Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1895-03-22

---sss1SS.z:>---:---:- quoted by the dis
tnnce to IL mere lullnby. So high was
the top of the great hotel that the
garish blue-whito of the electric lights
which so lnvishly dotted the city WIS
toned down to II gentle luminous haze.
The man on tho bed tossed from side
to side unensily, rolled ON to his back,
my with his mouth upon the pillow.
In his right hand he held crunchcd n
letter written i'll womnn's writing, and
rs certain waves OF dream crcpt over
him he r,mplcd The letter savngcly
and mumbled through his clnched
, teeth words OF ,,inarticulnto fury. At
lust his dream seemed to culminntc,
and he broke INTO II pnroxysm of cough
ing, which nwoke him. His senses,
dim Mt first. drew rapidly to the alert.
His eyes so recently glued with sleep,
opened quickly to their fullest stretch.
His nostrils worked like the nostrils
Of IL dog on a trail
Smoke! Tobacco smoke? don't
think So. 1t smells to me like the
reell OF burning wood"
His eyes were beginning TO open
wider. with tho unnatural expulsion
Of terror. George Cnrr had been in
America before, aud knew what these
things portendcd. 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 us to
what had occurred. Not far below
him was the crisp cracking of flames,
and mingled with it camo the cries OF
badly frightened women and men.
"My God, the hotel is on fire." he
exclaimed. "It is built of wood from
cellnr to roof tree; il is crnmmed with
people; and ! nm close under the
shingles on the eleventh noor!"
He went out onto the landing in his
night-genr rs he was, md attempted
to descend. Columns OF gray vnpor
which stung tho eyes and nosirils
rolled up the Shaft of the stairway :;
and, looking over the balusters, he
saw through the smoke arms of tawnv
lame which shot greedily up towards
him. The heat was terrific; il drove
him back to his room even before the
smoke forced II retreat. Baked by the
continued heat of summer, tho great
wooden hotel was burning rs though
it Ind been anointed with tar.
Carr ran back to his bedroom and
stood in the midst of the floor, trem-
bling like II leaf. He still held in his
fingers the crumbled letter in wo-
mans handwriting-his wife's; but re-
Numbering it, broke out into now
fury, and tore it into tiny squares,
which iluttered like white butterflies
before the rising draught.
"Grasping, heartless wretch that she
is," he cried. eff it had not been for
this letter, gonding me to make more
money, and still moro money, should
be catching this mornings home boat
from Now York Harbor. AS it is, I'm
here to burn slowly to death unless !
choose to make n quicker ending OF il
by jumping out OIL to the road two
hundred feet below" He caye q
ierce snort of laugh. Suicide i.
wrong, we arc told. / wonder if il
would be sinful for me to end my
miseries quickly, instead of remaining
Gill life is tediously roasted out of me
bore. 1t is nice point. but I shall
not argue it out now I'm going &c
shut my eyes and-.jump into etcr
atty"
He walked steadily across to the
window, put one leg over the sill, ani
looked down from dizzy heigh
which no tire-escape on earth coult
span. Flames wero beginning to je
through many of tho windows below
In the street two steam fire-eng inc
wero already at work; others wer,
coming up with teams mt furious gnl
lop. The black carpet of people il
The vacant spaces had curious whit,
nothing of upturned faces. Car
threw the ether leg over the sill, and
STOPPING over, wondered where h
should drop. He wanted to fall clear
and-the CHASTITY thought would com
he did not want to splash anybody
The booming roar of the flames il
the shaft of the stairs drew neare
and nearer. 1t was of no use to wait
VI earthly help none could come. H
made up his mind that he would jun,
then without moro torturing delay
| But, when it came to the actual leap
} his limbs somehow failed him. II
seemed physically unable to leave hi
seat on the ledge.
"Bah what coward L ami" Ii
: cried, fearing to leap into necessar
death with my face towards it. I sup
pose have woman's nerve just now
| must humor myself like woman.
He turned about. breasting the 81
and lowered himself steadily down til
Ill his body hung against the woods
wall suspended only by tho fnga
tips. And then he saw somethin
which caused such revulsion of fec
ing that he was within an ace of n
{ laxing his hold and being dashed t
/ raga in the street below.
+ Gradually, however, his muscles sti
fened again, and he drew himself IL
and fell faint and trembling on tn
board floor of his bedroom. Screwe
!, to the jamb of the window was stor
/, eyebolt; fastened to this was Ion
f, coil of rope. These things are til
ordinary accompaniment of America
hotel bedrooms anywhere above til