The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1895-04-12
Miscellanepus.
TAKEN BACK.

The bed stood in the middle of the
room , its foot to the open window.
| From far beneath came up the night
hum of Chicago, but it was quieted by
| the distance to a mere lullaby. So
high was the top of the great hotel
that the garish blue-white of the cleo
trio lights which so lavishly dotted
| the city was toned down with gentle
luminous haze.
The man on the bed tossed from
side to side uneasily, rolled onto his
back, lay with his mouth upon the
pillow. In his right hand he held
crunched Il letter written in woman S
writing, and as certain waves of dream
crept over him he rumpled the letter
savagely and mumbled through his
clinched teeth words of inarticu-
late fury. At last his dream seemed
to eliminate, and he broke into par
oxysm of coughing, which awoke him.
His senses, dim at 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 a dog on a
trail.
Smoke, Tobacco smoke? Idon't
think so. 1t smells to Inc 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, and 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 as 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
cellar to roof tree it is crammed with
people; and | am close under the
shingles on the eleventh floor :"
He went out onto the landing in his
night gear as he was, and attempted
to descend. Columns of gray vapor
which stung the eyes and nostrils
rolled up the shaft of the stairway
and, looking over the balusters, be
saw through the smoke arms of tawny
flames which shot greedy up towards
him. The heat was terrific; it drove
| him back to his room even before the
smoke forced a retreat. Baked by the
| continued heat of summer, the great
wooden hotel was burning as though
it had been anOinted with tar.
Carr ran back to his bedroom and
stood in the midst of the floor, tren-
bling like leaf. He still held in his
fingers the crumbled letter in a wo
mans handwriting-hi wife's but re,
membering it, broke out into new
fury. and tore it into tiny squares
which fiuttered like white butterflies
before the rising draught.
"Grasping, heartless wretch that
she is he cried. 'If it had not been
for this letter, goading me to make
more money, and still more money,
should be catching this mornings
home boat from New York Harbor
As it is, I'm here to burn slowly to
death unless l choose to make a quick
err ending of it by jumping out into
the road two hundred feet below.
He gave fierce snort of laugh
Suicide is wrong we are told. won
der if it would be sinful for me to end
my miseries quickly, instead of re-
manning until life is tediously roasted
out of me here. 1t is nice point, but
7 shall not argue it out now. I'm go
ing to shut my eyes and-jump into
eternity"
He walked steadily across to the
window, put one leg over the sill, and
looked down from a dizzy height
which no fire escape on earth could
span. Flames were beginning to jet
through many of the windows below
In the street two steam fire engines
were already at work others were
coming up with teams at a furious gal
lop. The black carpet of people il
vacant spaces had a curious white
nothing of upturncd faces. Carr
threw the other leg over the sill, and
stopping over wondered where he
should drop. He wanted to fall clear
and the CHASTITY thought would come
he did not want to splash anybody
The booming roar of the flames il
the shaft OF the stairs drew nearer
and nearer. 1t was of no use to wait
OF earthly help none could come. HI
made up his mind that he would
Jump then without more torturing de
lay. But, when it came to the actua
leap, his limbs somehow failed him
He seemed physically unable to leave
his seat on the ledge.
bah! what a coward | am ~ hi
cried, fearing to leap into necessary
death with my face towards it.
suppose | have woman's nerve jus
now; must humor myself like Il wo
man."
He turned about, breasting the sill
and lowered himself steadily down til
all his body hung against the woodeI
wall suspended only by the finge
tips. And then he saw somethin.
which caused such Il revulsion of feel
ing that he was within an ace of re
Taxing his hold and being dashed t.
rags in the street below.
Gradually, however, his muscles stiff
fened again, and he drew himself vi
and fell faint and trembling on tn,
board floor of his bedroom. Screwed
to the lamb of the window was
stout eyebolt fastened to this was
long coil of rope. These things arr
the ordinary accompaniment of Ameri
can hotel bedrooms anywhere abov,
the first floor, and Carr had seen then
scores of times before. Nothing bu
the excitement and the scare unde
which he was laboring could have al
lowed him to forget them on leavin;
his bed at the first alarm. Sill feelin!
sick and dizzy, Carr gathered himsel
up from the floor, and with trembling
fingers set about casting the rope from
its coil. The stuff tangled, and in hi
hasty clumsiness he tied it into hare
knots. Time was wasted.
At last, however, the long snak!
length of rope was flung out of the win
dow; and gripping it with his hand
and legs, the fugitive started his de
scent. He was no practised climber
and the rough hemp ate the skin from
his hands as it passed through them