Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-01-24

led the mare to the door, and fairly kicked her out to safety He returned with the same blanket and rescued one of the work horses. He took five horses out. and then came out himself with his clothes brayely on fire. He had no whiskers, and verly little hair on his head They soused five pailfals of water on him. His eldest son made a clean miss with the sixth pailful because the old man had turned and was running down the decline and around to the base ment of the barn where were the stanchions of cows. Some one noticed at the time that he ran very lamely, as if one of the frenzied horses had smashed his hip.
 The cows, with their heads held in the heavy stanchions, had thrown them selves, strangled themselves, tangled themselves-done everything which the ingenuityef their exuberant tear could suggest to them.
 Here, as at the well, the same thing happened to every man save one. Their hands went mad. They became incapa- ble of everything save the power to rush into dangerous situations.
 The old man released the COW nearest the door. and she, blind drunk with ter TOT, crashed into the Swede. The Swede had been running to and fro, babbling. He carried an empty milk pail, 10 which he clung with an unconscious fierce en- thusiasm. He shrieked like one lost as he went under the cows hoofs, and the milk pail, rolling across the floor, made flash of silver in the gloom.
 Old Fleming took fork. beat off the COW, and dragged the paralized Swede to the open air. When they had res cued all the cows save one, which had so fastened herself that she could not be moved an inch, they returned to the front of the barn and stood sadly, breathing like men who had reached the final point of human effort.
 Many people had come running. Some one had even gone to the church, and now. from the distance, rang tue tocsin note of the old bell. There was long flare of crimson on the sky, which made remote people speculate as to the whereabouts of the fire.
 The long flames sang their drumming chorus in voices of the heaviest bass. The wind whirled clouds of smoke and cinders into the faces of the spectators. The form of the old barn was outlined in black amid these masses of orange hued flames.
 And then came this Swede again cry ing as one who is the weapon of the sinister fates: De colts! De colts! You have forgot de eolts!"
 Old Fleming staggered. II was true; they had forgotten the two colts in the box stalls atthe back of the barn. Boys" he said. '.I must try to get 'em out" They yclamored about him then. afraid for him. afraid ofwhat they should see. Then they talked wildly each to each. Why, it's sure death!" He would never get out!" "Why, it's suicide for a man to go in there!' Old Fleming stared. ab- sent-mindedly, at the open doors. "The poor little things he said. He rushed into the barn.
 When the roof fell in a great funnel of smoke swarmed towards the sky, as if the old mans mighty spirit, released from it's body--a little bottle--had swelled like the geni of fable. The smoke was tinted rose hue from the flames, and perhaps the unutterable midnfghts of the universe will have no power to daunt the color of his soul.-- St. James Budget.