The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1896-06-05
A FIREMAN'S WIFE.

reporter attended the wedding of a fire
man. whom he had known since his 1.-THE
reporter's) boyhood. This. fireman was
about 45 years of age, and was making
his first venture in inatrimony, his bride
being handsome widow, twenty years
During the reception which followed
the ceremony, the happy groom got a
short spell off, and adjourned upstairs
with the boys for a smoke and talk;
"Do you know" he said, Shaping the
reporter ON the back in highly hilarious
manner, "that / saved my wife from a
sI'here hasn't been any fire tonight,
has thereT' inquired the reporter.
No. but there have been fires on other
"But yon haven't been married man
| on any other nights" contended the re-
"That's all right, but you give me a
chance. will you, and I'll explain, SAID
| the fireman.
salver on which there was also several
! glasses and Il decanter.
Zone night. fifteen years ago. he said,
| there was fire in row of three-stOry
brick houses in my district, and our en-.
| CINE broke for it at forty miles a second.
but when we got there the whole first
floor Of the house in the end of the row
was blazing. Some of the people had
got out. but up at the third story
| young girl was leaning out yelling for
the men with the ladder to be in a
hurry. There wasn't any, need Of her
yelling. for we were hurrying az fast az
we knew how. but you know women are
kind of funny about some things. Well.
it was my business to do the ladder act.
| and az soon as we had it placed l went
| up il like a monkey, the girl watching
me with much interest. When | was at
the window and about to reach for her.
she darted into the room. and l thought
she had gone crazy with fright or some
thing. and l made break into the room
after her and caught her ten feet from
the window. Then ] noticed that she
was only a slip Of girl, about 10 years
old, and as pretty as a picture.
"'Hold on. said l. grabbing her: 'yoa
come with me, and I'll take you down
the ladder all right
"Don't you worry about me. said she,
az pert as you please. You get grand
ma: she's sick over i'll that bed and can't
helD herself
II was dumsGuizzled by the nerve of
tho kid and couldn't do thing except
to follow her directions. She bundled
a blanket around the old lady. ordered
me to pick her up and then trotted along
behind III" as | hustled for the window
with granny in my arms. By this time
the room was full Of smoke, and the
|
the house from the windows below. |
took an extra hold OH my burden and
started down the ladder through the
smoke.
'''Wait right here close to the win
dow. said to the kid as | started. and
somebody will be after you i'll minute
and l was going to be that somebody,
for l was stuck Oh the kid, she was SO
cool and commanding
And do you know what she said 10
me! Not word: just laughed.
What wife for fireman you'd
make. said |, as l went down the lad
der. and she laughed again.
AT the bottom l dropped the old lady
, into the hands of the men there and
turned to go back after the little girl.
but the first step up / made | bumped
. into something soft. and by the tapers
of mud if it wasn't the kid.
Look out below says she. I IN COM
ing
Seems to me youv We done come. says
l, grabbing her up and carrying her out
| OF the way. and the boys gave her a
cheer that walked ~ all the neighbor-
hood that hadn't come out to the fire.
She wasn't scared a bit. either. though
all the rest of her people were hysterical
and mighty near having fits.
After that | couldn't help thinking
about the youngster and when it was
time for the house to be fixed up or
rather rebuilt. for the entire inside of it
had burned out. | went around one
afternoon to see how the folks were get
ting along. 1t wasn't any IF my bust
ness. and | really didn't care a CONT
mental. but l wanted to see til. little girl
and hear her laugh. The neighbours told
me the family had moved over to Brook
lyn. but couldn't give me any address.
and of course / couldn't write any let
tiers or do anything like that when IT was
only 1O-year-old girl. so ! had to let
up ON it. But whenever had a chance
{ l Kind OF made inquiries. and once |
found her mighty near. but she moved
before l got there and lost her again.
IhlS run the time Ii, to six or seven
: years and it was getting to be kind of
l a Charley Ross case with the girl getting
older every day. and me too. for that
l matter. but | never would forget her.
S so it went along and along until two
years ago. when four or five of us went
down to Philadelphia TO fireman's ball.
l was spry on my legs. as a fireman has
!, to be. and when the music got going 1
= was ready for dance. Everybody was
= nice to the visitors from the metropolis.
: and all we had to do to meet lady
: was simply to say SO and the thing was
done. After l had been whirling the
+ siddy for two hours. | got hold of a
- young lady that l rather liked better
: than any l had met. and we went into
y the supper room and talked. She told
. me that her folks lived in Brooklyn. but
r | since her husband died. four years ago.
! she had been living i'll Philadelphia. and
Z that she had fOndneSS for firemen be-
! cause of an early experience of hers
+ which she told me of. and. by crackey.
, l got right up and shook hands with her
, in such a way that she thought had
D gone crazy and was about to shake the
! life out of her. Then l told her what
knew of the same story. and the way the
j., two yarns Tailed was something beauti-
+ full. She was a little girl. and hadn't
! been thinking of me like l had been
: thinking of her. and she had married,
, and if it hadn't been for Providence COM
} ing to my help, and taking her husband
, away. l wouldn't he telling you this
, story. and whole lot more of that kind.
, but just the same l didn't care. for there
: wasn't anybody ahead of ME now. and
: in l sailed. Well. to make long story
| short. l got an extension of time OH
my visit. and every minute of it that [
could l devoted to her. and YOU see the
result tonight. boys.
why did 1 wait two years." said the
fireman. In response to an inquiry. Sim
ply because l had to. She was the
: grand mcgul. or something like that. in
the cloak department of big store I'M
? der five-ycar contract. with little over
eighteen months to run. and she wouldn't
. break it, Besides. she said she would
have money enough to 60 to housekeep-
ing on. with few dollars extra for a
rainy day. l told her that part of it
= tidy sum myself ant, owned house
: but she wouldn't listen to me then any
> more than she did on the night of the
, fire. and had to do as she said But
she's worth waiting for" he concluded
with immense pride, and every man in
i. the room lifted his voice in vociferous
afirma ton of the statement.
5 The Hated Carp.
5 "All of the line fishermen. as we'll as
the seine haulers of the Upper Poto
: mae" observed Capt. james Barrett,
{ ''cordially indorse every word that Fish
:, Commissioner Brice says in regard to
! the damage done by the carp that the
: government, by the fish commission,
! forced into the Potomac. The carp may
!. be of some value in the ponds through
out Germany. where they were origin
\ ally raised, but there is no place for
j.. them in this country. OF course, they
f can he raiSpt} and raised to any size