Albuquerque weekly citizen. (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1891-19??, 1894-04-14

safe enough, but don't you think YOU
are going 70 escape; curss you" A.
he spoke these words ne threw Lang
ford OF backwards, who fell heaa.
long into the burning ruins
Not more than ave minutes haG
elap.cd sinco the hremen came up
the ladder, but IL seemed .'ks an ago
70 tho poor woman watoh,sg from
tho opposite side Of tho street and
when she saw the climax OF the tray
edy. a wild shrek Of horror and am
guish broke from her lips Then
she rushed from her room and dow n
TO the street, like some wild thing.
How she got down that dark, marrow
staircase she never know. She fev
rather than ran. Once outside, she
forced her way through tho crowd.
shouting;
stop that man coming down the
escape He has murdered tho fire.
mani"
The cry was quickly taken M aud
tho mob, only too eager for excite.
ment. set upon Hiram Davis with
tgerish fury as he reached the bot
tom oi the ladder. They would have
torn him To pieces had not the police
interviewed and. indeed. the wretch.
mad with drink and fear and 70
morse. gave himself up 90 the con
stables as protection from tho
crowd.
Ia the meantime Alice. having said
her say, thought no more OF him.
She pressed forward towari tho
burning house but was kept back By
the drcmcn and police.
"l.ct mo pass" she cried "ior
heavens sake let me pass! My hus-
band ~ In there lie has boon
pushed into the IRE and must go TO
him
some Of the men know hcr and the
news was quickly whispered round
that this was Joc l.angford's wife
and that he had aeen murdered by
the man who was In custody. and
then they instinctivcly fell back and
made way for her.
She went boldly up In tho burning
house. without u thought OF fear for
herself, and the mcn began to follow
her. a. they had not dared &c do OF
their own initiative. In very much
the same spirit with which Joan Of
Ares enthusiasm was caught up n
spirit OF shame that men should not
follow whore q woman has led the
way.
She fcarlcsslv went up two flights
81 stairs which were nearly intact
Here sho paused At the front room
door, and for tho first time her heart
failed her. slo dreaded what she
might 10 about TO behold.
II know he 10 In there, she Wits
pcrcd
:" ccp hack. Mrs. -angford; IL
really amt az for you to be here.
said one OF tho hrcmen, gently push.
ing nor aside rs hc passed In fro.t
Of her.
They attempted TO open the door.
but IL was so blocked up on the H. aide
that oil their efforts were for q long
time unavailing. and they were at
last compelled to batter IL down with
their axes. At length IL fell In with
crash. and they paused on the
threshold. stopped by the hugo
mass OF debri, which barred the way.
shokod by the 'ense smoke that L..
sued from within
"llark! he Is thcre! I.ook'--that
way Thank God. he 10 alive" Al.
leo Langford exclaimed. pointing
into the gloom. for hor car-or per.
haps her heart --ha disting uishcd Q
faint groan proceeding from the far
ther end Of the dismantlcd apartment
Hastl y sho seized upon an AK and
struck out more bravcly than any OF
them hewing her way through ell
Obstacles. for IL was love that norve
her arm to labor. 10 seemed TO 10 a
lierca lcan, almost impossible task,
for. even as they forced q passage
through fallen woodwork and plaster
and great hsapcd up masses of
oxen furnit re still more obstacle
,ecne To oppo them elves nj every
stop; but there IL no doibt that ID
Was tho example and Gauntlc : bray
cry OF that ono woman anon sst
them which urgel on the men
upon tho pcriloa, course.
AZ last they reached him. lie was
wedgcd beneath some fallen raftcrs.
charred, blackenei and MANNED sn
unr, cognizable mass Of humanity
She had been preparing herself for
this, or worse, so no exclamation
broke from her lips, She quietly
accompanied the others ~ they car.
ricd his inanimAtc form TO the street
below. sustaining her presence Of
mind with wonderful fortitudc.
They took him away from her then
Ia tho hospital. whore he lay for
many long weary weeks In the d's.
puted borderlsnd between life ard
death.
During all that time she might
only sep him twice q week. and at
first he was unconscious OF her vista
When NJ length his reeovery was
an accomplished TAFT, aud no returned
home albeit broken and Frustrated
In health there was a day OF quiet
but heartfelt rejoicing at those
lodg ings In the Southwark borough
opposite the house where the IRE
had been.
Yielding 70 his wife's urgent en-
trea,ies Joe Lsngford lett the
brigade 10 adopt less perilous pur-
suits; but he would have granted
her moro than that. for no had heard
ell that she had done upon that
ME III ,4c' from hor own lips. Be 4,