The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1895-04-16
TAKEN BACK,

II LI "a window From lar
:. I4I1 = beneath came up
4 I[>Il--CY---it3IM the night hum of
Sss--zA+4-sA23 Chicago, but it was
-7ss.;z-(S:====-- quoted by the dis
tanco to mere lullaby. So high was
the top of the great hotel that the
garish blue-white of the electric lights
which so lavishly dotted the city was
toned down to n gentle luminous haze.
The man on the bed tossed from side
to side uneasily, rolled on to his back,
lay with his mouth upon the pillow.
In his right hand lie held crunched n
letter written in womau's writing, and
as certain waves of dream crept over
him he rumpled the letter savagely
and mumbled through his clinched
teeth words of .innrticulate fury At
last his dream seemed to eliminate,
and he broke into paroxysm of cough
ing, which awoke him. His senses.
dim at first, drew rapidly to the alert.
His eyes so recently glued with sheen.
opened quickly to their fullest stretch.
His nostrils worked like the nostrils
OF dog on n trail.
Smoke Tobacco smoke? don't
think SO. 1t smells to me like the
reek of burning wood"
His eyes were beginning to open
wider, with the unnatural expansion
Of terror. George Carr had been in
America before, aud knew what these
things portended. Quickly dropping
his feet onto the boards of the floor,
he walked across them, unlocked his
door, and. opening it, looked into the
passage. He had no doubt then rs to
what had occurred. Not far below
him was the crisp cracking of flames,
and mingled with it came the cries OF
badly frightened women and men.
''My God, the hotel is on fire" he
exclaimed. cit is built of wood from
cellar to roof tree; it is crammed with
people; and / am close under the
shingles on the eleventh hoorl"
lie went ont onto the landing in his
nlght-gear rs he was, and attempted
to descend. Columns of gray vapor
which stuug the eyes and nostrils
rolled up the SHIFT of the stairway ::
and, looking over the balusters, he
saw through the smoke arms of tawnv
flame which shot greedlly up towards
him. The heat was terrific; it drove
him back to his room even before the
smoke forced retreat Baked by the
continued heat of summer, the great
wooden hotel was burning as though
1T had been anointed with tar.
Carr ran back to his bedroom and
stood in the midst of the floor, trem-
bling like leaf He still held i'm his
fingers the crumbied letter in q wo-
mau's handwriting wife's but re-
membcring 1t, broke out into new
fury, and tore it iuto tiny squares.
which ilutterel like white butterflies
before the rising draught.
'Graspiug, henrtless wretch that she
Is, he cried. eff it had not been for
this letter, goading me to make more
money, AMI sail more money, should
be catching this mornings home boat
from New York lInrbor As it is, I'm
here TO burn slowly TO death unless I
choose to make quicker EN- ng OF it
by jumping out ON to the road two
hundred feet below" lie gave u
fierce snort of n laugh Suicide is
wrong, we are told. wonder if it
would be sinful for me to end NV
miseries quic'Ilv, instead OF remaining
till life is tcuiously roasted tH5 of me
here. 1t rs nice point, but / shall
not argue 10 out now. I'm going TO
shut my eyes and jump into cter-
nifty
he walked steadily across to the
window, put one Lex over the sill. and
looked down from % dizzy height
which no lirae.clpc ON earth could
span. Flames wera beginning to icf
through many of the windows below.
I'm the street two steam fre-cngines
were already at work others were
coming mp with teams ut furious GAL
Top. The black carpet OF people in
the vacnut spaces had curious white
nothing of upturuod fuccs. Carr
threw the other lc0 over the sill, aud.
STOPPING over, wondered where he
should drop. He wantc TO fall clear.
aul tho 0hastly Thought would come
ho did not want 90 splash anybody.
The booming roar of tho flames in
the shaft Of the stairs drew nearer
and nearer 10 was of mo- use TO wait.
OF earthly help none could como. flo
made mp his mind that ho would Iump
then without moro tOrturiug delay
But, when 10 came 10 the actual leap,
his limbs somehow failed him Ho
seemed physically unable TO leave his
satt ON the ledge
''Bah what n coward i am !" he
cried, fearing TO leap into necessary
death with my face towards it, / sup
pose ] have n woman's nerve Just now /;
] must humor myself like n woman. "
lie turned about. breasting the ELL
an, lowered himsei stcujily down till
oil bis body hung against ihe wood en-