The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-03-01

enough to shrek or take a sip of mince
pie favoring which stood on the escri-
toire.
Just then some neighbors came by on
J their way home from the city where
they had held a theatre party CONVEX
sazZiony. The ladies were in full dress,
and the full orbed moon came out, took
a good square look at them and hastily
retired behind a large, cool cloud. The
gents wore, also, each a bran pneumonia
suit of full dress, and all remained sew
eral moments watching the fire.
"Who lives here?" asked one gent who
had taught himself not to show any
emotion.
81 think Teeter lives here" said one
of the party, ''but l do not know them.
We have never called ON them, for we
cannot really find out whether they came
here first or we."
"Oh, well, then, if you are not &C
quainted, let US not fool away any more
time here. Come, Waterloo!'
"Waterlooloo, you mean," said a
bright young lobster dealer who hap
pened to be passing by at the time, and
who is known as the wag and %raccoonter
of Toad Hill.
By this time the hired man had re-
turned and said that the telephone was
not working, so the fire department
could not be reached. The trustee then
went to the engine house personally, and
would have got the machine out if he
had not been arrested by the police for
burglary, the engine being the private
property Of Mean Temperature hose
company No. 81.
But 1t was now apparent to a number
of all night people that there was a fire
near by, and word was sent by the Jersey
Street Vestibule Horse Car line to West
Brighton that the fire fiend had broken
loose in the residence of Trustee Teeter,
of the village Of Bilgewater, S. l. The
trustee having given bail, went home to
see what he could do toward saving his
home and family.
At this moment a hose cart was heard
on W%estervelt avenue, running at a high
rate of speed, and soon the beautifully
clicked hose of Recalcitrant Hose Com
pany No. 2 hove in sight, but lost some
time by stopping to ask a pedestrian for
a few dollars to buy new uniforms for
the company.
The hose company SOC after arrived,
but the engine of course had not yet
reached the disgusting episode, or holo-
caust rather. The fire now began tomake
sad havoc amid the beautiful house
decorations of the trustees high priced
home. First it meandered through the
cellar and used up the winters kindling
wood, baked the Rhode Island green
ings, worms and all, skinned up the hol-
low trunk Of the dumb waiter, made a
pass at a fine oil painting of a lobster in
the dining room--by Prang-raised a
blister ON the face of the clock and
scorched one of its little hands, seemed
to laugh mockingly at the aquarium,
cooked a gold fish or two, and then went
into the pantry and exploded a pie.
Anon the cry of fire was borne along
the North Shore, and one Of the Brighton
whistles blew a low, sad blast which
walled through the shrinking night like
the dying song of some old master whose
death is due to painters collie after paint
ing too large a town and getting himself
overhet.
Now we can hear the pulsing beat of
the hoofs of those who are coming to
the rescue from Tottenville pulling an
engine. The fire has eaten out the whole
interior of the structure, having Quilted
the entire house, and wound up by chas-
ing the trustee himself for two squares.
AS the roof falls in the We Spell En-
CINE company, of Tottenville, and the
Rise = Up William : Riley and Come
Along ith-Me Hook and Ladder Truck
company, of Eltingville, reach the
ground and begin to couple on to the
hydrant, meantime emitting the shrill
cry of fire. 1t is now almost breakfast
time, and several people who have been
untiringly watching the fire excuse
themselves and go home, not being more
than mere calling acquaintance of the
trustee.
Some delay is experienced in finding
the wrench, but at last it is secured, and
a desirable connection made with an
eligible hydrant.
No sooner is the apparatus ready than
an opprobrious epithet is hurled at the
company by n of the rebellious fremen
of the village of ~Bilgewater, hitting
him back of the ear, and quicker than
one car calculate the remark ssscat" the
hose is turned on the rude person and
held there till the fire has gone out.
We as a village of 1900 people may
learn a valuable lesson from the above
little incident. In the first place we
must not fool with fire, and in the Sec
ond place we must not fool with a volun-
teer fire department.. While the two
companies, for instance, squirt water at
each other the damage is done, SO also
while the official and the fireman SQUAD
BILE the rates go up On insurance.
l once belonged to a volunteer fire
company, and 1 recall with much pleas
ure the day 1 resigned. Inever looked
well on parade, and my hat was. too
heavy and too hot. l always got a
severe headache and then a fire broke
out. When l got to a fire l was all het
up and could not do anything for quite
awhile. Once l was fined S. for not go
ing up into a burning loft in the night to
rescue a large heavy girl whom I had
never even met and who was in her bare