The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-09-01

I Ing the earlier part OF the day ne had
been hard at work clearing apart
ments in = house where three children
had recently died Of diphtheria. He
had a great quantity Of infected bed
ding, carpets and other stun. In col
1 Letting all this he and Sleet had
grown somewhat fatigued- The last
load reached the rooster at about
o'clock IN the afternoon Then Jim
filled the ovens and adjusted the Their
mOmeters-
Sam, meantime, was notified to
make steam In doing so he found
something wrong about Q valve, and
was obliged to hurry to q machine
shop at some distance. There he was
delayed for half an hour or more
Tired Jim meanwhile waited, and
would fain sit down. But there being
neither chairs nor stools on the door
Of the building he threw himself on a
pile of mattresses q few feet within
the roasting chamber.
Skeet curled up on a yellow door
mat outside He knew as well as Jim
that nothing more could be done till
Sam came.
Presently Jim dropped asleep. Per
haps he stirred, or threw out tired
arm, for a great bunch of bedding
AOAAC0 6OAb4Y 0OW4 4EO1A u AAkA BAAGs
and quite concealed him from the
view of anyone outside the great
oven. There may have been 10, 600, 900
deadly germs in that roll of bed
ding, but they did not disturb Jim.
Fifteen or twenty minutes later Sam
came hastily in at a rear door of the
basement, worked with a wrench for
a few moments and then called out,
''All right Jimi''
But Jim did not answer. He did
not hear. He was dreaming of how
the COW bells used to tinkIe on the
green slopes of County Clare.
After a little Sam came up and cast
q look around.
Got tired waitin' and gone to his
supper, 1 expect" he muttered. If
he had seen Sxeet he might have
known better, but Slxeet was sleep
ing soundly on his mat outside.
wal" said Sam to himself, after
glance into the oven. hes put all the
things in fore he went. / nights
well set her goin'."
He closed the inner and then the
outer doors of the rooster. These
doors have iron latches on the outside
only. Still Jim lay dreaming of the
COW bell
Sam went down the steps to the
boiler, turned the steam on, replen-
ished the coal, and sat down to smoke
a pipe
Jim suddenly dreamed of hot coun-
tries, then rolled off the mattress, sat
up and gasped for breath. It was very
dark and very hot
Then he 1eaped to his feet, yelling,
''Sam, We villain, ye've got me in the
roaster!''
But the brick walls were thick.
There were two walls. with a dead
air space between them, and two
doors similarly separated. Sam did
not hear Jim's yelling.
Jim snatched off his heavy shoe
and beat on the iron pipes, but if Sam
heard he thought it was merely the
steam drumming its usual noisy re-
frain.
Meantime the heat was running up
fast. The thermometers indicated
ninety-five, 1O2, 125 degrees They
were well on their way toward 212
degrees
Jim drummed frantically and yelled
necessarily, though he painted hard
for breath. Fortunately for him, a
quick ear on the mat in the ha1T dis
tinguished his muf1ed shouts. Szeet
suddenly looked up, cooked his ear,
listened again, then jumped up and
ran to the outer door of the oven.
Then he dashed at the door, ran
around the rooster, whined. howled,
and filed the air with the widest of
barking
Sam hastily knocked his pipe on the
chair arm. 'sSkeet's after a rat, sure
enoughl' he muttered, and went up
stairs.
The dog dashed to meet him, then
ran to the door of the rooster and
back again. He laid hold of Sans
trousers leg.
BE ye crazy, ye little beggarP''
cried Sam
Again Sleet dashed at the iron
door. At the same instant the engi-
neer heard a sound from within be-
tween a groan and a roar.
He threw the door open. Jim
rushed headlong forth with both
hands at his ears and his face the
color Of red flannel, and hung half
double over an iron railing He was
barely able to gasp:
''sam, say, ye ou1d vil1ainl Is it a
mixrobe I amp
6keet turned somersaults for joy.
but it was some time before Sam could
e Explain the circumstances wholly to
Jim's satisfaction