Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-05-09

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1t rang through thu
wide halls, and was echoed from the
colored quar- ter, IN every variety OF tho
tones of horror and alarm.
The mistress of the mansion, awak.
ening at the cry, sprans from bed, and
hurriedIy began to dress, gazing
around bewildered. For moment
she was conscious only that her hus
band was absent. She was recalled tc
something like herself by the shrek:
of the maid who had slept in the
room, and who, instead of assisting
her toilet, was pointing, with terrified
gesticulations, to the rudy reflection
playing against the trees IN front OF
the house.
Suddenly, to add to the confusion OF
the scene, the chamber door was flung
open, and crowd of female servants
rushed in, focklng affrightedly to.
gether, like a covey pursued by the
sportsman. They closed around Mrs.
Stewards bed, screaming, weeping,
wringing their hands and deprlvins
her of what little presence OF mind
had been left.
ooh, missus, we shall be burned to
death, we shall, all of u.s. The fire
has caught the staircase. The blessed
Lord above hab mercy on us!" These.
and similar ordinations filled the
air and distracted her attention.
Meantime the conhagration became
more serious each minute. Had that
terrified group listened they coul')
have heard the roar OF the flames in
the hall outside, and the cracking
sound that announced the approach
of the fire to the woodwork near the
staircase, warning them that, if they
would save their lives, their flight
must be instant. But they only hud.
died the closer together, sobbing,
moaning, embracing one another
frantically.
All at once man dashed into the
room, with agitated face and dress
disordered. Thrusting aside the ter.
rihed maids, he hastily approached
his mistress.
Fly" he cried. breathlessly, "this
moment, or you'll be too late" And
glancing>rapidly around the room, he
snatched the rich cover from a center
table, which stood in the middle OF
the apartment, covered with books,
pretty trifes and flowers in vases.
This he threw around his mistress, ex.
claiming, cit will keep the fire from
catching. Come"
The sight of his face had reassured
his mistress. Juba was about her own
age, had been born in her fathers
family, and had always shown the most
devoted attachment to herself per-
sonally. Above all the servants on
the plantation, be was distinguished
for a strict, religious performance OF
his duties, for Juba was consistently
pious. He was also shrewd, and ready
in every emergency, and Mrs. Stewart
felt that he would save her, even at
the peril of his life.
Juba, even while speaking, had
seized her hand and dragged her to-.
ward the staircase. But now gust
of wind drove such volumes of thick,
black smoke toward them. that she
was almost suffocated, and she paused,
unable to proceed. 1t was not time
to hesitate, so Juba. snatching her in
his arms as he would child, and
dragging the cover entirely over her
face, dashed into the rolling volume
Of smoke, and down the great stair
case.
He WAS not q moment too soon.
Scarcely had he reached the bottom,
followed by the affrlghted maids, be-
fore the passage was closed entirely by
a dense wall of flame. Neither he nor
the female servants. indeed, escaped
entirely unhurt. But the table.cover
etfectually protected Mrs. Stewart.
Juba had scarcely, however, placed
his mistress safely on the lawn, be.
fore she started up, crying, "Where
is the baby? Who has seen the child?
Oh it is in the house yet" Aud she
would have rushed toward the blazing
doorway if she had not been instantly
and forcibly detained.
The servants looked at each other in
dismay. In the suddenness with which
the coufagration had spread, and in
the excitement of their mistress dan
ger, nobody had thought of the child.
1t was an only one, boy about two
years old, who slept with his nurse,
or "mammy," as she was called in the
household, in back room in the up.
per story. Mrs. Stewards first thought
on her escape had been to look for her
darling; and but for this the absence
of the child might have been even
longer overlooked.
The hall of the house was now all in
q flame, the fire pouring ont through
the doorway as from the mouth of a
furnace SO that ingress by that path
was impossible, Most of the. second
story was also burning, and the entire
first floor, for the confagration had
broken out there originally. To reach
the apartment where the nurse, prob.
ably paralyzed with terror, was still
with the child, seemed out OF the ques-
ton entirely.
But-there was one there who deter
mined to make the attempt. The sight
of the mothers face, and the sounds
OF her broken means, as she sank into
the arms of those who restrained her,