The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-04-16

Grace approached the poor old way
farer standing there alone and wiped
the tears from his wrinlled cheeks
with trembling hand.
Come, brother" she said. gently,
"come with me-"
And holding him by his ragged
sleeve, Capt. Grace steered him along
street after street until she had landed
him safely in one of the refugees estab-
lished and maintained by the army for
such as he.
Then unwittingly she set her face
toward her Golgotha.
1t was nearly four o'clock when she
entered the Norfolk street tenement.
Up the black. cracking stairs she picked
her way to the fourth story, pausing at
a rickety door.
the room she entered was quite fresh
and neat from its recent scrubbing.
There was a pot of scraggy gersnium
in the window. A little girl of six was
playing with some battered toys upon
the floor. A pale face, white as the
habby pillow on which il lay. looked up
with a wan smile as she entered
How arc you to-day. my dear?"
asked Capt Grace, as she bent over the
sick woman. Better? All! that's good.
Has Lieut.. Sally been here?"
Eyes, she went downstairs about fif
teen minutes since See how nice she
has made everything look"
"Yes, the lieutenant is a hard work
err" said Capt. Grace, trying to mend
disjointed doll for the child, who exhib-
tied her treasures with pride
There were various other little scrv-
ices her quick eyes noted, and time
slipped away in their performance.
Suddenly there was commotion.
Sounds of hurrying feet and confused
,murnurs deepening to sullen swell of
voices were heard.
Across the threshold in through the
keyhole in every Granny OF the tumble
down door. something gray and CHASTITY
came drifting and creeping IN little
wreaths and puffs.
And on the instant "a terrible voice
somewhere shrieked the awful word:
Fire.
The engines came leaping like live
innings OON II Jllt SIittt
were frenzied shouts, cries, prayers, tu-
multi. chaos.
Like flies, the wretched inhabitants of
the wretched tenement chung TO the
walls, the windows, the narrow fire eS-
capes. There was the cletter of horses
hoofs, the bang OF the ladders as the
firemen flung them in place, and. above
all, the heavy drone and hum of the
ponderous engines
Take her first" said Capt. Grace. in
dicatipg the SICK woman, as a big,
brawny fireman, his eyes blazing with
heroic excitement, plunged through the
crashing window into the room lie
gave the Salvation Army girl look Of
sturdy admiration, and went down the
ladder with the woman in his arm
The child WAS clinging about Capt
Graces neck, her little face buried on
her shoulder.
Don't be frightened. darling" said
the girl. patting her gently; the good
man will come back"
He came, stretching his arms FOX the
child
Keep stiff upper lip. he shouted
70 her, amid the smoke. the falling Of
tiulbers. the watering Of the floor under /
her feet.
1t was just then that the pillows OF !
smoke rolled apart for moment and /
the crowd saw the Salvation Army girl /
She was lsneeling in prayer.
Through that msddened, cursing /
crowd, made up Of toughs, loafers and /
bruisers, ran d groan.
Men old IN crime turned their hard .
ened faces away as the black smoke I
shu: her again from sight Then came |
the last fearful crash and Capt Grace,
steadfast, brave, faithful unto death, I
was promoted.
Ern-r-r Er4ernra Tr-rr--r