The Bryan daily eagle. (Bryan, Tex.) 1895-1898, 1896-09-02
His little lass.

!.
Down on the seventh street pave.
meni, In the old quarter Of Washing
ton, old Samuel Ia his shabby shop
suit aud tilted back chair. was a second
hand clothes dealer High up In the
sixth story, he WAS the father OF d.
Tie las whom be- loved better than be-
loved the silver coin the old clothes
daily brought him. For her slke be-
d,uvc hard bargains aud boarded away
hls coin. For her sake be- bull, thlcl,
p.riition wall m that high sixth story
and shut away from his motherlcsa
child all the sights ana sounds Of Sew
enth street. lie made home room
for her up there aud crowded u with
luxury. hui ever 10 the midst Of al
this beauty stouu mcedmped bed,
watched and guarded hy u loW.yulcsl
nurse. and on Il lay the lmhll. slight
form aud lovely face of Samueis little
lass.
A fall Ia early Infancy had injured
her in such way that she had never
walked. 4 famous physician said she
could be- cured 10 her father would con
sent 10 q long separation and some
terribly critical surgery. uld samuel 9
dread was greater than his hope. nnd
hls child was very dear tO him. lie
had not consented. lie had kept his
lass in that high sixth story aud.
through his tender care. llfg's best aud
iaircsi things had come 10 hcl.
Through the whole long day she did
not see her father; hut when ia thc
evening stiffness she heard the clear
slow strokes Of u O'Clock bell shr
knew one half hour more would brns
him 60 her AMI when be- came, clothed
in fair lmcu aud finest cloth. nll hand.
harsh manners left downstairs uid
only gentle looks aud loving words lor
her she never dreamed they lived On
ole of the foulest. tlthiCst quarters OF
Washington nor that her father. who
looked Ike her pictures ot Tie
pairarchs, WIS o. second rate. sec0nl.
hand clothes dealer
She believed his business called Dim
each day far down Ia the great rlch
capital She thorpht of him as uHc of
those wealthy pcisons she read about,
whose gold had given aid 90 govern.
menis. 90 kings. 10 princes. 90 prcsi-
dents She was very proud. and an
Der imaginlugs were ~ noble aud lofty
things She had never guessed ui ihr
dlngy shop. the shabby slnpsuli, Che
- dirty pavement aud the pnwnhrokings
.
The days went on. and each one add.
cd coin ~ Samupls hoard AMI com-
forts and Injuries manifold 10 the NE
OF bis little lass uuiil. suddenly un-
cXuectcdly. there came terrible
change. A hw broke ont iu The
crowded block where the dlngy teIc-
menis stood so close together 30
body knows just when or where 10
started. u was a noonday confarm-
ilnn and henr iiamcs of furicd yellow
light were mingled with ihc glare OF
August sunshine The throh of engine
AMI the shouts of nicmcn sounded ont
over walls ~ women made humslrts
aud imprNations Of men mad with
pain.
when the fre broke out old samuel
was away That morning be- bad
locked his shop and had gone 90 attend
an auction sale. where the contents "
wardrobe as well as household cf.
fects were 10 be- disposed o. lie re-
turned soon after midday o. nud bis
block ahlazc The door %. his shop
had hccn broken down ficmpn aul
floods 0f water were pouring iu. smoke
nnd flames weua rushing out
With desperate bounds the oil man
fought his way through the wild cruwd
lie staggered up steep flights of stairs
until siiiled. buried and nearly blind
cd. lie reached the high sixth story
To Adah. living On her hcc.dmpad bed.
shut away hy that carefully built par
tiilun from the sounds oi seventh
street To- Adah. talking quietly o. her
low-voiccd nurse. there stumbled iu q
wildeyc,l. smoke grImcd. hatless. coat.
less man. who CRASHED her almost
iicrcly in hts arms aud, signing Go the
nurse IN follow. began roriluus de
sccni of sialrWays whose dark cori-
don were lighted up by flames
The lire was ieasting on the rotten
woodwork. H. blaze was making mtr
~ over the fnulness found ln bricks
nnd mortar u was the giruugth Ut
despair that nerycd o'd samuel us be-
fought with hliuding smoke and glam
Tor the life Of his little lass Down
swaying sialrways. over railing honrs.
until 40 last De- stood within thc little
shop where for year, be- had bought
aud said old. faded garments and
boarded away silyes coin. only ycs.
teulay be- had carried q heavy bag of
silver 10 the hank and bad brought
hack a heavy roll Of bills The bills
wcrc under the counter now. locked
away. with many other Mills ln q stout
square woudcu box. That loN was
Slmuefs only bank. BE- himself his
only trusted hat kvr The hoard 10.
meath the counter repr secuted all his
earnings aud his savings slncc the
year AIS wife died. Should ho hayo
u.s. heard Tor the flames tO dcvourf
Shnd'i be- let fate cheat hin oui at his
fumri There had been a dpam m
his old heart of day when he nud hls
child should sail away o. the fair land
Of the Orient where among q Iclp'c
Of her mothers gentle race and man.
nrrS. his Allah should live out her lie
aud De- begin 10 live his own mote
nohly. should that golden dream of
happiness end In reality of absolute
pennllcssncssf
llc measured with quick elancca the
distance to tho doorway. There was
time to leap the counter 10 scizc the
box; To gain the outer air. Except Tor
the precious burden lying helpless n
his arms, Except Cor his Adah who
had uttered neither cry nor questioning
since be- staggered "a her lace diapcl
bed and tore her roughly from o.. Ills
arms wcr full of his little lass they
could hold no other treasure Yet %
was Tor her, Tor her, lie would save
hath his child and his currency,
Almost like mad man hr CLEARED
the space between him aud ihr door.
way. Close followed hy the nurse Do
RUSHED out to the crowded strcct Aud