The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-02-23

We'll, there was" said Tom decisive
ly.
After VIII and his mother drove |
away ne fingered about the house 1T
tie while, peering curiously into all the |
corners where anything might possibly
be stored away, and rumaged, boy |
fashion, from garnet to cellar linen
| he went out of doors and rugged up
new tail for an old kite, though there
was not a breath of wind stirring.
When the sun was directly overhead ne
returned to the house. and made sucn
inroads on the good old fashioned COOK
ing. not yet out of date in homehke
/ farmhouses, as would probably have
| the effect Of making his mother regret
placing such an unlimited quantity az
his disposal Then he went out again
to the barn, and. sitting in the open
door whistled discontentedly.
II wish they'd either come, or some
thing would happen" he muttered, gaz-
ing sleepily at the house, and as IL In
answer to his wish a thin spiral of
smoke curled lazily upward from the
easement OF one of the parlor win
/ dows.
He jumped to his feet Did his eyes
| deceive him?
what's that?" ne said aloud
A second scroll of blue smoke crept
out through some crevice about the
window, and was waited away on the
| summer wind.
THE houses afire." cried the boy.
1t was in an out of the way place.
and not a neighbor nearer than two
| miles. He stood a few moments, ire
| solute and in great perplexity. III he
ran to the neighbors the house might
burn down while he was away. 1t
could not do any more than that IL he
| staid. There was fathers money, too.
He suddenly realized that IL his be-
loved home was to be saved. he. and he
alone. must be fire department and
| everything else.
ITS them darn clothes she put in
1 the parlor," he grumbled, stamping his
! foot impatiently. They must have
been afire when she put 'em there. Had
| them so near the stove they caught.
and now everything's got TO go, house,
fathers money, and ALL"
He glanced tearfully at the little
| puffs of smoke that came. out above the
window; then setting his firm white
teeth together, he said: Not if know
II. If Bar Heels is a coward, he'll get
that money and save the house. You'll
see." And he started on a run.
In the kitchen he could smell smoke,
in the sitting room he heard the fierce
crackle of the flames, and when he
opened the parlor door, such a binding
mass of smoke rushed out that he stag
gered back. his eyes red and watery
There was only one way to get to the
bedroom, through the parlor. The win
dows had been nailed down from the
inside, so that to enter from the out
side was impossible.
He returned TO the kitchen, got pail
of water and made another charge.
The contents of the pail he then threw
over his own jacket and then, envelop-
ing his head in it. grouped blindly
through the dense smoke toward where
he knew the parlor bedroom was
The unlucky clothes horse that had
caused all the trouble was a sheet of
7
he turned back, sickened by the smoke
and bewildered by the heat. which was
! unbearable.
Again he made an attempt, and again
the physical suffering was so intense
! that he almost doubted his ability to
, endure il. though his faith in his own
4 courage was still unwaVering.
+ The cracking flames reached out
, long arms, scorching him and blacken-
ing him with their touch, the sinuOus
! curves of the fire closed around him;
! return would soon be impossible.
Nerved to desperation by this knowl-
edge, and spurred on to courage by
boyish resentfulness against the broth
er who would, he thought, have fresh
cause to decry his bravery should he
, fail now, he made yet one more at
; tempt. and this time was successful
, He reached the bureau, and after
hurled search secured the money,
though he burned his arms, his hands,
, and his body. and cried with pain az
his flesh came in contanct with the hot
woodwork.
Then with the money held firmly be-
tween his teeth. he fought his way,
, inch by inch through the binding
smoke the kissing flames and the in
tolerable heat; and gasping for breath
hurried to the kitchen sink. where ne
threw the baken and shriveled pocket
book into some water standing in the
wash basin.
1t was all done, too, in less than five
minutes, for desperation lent the eXcit-
ed boy strength. Then he turned his
attention to the fire; and as IL was prin-
cipally confined to the clotheshorse
which stood in the center of the room
he succeeded after almost superhuman
efforts in quenching it with water from
the pump.
But he worked so hard that when the
last spark was out, and father, mother
and Will returned, they found him on
the bed in the kitchen bedroom, singed
and scorched, but completely exhaust
ed. and asleep.
When they aroused him he told them
how IL happened.
1T was all my fault" said Mrs. wal
ton.
Are you much hurt?" inquired Will
while tears of genuine sympathy and
admiration stood in his eyes.
Not much" said Tom. enjoying the
situation. Il stepped on a red hot coal
that clothes horse was hard wood and
made a good fire-and II burned of
about half my heel / suppose you'll
agree that something bit my heel?'
and he smiled. a languid sort Of a
smile.
THE danger was real this time" said
VIII, and you're a trump. Bar Heels,
But I shan't stop calling you that all
the same. You'll be Bar Heels 10 us
TO the end of your days IL that's what
you mean" he added with a short
laugh.
81 thought So" said Tom resignedIy.
as ne turned over and fell asleep again.
Agnes L. Pratt.
The First Chinese Tramp