The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-02-17
at last" as if they thought they had
4 Il. - In.

at last" as If they thought they had
caught their enemy in trap.
Some turned out hastily to watch the
triumph of the pump; others got up lazily,
saying: Its no business of ours now.
The pump will settle that all right"
Nobody thought of its being necessary
to find the pump and the firemen.
The first arriy ais satisfied themselves by
taking upa good position frcm which they
could watch the defeat of the fire, whose
progress they regarded indifferently, with
their hands in their pockets. They talked
loudly and boastingly, as people will who
have nothing to dc, but they didn't stir
finger as they said:
1.-The fremen aren't here yet" ''The
pump must be brought here" 1.-The
mayors house isn't far away. If they
don't hurry up, the fire will be getting
hold of that" They say the mayor has
the keys ''Well, let him bring them"
''But perhaps he's away at his country
seat ''If he's in Paris, we shall have
to wait till lie gets here" He couldn't
know that fire would break out tonight"
"The pump belongs to US as well as to
him. 1t ought to be where it can be got
at. The flames are mounting" What's
that matter? Do you think they are going
to turn out the pump for a little fire which
would hardly boil porridge? When it
broke out, a couple of bucketfuls would
have quenched it. What good would
pumps be now?"
The gendarmes, who were stamping
with impatience and anger. tried to or
ganize chains of men.
Certainly not" responded the Tarla-
nese wrathfully. "Do you think we shall
make arrests for you next? Every man to
his trade"
One house was burned down and two
more were in flames when the famous
pump finally appeared On the scene.
''Ah," sighed the Tarlanese, now the
fire will have something 60 drink"
The pump was got into position, and
the men began to work it, when, to their
disgust, they found that there was no wa
ter to DO had The water had been shut
off by order of the authorities.
The poor firemen did what they could
and what the spectators had already done
the whole time-nothing-and the con-
flagration gained ground. Seven houses
were burned down from ceiling TO cellar,
and, worst Of all, woman was burned to
death The fire had broken out in the next
house, and the woman was going to escape
when her husband ridiculed her, saying
that the pump would soon settle the fire
For his part he snapped his fingers at 1t.
But when the fire broke through the
partition the man said: "Confound 1t!
Something must be wrong with the
pumpv' And he escaped by the window,
calling on his wife to follow him. She
ras so terri fiaj that she could not follow
his example The smoke suffocated her,
and she fell victim TO the flames.
The famous pump got into action by the
time there was nothing more to burn, but
it put out the hot cinders so quickly that
the Tarlanese were enchanted with it.
just watch" they said, how it sends
the water out I shouldn't like TO go I'M
der there, even if had an umbrella"
And the good folks were quite satisfied.
The fire would not have consumed more
than few chairs and a table had the Tar
lanese not counted on the pump.-Erom
the French For Romance