The Banner-Democrat. [volume] (Lake Providence, East Carroll Parish, La.) 1892-current, 1897-08-14
FIELDS OF ADVENTURE.
THRILLING INCIDENTS AND DARING
DEEDS ON LAND AND SEA.

A Little Girls Self-Sacrificfng Deed
Startling Experience With a Rattle
G understanding Wolves by Yelling
Attacked by Huge Octopus.
She lived in Placer County, not far
from where the pretty town of Auburn
now stands, for it happened many
years ago, in the early eos, and l ex-
pect that but few now residing there
have any recollections of the affair.
The family, consisting of father,
miner, her mother and little brother,
dwelt in a small shanty erected under
cover of a convenient ledge. The
shanty was a miserable structure OF
two rooms, but it held what a many
grander dwelling failed to contain,
loving household. The mother lay sick
-,sh the fever, and Carmen, then
girl Of twelve, performed the drudgery
of the house. Her little brother, cur
ly-headed romp, of five, was Garments
great responsibility. The father was
away from early morning until late at
night at his work, and so the little
hands of twelve found plenty to do. In
common with the custom of miners,
the father kept a'store of giant powder
in the house, which in the present
case was contained in sack placed in
an old wooden box that stood at the
foot of the bed where lay the sick
mother The upper part of the shanty,
under the sloping board roof, was uti-
lied as a storage place for old dun
mage.
One night the futher was absent in
the mine. By some means the shanty
took fire, probably from the cracked
and defective adobe chimney. Carmen
awoke to find that the roof was afire
Md sparks dropping down. Springing
, she loudly cried to awaken her
mother and Tommy, but the little boy
became frightened and hid his head
beneath the covers of his bed. Carmen
sprang to lift him from the bed, when
she saw shower of sparks falling on the
powder box. Recognizing the awful
danger, she attempted to leave the
child for the moment and carry out
the powder, but in her excitement she
caught her foot in the overhanging
bedclothes aud fell to the floor, break
ing her thigh bone. Unable to arise,
the brave girl crawled to the box of
powder and, drawing herself up, COW
cred the box with her body. The
mother had by this time succeeded in
getting out of bed and getting outside
the now furiously burning shanty, and
managed to take with her her little
boy.
The cries of Carmen: ooh, take
Tommy out, won't you'll" turned for a
time the mothers thought from her
daughters danger. The fire had
aroused some of the neighbors who
speedily ran to the burning shanty and
lent what aid they could. Carmen
was discovered and removed. Her
rescuers found her almost buried be-
meath a mass of burning cinders, her
back frightfully burned. Tender hands
bore her to neighboring shanty,
where all that could be done to allevi-
ate her sufterings was eagerly bestowed.
But human aid came too late. The
brave little spirit fingered until the
following day and then departed for 6
brighter land. 1t was not known un
til after she had recovered conscious
ness, short time before she died, thai
she had broken her leg. Her last words
were: "Kiss me, Tommy, dear; I've
saved you, and I'm SO happy. '-Sar
Francisco Call.