The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-02-22
HUSBAND TAKEN BACK
BUT George Carr's Selfishness Had Cost Him Ten
Hard Years,
Black and " hite.
ling as though 1t had been anointed

| burning as though 1t had been anointed
| with tar.
| Carr ran back to his bedroom and
stood in the midst of The tloor trembling
! like Il leaf He still held i'm his fingers
; the crumbleG letter i'm a woman's hand
| writing-his wifes: but remembering it,
broke out into new fury, and tore it
into tiny squares, which tuttered like
| white butterflies before the rising
| draught.
| GraSping, heartleSs wretch that she
is" he cried. IF il had not been for
| this letter. gOading me to make more
money, and still more money. should
| be catching this mornings nome boat
| from New York harbOr. AS ii is. I'm
here to burn slowly to death unless
| choose to make Il quicker ending of IL
| 10y jumping out on to the road two hun
dred feet below" He gave Il fierce snort
of Il laugh. Suicide is wrono we are
| told. ] wonder If ii would be- sinful for
me To end my miserieS quickly. instead
OF remaining I'LL life is tediOusly roasted
out of me here 1t is Il nice point. but
| shall not argue il out now. I'm go-
ing to shut my eyes and-jump into
eternity.
He walked steadily across to the
window. nut one leg over the sill. and
looked down from Il dizzy height which
| Flames were beginning Ia jet through
many of the windows below. In the
street two steam ire-engines were al
ready at work: others were coming up
| with teams at Il furious gallop. The
black Garnet OF Oeopc in the vacant
spaces had Il curious white mottling Of
upturned faces. Carr threw the other
leg over the sill. and. STOPPING over
wondered where he should drop. lie
, wanted to fall clear. and-tlle ghastly
though would come-hc did not want
To splash anybody.
The booming roar of the flames i'm
the shaft of the stairs drew near and
nearer. IL was of no use to wait. or
earthly heln none would come. lie
made uD his mind that, he would jump
| then without more torturing delay. But.
when IL came To the actual leap. his
| limbs somewhat failed him. He seemed
physically unable to leave his seat on
the ledge.
BAH what a coward am" he cried.
fearing To leap into necessary death
with my face towards il: ! suppose |
have "a wOman's nerve just now: |
must humOr myself like Il woman
He turned about. breastiug the sill
and lowering himself steadily down till
all his body hung against the wooden
wall suspended only by the finger tips.
And then he saw something which
caused such Il revusiun of feeling that
he was within an ace of relaxing his
hold and being dashed t rags in the
| street below.
Gradually, however. his muscles stiff
fened again. and he drew himself up
| and fell faint and trembling on the
board floor of his bedroom. Screwed
to the iamb of the window was a stout
eye-bolt; fastened to this was a long
coil of rope. These things are the or
dinary accOmDaniments of American
hotel bedrooms anywhere above the
first floor. and Carr had seen them
scores of times before. Nothing but
the excitement and the scare under
which he was laboring could have al
lowed him to forget them on leaving
his bed at the first alarm. Still feeling
sick and dizzy. Carr gathered himself
up from the floor, and with trembling
fingers set a aout casting the rope from
it's coil. The stuff tangled. and i'm his
hasty clumsiness he tied IT into hard
knots. Time was wasted.
At last. however. the long snaky
length of rope was flung out of the