The Dickinson press., 1896-08-29


his child was very dear to him. He
had not consented. He had kept his
lass in that high sixth story and.
through his tender care, life's best and
fairest things had come to her.
Through the whole long day she did
not see her father; but when III the
evening stiffness she heard the clear
slow strokes of n 6 o'clock bell SHE
knew one half hour more would bring
him to her. And when he came, clothed
IN fair linen and finest cloth, all hard,
harsh manners left downstairs and
only gentle looks and loving words for
her, she never dreamed they lived III
one of the foulcst, 1ilthiest quarters OF
Washington nor that her father, who
looked like her pictures or the
patriarchs, was second-rate, second
hand clothes dealer.
She believed his business called him
each day far down in the great, rlcn
capital. She thought of him as one OF
those wealthy persons she read about,
whose gold had given aid to govern
ments, to kings, to princes. to presl.
dents. She was very proud, and all
her imaginings were of noble and lofty
things. She had never guessed or the
dingy shop, the shabby slop-suit, the
dirty pavement and the .paWnbrokings.
The days went on, and each one add
ed coin to Samuel's hoard and COM
forts and luXuries manifold to the life
of his little lass. Until, suddenly, I'M
expectedly, there came terrible
change. A fire broke out IN the
crowded block where the dinsy tenc-
nents stood so close together. No
body knows just when or where it
started. 1t was a monday coni1agra-
tion and fierce flames Of forked yellow
light were mingled with the glare OF
August sunshine. The throb OF engines
and the shouts of filemen sounded ont
over walls Of women made homeless
and imprecations of men mad with
pain.
When the fire broke out old Samuel
was away. That morning lie had
locked his shop and had gone to attend
an auction sale, where the contents Of
wardrobe as we'll as household eff
fects were to be disposed of. He re-
turned soon after midday to find his
block ablaze. The door of his shop
had been broken down. Firemen and
floods Of water were pouring in; smoke
and flames were rushing out.
With desperate bounds the old man
fought his way through the wild crowd.
He staggered up steep flights of stairs
until, stifed, burned and nearly blind
ed, lie reached the high sixth story.
To Adah, lying on her lace-draped bed,
shut away by that carefully-built par
tition from the sounds of Seventh
street-to Adah, talking quietly to her
low-voiced nurse, there stumbled in
wild-eyed, smoke-grinled, hatless, coat
less man, who grasped her almost
fiercely in his arms and, signing to the
nurse to follow, began a perilous de-
scent of stairways, whose dark corri-
doris were lighted up by flames.
The fire was feasting on the rotten
woodwork; its blaze was making mer-
~ over the foulness found in bricks
and mortar. 1t was the strength of
despair that nerved Old Samuel, as he
fought with binding smoke and glare
for the life of his little lass. Down
swaying stairways, over falling floors,
until Mt last he stood within the little
shop where for years he had bought
and sold old, faded garments and
boarded away silver coin. Only yes
terday he had carried a heavy bag of
silver to the bank and had brought
back heavy roll of bills. The bills
were under the counter now, locked
away, with many other rolls in stout
square wooden box. That box was
Salnuel's only bank, he himself his
only trusted barker. The hoard be-
meath the counter represented all his
earnings and his savings since the
year his. wife died. Should he leave
his hoard for the flames to devour?
Should he let fate cheat hiu out of his
future? There had been n dream in
his old heart Of day when he and his
child should sail away to the fair land
of the Orient-where among a people
of her mothers gentle race and man
ners, his Adah should live out her life
and he begin to live his own more
nobly. Should that golden dream of
happiness end in q reality of absolute
pennilessness?
He measured with quick glances the
distance to the doorway. There was
time to leap the counter. to seize the
boz; to gain the outer air. Except fol
The precious burden lying helpless in
his arms! Except for his Adah, who
had uttered neither cry nor questioning
oince he staggered to her lace-draped
bed and tore her roughly from it! His
arms were full Of his little lassAthe,
could hold no other treasure. Yet i
was for her! for her! He would save
both his child and his currency!
Almost like mad man he cleared
the space between hin, aud the door
way. Close followed by the nurse III
rushed out to the crowded street An,
there, on the dirty Seventh street pave
ment, from which all her life she ha,
been shut away, his little lass was lef
by him. Amid all the out-turned filtl
aud wretchedness of the tenements, il
the MONDAY shine of an August sur
with deafening noise and dire cor
fusion everywhere about her, old San
uel left his little lass, while he-for he
sake-went back again into the bla'
ing, burning building Needless O
warning shouts, fiercely beating off re
straining hands, he hurried on-and in
III.
Trust hastily into the arms of he
faithful nurse, Adah lifted her grea
dark eyes up to the well kown face
With heart beat of sympathy for tn
wondering horror, She saw within thei
depths, and with a thr0b of pain fu
EeVeldt1OU 6ue knew nEQ come III lilS
the woman clasped her charge NOR
tenderly, and leaned with her agains
one Of the piles Of broken furnitur
which strtched along the whole bloci
She did not speak, she only bent dow
over the girls fair face and kissed he
long and lovingly.
20 Miriam, speakr cried Adal
"Speak and tell me what it mean:
Who are these dirty, wretched people
and who was that horried, wild-lool
Ing man who brought me down th
stairs? 1t could-O Miriam, it coul
not have been my"
1.-The word father struggled on he
tongue and died on her sweet lips.
A harsh voice sounded in her ca
and a mocking laugh rang shrilly ou
above the walls of women, the cries {
frightened children, the roaring {
IS flames. A withered crone, hal
dressed, unkempt, repulsive. was pee
Ing down at Adah.
~ all the holy prophets" 81
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