Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1896-09-03

luS STAIRS lOI lueIu 10 SEM out lot the
fire engines at once. So Florence, faint
with excitement and trembling in every
limb, ran and sent out the fire signal
from the district telegraph instrument
in her fathers room.
Meanwhile the two upstairs worked
like dozen. Bucket after bucket CT
water was brought in and emptied at
random, for their blinded eyes could
not see where the fire was for the
denseneSs of the smoke. But Tom
shouted to Bridget to do this and do
that, and he had hardly given an order
before it was obeyed. She was chop
ping away at the charred and smoking
woodwork as he had directed when.
/ stif1ed and gasping for air, Tom
thought of the skylight just overhead
/ Selling long pole he struck at it
blindly, such a sudden and vigorous
blow that a shower of broken glass
fell on them.
I The AK dropped from the woman's
hand, but Tom snatched it up and went
! to work with renewed energy, while
she without a word caught up pail in
her other hand and was off for water
again. And this last bucketful was
enough, for the smoke slowly lifting
and wreathing itself out through the
open skylight hole revealed 10 their
smarting eyes a soaked and smoky
room-but no further vestige of fire
anywhere. And Tom, with his head
( bleeding from a wound in the scalp and
his face all scalded and cut and bruised
by the explosion and the falling glass,
/ faced a slender grimy and woefuily be-
! dragged figure, not Bridget, indeed, but
the hated step-mother!
''You?" he exclaimed, almost speech
less in his amazement
Yes, Tom," and she laughed feebly
at his astonished face. Come, let's
get out of this mess she painted.
'And-let's sit down"
She dropped down, white and breath
less, on the upper stair, just as Flor
ence in despairing accents called Gp
from below, "Oh, mamma, Tom, what
shall 1 do? Here's a messenger boy,
sent around to see if we didn't make a.
mistake in the signal and he says, do
you want the fire engines?'"
"The fire engines now? Oh, my
goodness, nor cried Mrs. Penroses
eve have deluged the place without
their help, and the fire is entirely out.
But Florence, dear, you must send him
for the nearest surgeon, quick"
And to Toms further establishment
and horror his step-mother then and
there tainted away. But she recovered
, quickly and unaided went down to her
room AS soon as the surgeon came
! she sent him to attend to Tom, who
! bore the pain of the necessary stitches
bravely, and never knew until a full
half-hour afterward that the surgeon
had gone straight from him to Mrs.
/ Penrose and was setting her broken
arm. 1t was Florence who brought
him the unlooked-for news; and by and
! by, when the surgeon had gone she
came to him again to say that Mrs
! Penrose wanted him to come to her. If
! he felt able.
! Now for it" thought Tom, straight
ening up and bracing himself for what
ever might be coming
He found Mrs. Penrose lying back in
an easy-chair, her face rather white
! d
/ sling. His own head was badly bat
/ tered and burned and cut, and straight
as he stood, he knew that he must pre-
! sent sorrylooking figure at best.
! They looked at each other in silence
for moment, and then Mrs Penrose
| laughed, the merrieSt, most musical
laugh Tom had ever heard. He looked
at her, amazed.
you poor boy" she said; "the sur
/ geon has told ME how brave and
manly you have been, and you look like
the SCARED hero of many battles! But
tell me, TOm,-how much damage do
you suppose we two have done? Our
fire turns out to have been mostly
smoke, and I've been wondering where
all that dirty water has run to by this
timel It's mercy the fire engines
didn't Gomez
'You-you-I think you're a perfect
brickH' stammered Tom, in a sudden
revulsion of feeling. And I've acted
like a-beast. I'm no end sorry you
got hurt"
Two nights afterward, knowing moth
ing Of the changes that had taken place
during his absence, Mr.. Penrose
reached home. He had eagerly pic
! tured the welcome his wife would give
him, but when he had thought of his
children his brow had darkened, and
he was all unprepared for the sight
which met his eyes. His wife was
awaiting his coming seated in big
chair just inside Of the reception-room
door, and a lace scarf thrown over her
shoulder hid the sling and her band
aged arm. But Florence was hanging
over her, with one arm caressingly
around her neck, and Tom was leaning
on the back Of the chair, with badly
battered head, it is true, but with a
( proud and happy light in his handsome
! eyes. Mr.. Penrose paused and looked
/ from one to another Of the little group,
amazed
! What has happened?" he exclaimed
! involuntarily.
/ "a fire." Tom cried out gayIy, and
/ deluge, and-a revolution! Welcome
/ home, papa,-and 1 tell you what
! she's perfect brickp'
! With that the boy stopped suddenly,
and shyly planted his first kiss on his
/ new mothers brow.
/ ''Oh, papa, dear, I'm so, so happy"
I cried Florence, as her father folded
his wife and daughter together in his
/ fond embrace
III