The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1895-01-22

simSst scared myself win ii curses
that KEEP comm into my mind, when |
thought how easy It would have been
for them to help mie~and they
wouIdn't. Gene. move On here %
says q policeman. an / started up.
II was about four O'Clock IA | vas
%sloncbing along Che street, only stayiu'
there because j couldn't bear TO get
home, that ] heard the tire.bell sing
AN the next minute the engines come
putting through the street. There was
q crowd OF boys, an women with shawls
over there heads, and meu : an 1 fol-
lowed with the rest.
| don't know why, unless with q
foolish notion that II [ could save q
life, or do some other brave thing, they
might take up a purse to reward me.
The plainest of us do get higb-flown
ideas like that once In awhile. But
the fire was in a barn, as IL happened
an by the time the engines got there
the downstairs was q solid mass OF
smoke.
| asked a man II the bosses were oil
out, an when he said yes, stood an
watched the -lremen fix on the hose +;
an jest as the water begun to play, q
woman standin' near give cry. "Oh,"
says she, "see that little dog looking
out of the window !! There! Upstairs!"
He vas a little, yellow, ha~lf-starved
thing, an he stood an paved at the
glass as if,he knew his only chance was
to break it an Jump. NIt's jest q
stray dog" says o hostler. Hes BEN
taggin' round here fur q day or two.
Followed somebody up ther.' I suppose,
an got the door shut on him. Poor
duffer."
A little girl about as big ms Nell
commenced to cry. "Oh," she says,
can't somebody git i'm out? The fire
hasn't caught in that room at all yet.
See i'm lookl He's thinkin' some of
us could up an unfasten the door,
only, we won't. Please, mister, can't
you"
An I started. 1t might hev ben
jest her sayin' it,, but it seemed to me
that dog had the Same thought In his
mind as I'd had when / sit an watched
the people go by iuithe carriages. In
central Pm an everyday, common
sense man, an hold u mans life, with
a wife an child dcpendin' on him, too
precious to be riskcd for the sake of q
mongrel yellow dog. But jest fur that
minute it seemed the little critter had
" soul -like folks; AMI took one long
breath and started in to savo it.
The smoke was thick. But it was o
little clearer in the room where tho
dog was an as soon us I opened the
door the little thing seemed to know
what l come fur an give a run right
into my arms. There was o winder
near, an l broke it with my fist an got
q taste Of fresh air, an then started
back agropin' my way down the stairs,
blind an dizzy an gaspjn' IN most goin'
up at the last, till l felt n breath not
quite so thick with smoke, an know
the door was close by.
A few of the men raised n cheer as |
come out, an one OF the women went
somewhere an brought me u glass Of
water. Bot the biggest part of the
rerowa didn't pay much attention, an
whom the fire died down they went
away, an left me sitting on IL pile OF
blankets that had been thro&n-~ Out !
for I'd breathed so much smoke it
made me feel queer.
After awhile | heard some one speak,
an looked up. There was q ncshy,
good-lookin' man standin' by me.
Well, he says, laughin', You come
mighty near getting caught in that
building, my DO You save that
for fun, OF from aseuse Of duty ,"
L told him that / want fon6 of see
in animals suffer If l could prevent it.
"Well, I'm not other" he said.
But didn't think L could prevent it.
You look played out. Anything 1 can
do for you?"
An then, of course, | asked him for
work. I'd said the WORDS so often they
rolled off from my tongue like some
thing I'd learned by heart. But l
knew from the start l wouldn't get
anything from him, an | had a qucer
feelin' as if I'd v say them again,
either.
"No-o," he said, "I don't believe we
can take you. Ono OF our men was
sick a day Or two ago, but we've de-
cided we can get along without hirin'
till he's better. Ever worked in a
grocery store ?"
I told him no. I was brought up on
a farm. Late years I'd worked in u
shop.
ooh, yes, one of Colton's hands.
There has been two OF three around
lately. But you see VIC should want a
I've made up my mind to get along
without extra help, for a timc, any
way. Pm sorry that | haven't any
thing for you. 1t can't be very pleas
ant to be turned out of u job through
no fault of your own"
He wa nice enough, you see; an
l know folks will tell how much good a
sympathetic word does. But / watch
ed him walkin' away, an felt as If I'd
got to the end of my rope. Nothing to
fall back on now-but that life insur-
ance policy. 1t give me a creepy feel
in at first, when my thoughts kept
strayin' around to that, but after "a lit
tie the idea was sort of pleasant to me.
1t would be enough to keep 'em on for
quite q while 1 thought, If anything
did happen; an anyway it would be
better than charity.
Maybe my. vito would grieve more
at first about her husbands dyin' than
she would about bein' on the town
books as a pauper; but there wouldn't
be anythin' to be ashamed of in tho
first kind Of grief. An when my little
Nell grew up her dad having made o
misstep one night, an fell into the
river, wouldn't be nothin' for ~peopleto
find ont an fling in her face.
| sat there with my head in ~
hands. thinkin' till tho clock strnni
six. | had it all decided thenWan,T
got up and started Tor home r. Want
till opened the door at the foot of u
staiis that Fit somethin' snufin' at
my heeis, I'm saw tho little dog | saw
Gu from the fire had followed me. I
PlckerL him up In my arms, an opened
'he sittin'-room door with u rush.
ANY news 2" says my wife, all in q
tremble, comin' out TO meet me.
"Newsl should think sop I yelled,
hingin' up my hat. why, Nell,
yn,,ica 1olyc n hnvn Ca,ol. lou,,