The herald., 1896-03-08
Whats that?" he said aloud.

whats that" he 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 afirc." cried the boy.
1t was an out of the way place. and not
neighbor nearer than two miles. He
stood Il few moments, irresolutc and i'll
great perplexity. If he ran to the neigh
bors the house might burn down while
he was away. 1t could not do any more
than that if he staid. There was fathers
money. too.
He suddenly realized that if his beloved
home was to be saved, he, and he alone,
must be fire department and everything
else.
ITS them darned clothes she put in
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
everythings got to 60, house. fathers
money. and all"
lie glanced tearfully at the little puffs
of smoke that came out above the win
dow; then setting his firm white teeth
together he said Not if l know it. If
Bar Heels is a coward, he'll get that
money and save this house. You'll see."
And he started on run.
In the kitchen he could smell smoke.
| in the sitting room he heard the fierce
crackle of the flames. and when he open
ed the parlor door. such binding mass
Of smoke rushed out that he staggered
back, his eyes red and watery. There
was only one way to get to the bedroom
through the parlor. The windows had
been nailed down from the inside. so
that to enter from the outside was impos-
sible.
| He returned to the kitchen. got pail
of water and made another charge. The
contents of the pail he threw over his
own jacket and then, enveloping his
head in it, CROPPED blindly through the
| dense smoke toward where he knew the
parlor bedroom was.
| The unlucky clothes horse that had
| caused all the trouble. was sheet of
| flame already: and two OF three times
| he turned back, sickened by the smoke
and bewildered by the heat, which was
unbealable.
Again he made an attempt and again
the physical suffering was so intense
that he almost doubted his ability to en-
dure itthough his faith in his own cour-
age was still unwavering.
The cracking flames reached out
long arms, scorching him and blackening
him with their touch the sinuous curves
Of the fire closed around him; return
would soon be impossible
Ncrved to desperation by this knowl-
edge, and spulred on to courage by a
boyish resentfulness against the brother
who would thought, have fresh
cause TO decry his bravery should he
fail now, he made yet one more attempt.
and this time was successful.
He reached the bureau, and after a
| hurled search secured the money.
though he burned his arms. his hands
and his body, and cried with pain as his
flesh came in contact with the hot wood
work.
Then with the money held firmly be-
tween his teeth. he fought his way inch
by incl, through the binding smoke. the
Kissing flames and the rntolerablc heat;
and gasping for breath hurried to the
kitchen sink where he threw the baked
and shriveled pOcketbook into some
water standing in the wash basin.
It was all done. too. in less than five
minutes, for desperation lent the excited
boy strength. Then he turned his atten-
tion to the fire; and as it was principally
confined 10 the clotheshorse which stood
in the centre Of the room he succeeded
after almost superhuman efforts in
quenching it with water from the pump.
But he worked so hard thaJ when the
last spark was out, and father. mother
and viii returned, they found him OH
the bed in the kitchen bedroom. singed
and scorched but completely exhausted,
and asleep.
When they aroused him he told them