Middletown transcript., 1894-12-29

street; that is, she worked up concerts
+ and festivals, and the sewing racket
7 bazaars and all that, until two third
Of the necessary money lay in the bank
The last third was supplied by Ward
laws father; that was ten years befor
the bank went under. When it did go
the first to cut the suicides widow ant
! son were the fashionable church pee
pie, members of the Main street branch
as Waddy calls it. The widow died il
a mouth. WardlaW went 10 the bad
so they say. He became scoffer, and
gambler. He might have fought bis
way out of the tangle, if the girl he
was engaged to hadn't cut him; merely
sent his ring back in tray of birthday
flowers he had sent her. When they
met once soon after that, she drew her
skirts aside andturned her face another
way. But he's good fellow, with a
heart as deep as we'll. Ask the news
boys and boot blacks; they can tell you
all you want to know about Waddy. l
saw ten of them on his track this even
| ing; the little princes of the gutter
wanted him to stand treat for fire.
works. That performance over yonder
in front of the Metropolitan is the re-
suit of the attack. You men are
strangers, here, so to speak; came with
the boom; but we are old-timers, Ward
law and l. And 1 am going to look
after him." He was getting into his
overcoat, drawinglon his gloves, light
ing a cigar gar.
"Good-night; l am going to lind
WaGdy."
He pulled the door together behind
him, and stepped out Tito the crisp,
cold night. Suddenly he stopped; tine
bonfire across the square had assumed
gigantic proportions. A man rushed
to an alarm box at the next corner.
Flake turned back, put his head into
the room and said:
'Boys, the Metropolitan is on fire."
At the same moment the alarm SCUM
ded, waking the sleepers to different
sort of revel than that they in
dulged in earlier in the night. 1t was
evident from the first that the building
must go; ge ting the occupants out,
and such of the furniture as might be
possible, was the only thing attempted. |
When this had been accom- lished, the
crowd stood back to watch the magni-
ficent destruction it was powerless to
prevent,
While they watched there appeared
at window of the top floor the figure
Of man, tall and strong, bearing in
his arms woman. She seemed to be
unconscious, strangled, perhaps, by the
smoke. She wore white nightdress,
and her head dropped over the arm of
ler rescuer like a broken lily; her long
lair fell to the floor in golden shower
that swept his knees as he held her.
A shout went up from the street-a
'ry of "Wardlawl Wardlawl' And
hen shrieks, from those who called
lpon God. The man knew that he
sas recognized; he could hear the tu-
nult without Distinguishing the words.
lie was not thinking of thescrowd,
o"ever; his eagle eye was watching a
reman adjusting ladder beneath, far
eneath the window. The ladder
'ould be too short, but
"Alice," he said, bending his face
the bright head upon his arm,
There is chance-one, if you keep
our courage: You know now to do
nat, Alice" T
Even in the horrcr and fear of the I
loment she caught the faint repoach. F
fith sob, she lifted her arms and
asped her arms about his neck. The
asp was not all fear; the sweet
reath upon his cheek held other
armth than the heat from the flame
cking its red tongue to touch the
Did bright hair, as the strong arm
fted her through the window, down to
Ie fireman. AS their hands parted,
nodded gayly and said: "Good bye
lice Ben Bolt"
To the fireman below he shouted:
Take her, Joe: Pll have to take T
y chances. There's an old negress .
the next room"
The rest was lost; but as he ran back
the help of the suffocated old wo-
an he felt the building culver and
Irt, and the floor beneath his feet
we way. There was smile upon
s lips as he went down, and they
ere parted, as if he might have said: