The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1889-01-18

brother and friend?o
The old joke had not died out even
yet, and now came as a keenershame
and pain than ever. l made no re-
ply, and though / heard afterward
that Nine. Sophie Lenoir surpassed
herself. everything that night seemed
a blank to me at the theater. Voices
and faces mixed themselves up to-
gether in torturing confusion, and
the brilliant light seemed only to
show mt more clearly the utter
blackness of my heart and life. My
cousin. perhaps, guessed something
Of my misery, for she said:
"Don't talk to Amy; let her dream.
No doubt she is composing sonnets
on the actress or the play!"
So they laughed and left me alone.
Suddenly my apathy was broken by
a cry of 'Fire!" repeated in louder
tones and again and again, and peo-
pie sprang from their seats, as thin
streaks of smoke were seen curling
round behind the stage. In vain the
manager came forward and tried to
speak; in vain Mime. Lenoir, who
was dying in agonized contortions,
rose, and spoke in rapid French, as
surfing the audience there was no
danger; the people grew deaf and
blind to everything but the increas-
ing roar, and the smoke and flame,
which were nov pouring into the
theater itself. The curtain fell, but
only for a moment served to deaden
the advancing fire.
Under ordinary circumstances it
would have been perfectly easy for
us in the stalls to hurry out, but for
some reason h Heights suddenly went
out, and at the same moment q rush
was made from behind, the people in
the pit becoming frantic in the dark
ness, and finding their own entrance
quickly choked, tried to force their
way over the stalls.
The confusion was terrible. Wom-
Ell shrieked and sobbed, men swore,
and when every now and again a
Pickering fame blazed higher than
before, it showed a sickening scene of
struggle and despair.
l felt so miserable that / had never
thought of leaving my seat, but sat
staring stupidity, as if the frightful
scene was no concern of mine, when /
was aroused to tingling life again by
Cyril's voice close to my ear.
"Take my ARM" he said, in low,
hurried tones and for heavens sake
hold fast?"
l clasped it with both my hands,
but without a word. He forgave
me, then; he cared for me; he
wished to save me. and the thought
took away all fear. At the same
moment the curtains in one of
the boxes near blazed up for a few
seconds, and by the light l saw my
cousins agonized face, as she strug-
gled to keep on her feet, and was
pressed back by the surging, mad
dened mass from the pit; she saw us
too, and reached her hand out to us
"Amy! MI. BrownriggI" she cried,
''help me! do not leave mel"
He turned to me.
cit is impossible to save you both,""
he said, ~hoarsely. "Good God! what
can | dO?"
Isaw what he could do and said:
"Press forward; think only of get
ting out of this horrible place."
Then the light died away again,
and with a smothered sob Of intense
thankfulness I slid my hands from his
arm, and taking my cousins gently
slipped them into the same place and
pushed her forward, saving:
"Keep firm hold. Iwillfollow close
behind"
She was half dead with terror and
scarcely understood, but chung blind
ly, and he. in the struggle and dark
ness, did not notice the change, and
pushed his way forward, shielding
my cousin as well as he could.
[ kept close to them until we
reached the passage leading to the
door of exit into the street, but then
somebody seized me by the shoulders
and ~dragged me roughly back slip
ping into my place. Host my balance
and fell, and for one horrible minute
felt a sickening sense of s%uffocation
as the rush passed over me; the next
l struggled on my feet again. For
tunately 1 had fallen close to the
wall, SC was able to support myself
against it, and felt my way by it's
guidance throughthe binding smoke
in the direction of the door.
l was nearly crushed to death, and
very sore and bruised, but [ felt the
still glow of that great JOY in my
heart, and thanked God with all my
soul that l had been able to show
Cyril l was not entirely frivolous and
Death seemed nothing to
me in comparison with the knowl-
edge that he loved me, for l had seen
the love l longed for in his agonized
eyes, and heard it in his voice, during
that m~omentary flicker.
/ suppose 1 tainted after this, for 1
have a very dim remembrance of see
ing lights appear, as ii through a
fog, and of feeling strong arms help
ing me on, and then a total blank,
until l found myself in q carriage
driving slowly along a dimly lighted
street.
"Where is she?" / asked family,
looking around for my cousin.
"She is SAFE" answered Cyril's
voice, ''quite safe at home by this
time; but you, Amy; are you much
hurt? How could I have missed you?
l shall never forget my horror and
misery when 1 got outside the theater
and found your cousin clinging to
me, and you, l knew not where. I
rushed in again, but was helpless in
the darkness, until at last | found
you, quite close to the door!"
"Haveyou quite forgiven me??" 1
asked.