The Red Cloud chief., 1888-12-07

room up and down, UP and down. +
, would cut his visit still shorter and lea'
cary In the rorning tie day after Chris
mas Day. He would volunteer for Il
Egyptian army and get killed in the Soudal
Or he would offer 70 carry dispatches
Er1in and BE- caught by dc-visheS and put
death BY torture, which would I've very nis
aud very agreeable: hut neither Nina NJ
her guardian should ever hear Of hi, hop
less passion.
Lex US leave this Young man. who Is yer
bad company, and making a great ass G
himself. and come up stairs. Up. up. NJ
past the second story. along this little pa,
SAGE, up the Old corksc-ew stairs 20 the ii,'l
tarrct room. Hush. tread gently. for tn
occupant OF this room has had the sense I
go 10 sleep, like a prudent CIR, who want
10 look her oest In the morning. Light th
candle ARD we will zee how Miss Nina ha
been amusing herself before she went q
oed. Her sketch book and pencils ar
scattered about on the dressing table, s.
si'e must have been drawing; and. 10 judg'
b. the litter la the fender. she seems q
have torn her drawing UP into very it'll.
pieces and burned mos: OF them. Luckily
l was looking over her shoulder all In,
time. 80 ! can tel. you what she drew. First
she drew q young man on horseback: thef
she turned the paper over and drew An
other young man in knickcrbockers ans
a Norio!k jacket, with q gun on his shout
der. Then, takir- a fresh piece Of paper
she drew a third. in a patrol Jacket and
regulation boots. with a drawn sword in hi,
right hand, which with his left he seemed 70
be frantical;y calling 10 some one behind
him TO come on. Oh! Of course. We can see
1t all now. They are all n.eant for the same
person. and that person Is Harry Melville:
but he's not nearly so tall or so well proper
toned as you have drawn him. Miss parl-
ington: he's not. really.
Just now she is dreaming. dreaming that
she Is looking at Miilais' famous picture
"Yes." She wonders why she never before
appreciated it 50 much. and sits down in
front OF IL. Soon sine wonders what make
the place so terribly hot. Then she fancies
that every one who passes is looking at her,
and is even certain that people at the end Of
the room are pointing at her. Then she saw
some one pointing her out to an attendant,
who forthwith accos.ed her: BEG pardon,
Miss, but you're sitting on the stove It's
made just like a bench; but it's a stove, and
my hOrders are positive no one sits on the
stove"
Nina thought that this was really too bad,
AMI fairly lost her temper. ats not right"
she said, Ito make the stoves SO like tho
seats If you don't want people TO sit on
them; but | knew what it was. and came
here because l was cold" .'Ohr' And I'm
going to stay here as long as I choose
And disdaining further argument. she tooi
Out her catalogue and pretended to be Ell
crossed in its perusal.
Very soon she could feel the heat under
her beyond u doubt. and most unpieasantly.
But 80 obstinate are young ladies' in Dream
lin practical life they are '.irm') thai
she determined 10 stay where she was
for a full FIVE minutes by the clock. Tire,
minutes; the actua! heat was not so great.
but the fire underneath her was beginning 10
smoke. Then she thought that all the by
ISLANDERS, and among them all the Ieop.c she
disiiked, were saying that She would never
there another two minutes. Four
minutes: il was worse. Four minutes and
i half-four minutes fifty seconds: il was
last! and she woke UP with a
start.
What a terrible smell of smoke: her
dream had been founded on fact. The house
bc on fire. Lighting "a candle, she
ran to the door and looked down the wind
stair, when suddenly some one threw
the door at the bottom oft and a great
cloud of blue smoke. but showing
names behind, rushed up through it, caus-
ing Nina to drop her candle and run cough |
ing and trembling bxrk to her room.
h Colonel's meeAschaum wa d big pipe,
md he had forgottcnto knock out the ashes. |
50 that. though il had been i'm his pocke, |
Tor nearly five minutes, il was still lust
aiight when he dropped il. When il hit the
stove it snapped in two. The stem fell into
crate. BIZ: the bow. after rolling along |
The oil cloth. ultimately fetched up be- |
lind the umbrella stand. Here, | am sorry
say, Mary. the under h~ousemaid. was in
he habit OF i;eeping a little b.ndle Of wooden
md channels cloths. greatly bcsmeared with
and turpcntinc. together with a
uinp of The former and a bottle of the latter
materials which she used for cleaning the
'front.' staircase and The polishe: woodwork
n the hall. Some li"hted ASH fell on these
'.oths and soon b,.,at "a slow and ,noldar
fire. However. As there was very little :
in the hall. and 'hc umbrella stand
on a slab of polished granite. all nigh,
ct have been well: but il Was fatcd other
wise.
When the rags had beer s:nolderiny
for about half an hour, aud seemed
a a fair WAY 10 burn themselves ont. a biz
taking a constitutional III the vicinity,
I~t'racted by the smell of burning bcesway.
anne 10 see what WAS the matter. Na;ur-
lily burning his nose. he wh;>kei AWAY in
'reat wrath, and SD upset che turpcu;;ue
'ot;lc. 10 which there was no cork. In an
Instant the floor for "A ward round VA.
ovcred with burning spirit. Their. WAS
to stop the flames. whicn cauch,
irs' the umbrellas. then the hall table and
he WOODWORK of the stairs. and then the
and any thing aud every thing
hat there was to catch.
Harry Melville WAS the first 10 give tho
but too late for the slighfes, hons, of
the danes. In fact. whe,
nee a large house, dry and airy and largely
it,ed with woodwork. has fairly cauyb, fir,
Dozen engines can not pu; il out before il
: thoroughly Quilted from basement To attic
he front staircase would soon be im,a>sa-
lie. SO that when the guests We're reused
he only thing Ia 10 was To lose no time in
aving the women ard themselves. When
larry saw this his first thought was for
ina. and he tore up stairs with the flames
terally At his heels. 1t was he who opened
door at the bottom of the corkscrev
'air. admitting h volumes OF hot smoke
5 they rolled ferceiy upward. He saw her.
aLdle in hand. when she fell back, blinded
nd coughing: the mex, moment he had her
, his arms. He thought that there WAS
till time to make a dash for il down the
cry stairs: It was the only chance to save
er life. One moment to wrap a blanket
Ound his darling as u protection against the
ungry flames, and then for the rush.
he lived or died afterward did no,
natter II be could only struggle on to the
ottom. where other hands would be ready
, take charge Of his precious burden. That ,