St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-01-16
THROUGH FIRE;
A Doubtful Hero.


mer hoarders, reused by the sound.
rushed toward the scene of the contia-
grafton.
Lucky the Widow Durham and her
daughter are off on visit" said one of
the boarders as they came in sight Of
the blazing cottage.
The men worked hard and saved most
OF the furniture. when Harris Butler,
young man who boarded in a neigh
boring house, ran wildly toward them,
crying out that there was girl OH the
kitchen roof.
"She was standing there almost sur.
rounded with flames, and moaning aud
wringing her hands. Where can get
a ladder?;'
at must be Miss Dunham." said the
farmers wife. ''Oh, do save her, Mr..
ButIer!"
"I'll save her or perish in the at
tempt" replied that gentleman as ne
rushed away for the ladder.
But the ladder, when found. was too
short. The woman on the roof, whom
every one now saw, utterly refused to
jump. though six men held the feather
bed and promised her that she should
meet with no injury. The excitement
was great, and the whole upper part
OF the house was now in flames.
No use, no use now, bows" said the
old farmer. 1.-The gal could save her
own life if she would. You'd only risk
your own if you went up them blazin'
back stairs now. I'd do it myself if
there was any chance of helping, but
there amt any.
"What! Leave women to die I'M
aided?" cried Harris Butler. ''Are we
such towards as that? I'm not, at
least"
He dashed toward the entrance Of the
kitchen. The flames drove him back.
He chung, gasping for breath, to the
cherry tree. A thought struck him.
In an instant he began to climb the
tree. The flames stretched out their
arms toward him. AS he went from
branch to branch his clothing was
scorched and his hands blistered, but
he persisted. At last he gained the
long bough that lay on the kitchen roof,
and swung himself from it upon the
leader.
1t creaked and trembed beneath him,
but he gained bis footing and peered
through the smoke for the woman.
There she stond, and now he saw why
she had not obeyed the cries from be-
low-wny she had not jumped down into
the rescuing arms OF those beneath.
She was bound fast to an upright pole
that had been the standard of the ma
tional flag. Ropes were about her
waist, about her arms. What a tragedy
lay revealed! The fire was evidently
the work of an incendiary, and murder
his object.
II say! Look out! The roof is fall
ing!" cried the farmer from below.
Harris Butler was feeling for his
knife.
''AlI right" he shouted, "I'm COM
Ing"
As he spoke he found the knife and
cut the bands, and SenSeleSs form fell
into his arms. 1t was SO inanimate that
he could scarcely believe that it was
not dead already: but clutching it
tightly, he staggered to the edge of the
roof, and junI ed. Fortunately he
landed on the featheT-bed, and those
who held it managed to drag it to a safe
distance from the falling wall, not one
moment too SO0n.
The next, all that was left Of the Wild
oW Dunham'S house was pile of BUM
ing timber.
The rescued woman lay face down.
ward on the bed. Kind hands helped
Harris Butler to rise. His Eair were
Singed and his WhiSkerS burnt off: his
clothes were like old tiat-iron holders.
He was choking with smoke and black
from chin to brow; but more than one
of the good old ladies of the place kissed
him, and every one wanted to shake
hands with him. All the little boys
shrieked huzZas, and Butler felt that
had he died he would nave been a hero.
'But don't mind me-" he gasped;
''bring her to. found her bound to
the flagstaff. Murder was evidently
intended. Heaven knows it might have
been done: Poor grill poor girl! poor.
dear girl!'
Who laughedp 1t was that horrible
creature, the new hired man. Old
Grandma Giles and old Aunty Potter
had turned the rescued maiden upon
her face, and had calculated something;
then crowd had gathered about her,
and that wretch laughed.
''NU doubt he did itl'' whispered two
fair summer boarders to each other;
che LOOKS like brigand."
But now others were joining in the
laugh.
What was SO ridiculous2 What was
so abSurd?'
Harris Butler turned his scorehed
face toward the laughing group and
asked this rather fiercely, aud the
answer came from the hired man, SilaS
Drew.
Cant help it.mister; can't help larfu
If died for it. You was nation brave,
mister, but you throwed it all away.
This here amt no young women; it's
the skeercrow me and EbeneZer helped
Mrs. Durham to stuff. to keep the birds
out of her cherry tree. It's got Mrs.
Dunham's old merino gown, and an old
bonnet and false face; and tied it to
the flagstaff myself last June. S'pose
she didn't keer 20 take it down or forgot
it. It's too funny. You must excuse
me q Iarfin: | can't helm it."
.'It's no laughing matter. Mr.. Butler
risked his life, at all events" cried the
summer boarder who most 1eteSted
Silas Drew; but the rural mind saw the
matter in all amusing light, and all sol.
emnity vanished. A few days after,
Harris Butler, with his whiskers shaved.
returned to the city; and still by their
winter firesides at Pine Hall do farmers
tell the story of how zone Butler rIsked
his life to save the Widow Dunham's
scarecrow, and how he felt so sort o cut
about it that he went straight hun.'