives depended on their making big noise, and
the flames was beginning to show through the;
windows on the ground floor. Malloy, he come up
to where he'd left Jake setting, and says he,
Now, then, Smithie," says he you'll catch
your death of cold setting still out here with
nothing more on than them red f1annels and you
suffering from rheumatism so here goes" With
which he picked Jake up again, as easy as he'd
done it the first time. and he carried him into
one of the houses opposite to the House o Hor-
rors and he landed him in a room on the second
story, near by the window, and the folks who
lived there they gave him quilt to keep warm
with; and then he set and looked out, and ever
cised his eyes by watching the House o Horrors
burn-which, by the way, it done like finder
box, when 1t once got fairly started
Well, SIR guess he'd set there going on half
to three quarters of an hour. and the fire was at
its liveliest when, over and above the racket
that was made by the flames, and the engines,
and the firemen, and the crowd alooking on, he
heard the sound of people talking, excited like,
in the street. right under the window that he
was setting at He glanced down. and he seen
five or six hook and ladder men ajawing and
a-gestculating with a woman, who was dressed
like ballet girl, in tights and spansles, and
spangles, and who jawed and gesticuated
back as good as the best of them, though
Jake couldn't make out no words on
either side. For it might have been one
second, Jake, he didn't recognize who that there
woman was; but at the end of that second, it
struck him all of heap; and then, as loud as he
was able. he called out her name, "Hetty
Hetty" But she, nor one else, they never
heard him. on account of the general fuss and
uproar He waited perhaps another second.
and he was just getting ready to call out to her
again when-Good God, sir!-what should he
see but her, Hetty his wifi, without giving no
one no sort of warning. go scooting through the
door Of the burning house into the very jaws OF
the fire! Talk about rheumatism! Why, bless
you, SIR at that moment Jake. he didn't have no
more rheumatism than you've got now. He didn't
ave nothing at all-no thought no feeng-but
Just this here, that Hetty had gone inside the
House o Horrors And that thought, and the
fearful sickness of the heart that went along
with it. cured his rheumatism in about the space
of a lightning fash and give him the strength of
lion. He never remembered clearly how it
happened; but, you know, sir, what he done He
jumped out of that window, and he rushed into
the fire after her. and he come out again with
her in his arms and he cried for some one to
fetch doctor, and then he fell fat on the pave
ment next to her, the two Of them like pair of
corpses
I've pretty near reached the end of this story,
sir, and ! guess you amt sorry, for It's been
long one and not an over cheerful one. L only
need to tell you, to wind up, that doctor come,
and that he had Jake and Hetty carried into one
of the houses near by, and that he did what he
could for en-, while waiting the arrival of an
ambulance Jake he come to pretty soon and
he laid still until he'd got his ideas or less
Strengthened out and then he asked about his
wife, and she was pointed out to him, lying in
the same room, couple of yards away, her
theayter dress all scorched aud blackened, her
hair singed clear off her head, and herself as
stiff and quiet as if she were dead.
Jake, with a fear and pain that was worse
than knife blade in his heart, he made out to
ask whether she was badly hurt
BADLY hurt?" says the doctor. She's killed.
LeaStwlse SheS dying TaSt, ana II DE dead INSIDE
of an hour She'll never open her eyes or her
mouth again"
But that's where the doctor made mistake.
For he hadn't more than spoke them words,
when Hetty, she give sort of tremble from
head to foot, and then, exactly opposite to what
the doctor said, she did open her eyes and her
mouth. She rolled her eyes around until they
struck Jake, and when they done that she cries,
very low and faint. in voice that made Jake
feel as though his bosom would burst open, she
cries, "Oh, Jaks then-then l saved you !" And
with that, she shut her eyes again, and she give
another tremble, and she give little groan. and
she-she Strengthened out, as stiff and still as
before; and says the doctor, "She;s dead now"
and this time he spoke the truth.
That's all, sir That's the whole of the story
that set out to tell you.
What become of Jazcl Oh, Jake, he was car
ried off to the hospital, where he stayed some
time. and then he was discharged, cured Of his
rheumatism, and generally sound in health as
had ever been No. his blindness nAyar coma