Morning journal and courier., 1891-03-31

1ne sleeplnS porter seemed to scent him for he hustled the poor fellow out. The quiet deepened till it became almost oppressive. The air was heavy with it.
 Suddenly, without a note of warning the cry of ''Ffre!" rang through the house There was life enough now. Scantily-clad people were scurrying wildly through the smoke-flled corridors. They came plung- ing down the stairs to the office, and SO out into the freezing night Shrieks and curses and groans and prayers-it was Ba bel broken loose. All the bells in the house were ringing. The smoke grew denser. It seemed to come from every where-above and below. Great black volumes rolled through the long halls. Outside the streets were jammed with peo- pie. The engines, with their changing gongs, hurried to the scene. Ladders were raised and the work of rescue began
 It was time, for there was a white fig ure at almost every one of the multitudi- nous windows. The awful wall loomed up in the darkness story on story, dimly seen as to its upper half, for that part of it was wreathed in the blinding smoke. The smoke turned to fiame-fiame burst jug through scores of windows. The ter ror-stricken creatures began to jump. The people in the street below were frantic.
 ''Backl back" they shrieked. "Wait! wei save yOui QOn [ 1ump.
 Which is the pleasanter, to be roasted alive or to be mashed out of shape on the stone pavements If there is to be any saving done it must bo done quickly Many people were busy saving themselves The sleeping clerk and porter and bell boys had gotten out.
 But what of the little black fellow in the elevator? He, too, had been asleep. He had been awakened as the others had been by the first cry of fire. Unlike them he had that "two-o'clock-in-th -the-morning courage" which Napoleon said was the rarest sort. In an instant he decided that 1t was his duty to stick to his post. And stick he did
 Up and down he went, and every time his car touched the office floor it was load ed with people. The journey was fright full one, but he did not shrink. How long he could continue to make the trip he could not tell. The elevator might drop any minute. Very we'll: let it drop. Some of the people in it might survive the shock. It was sure to catch fire sooner or later. Even then he would be on the way to safety with his passengers. And at any rate he knew that he could bring some people out of the fire burning above
 He had not been good at going upstairs, but he could run his elevator. Trip after
  The fremen at the bottom of the shaft, to whom he turned over his living freight, sought to stop him in this dangerous work The whole well was filled with smoke and far up toward the roof the fire could be seen.
 Still he kept on, and it did seem that every time he started skyward he was go- ing to certain death. But he knew that the rooms and halls were swsrming with ! l.. +.1- Il. save life. The firemen were doing their best outside; death was busy within: and he finally made up his mind that it was no use to go back again, till all at once he re membered that he had seen nothing of his little friend.
 Could he weather the storm and flame once more. He could try. He pulled the rope and the journey began. It was slow oh, how slow The smoke was terrible worse than the fre-but he held his breath and fixed his mind upon the busi- ness in hand.
 The flame kindled the woodwork of the car. He fell on his hands and knees-but he kept his hold on the rope. At last he reached the floor. He found her room and found her. She was asleep and alone.
 Wrapping her in the blankets and throwing about her n rug which he snatched from the floor, he struggled through the flame and smoke back to the burning CT. "Back from the jaws of he'll" it was that he brought her, fighting the fire away from her every inch of the way down. He had just strength enough to stop the car.
 The children were taken out and carried to drug store across the street.-the girl alive and well and the boy seemingly dead
 He was horribly burned. Among the people who stood around were the parents of the little girl. They had been out to an evening party, and, returning after a long, cold drive, found their home on fire. Every effort had been made, in response to the agonizing appeals of the father, to save the child-and now here she was, safe and sound. laughing in her mothers arms.
 And the hero! He opened his eyes
 "Did I bring her free all rightF'
 "Yes, yes" said the father, "and how can we ever thank you for what you have done."
 "Nebber min bout dat, boss Elf she's safe dat's huff for me"-and he closed his eyes.
 Dead. Yes. dead and gone to heaven in a chariot of fire.