The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1897-10-07

the doorknob while she spoke.
Its no use," said brutally, whel
she made pause. 81 know all abou
that sort of men. His love for hi
family became a temptation. H,
was brooding over his misfortune
happened to think he was alone il
! the shop; saw a way out of his ex
tremity; arranged the fuse, and wen
away. 1t is temptation not one mar
in a thousand can stand, ana the bet
ter husband and father he is the more
likely he is to fall"
'She went away weeping. It haG
been raining for several days-baG
weather fo1 the nerves, and mine were
all out of gear. 1 was not exactly q
beggar, but when had paid my debts
[ would hardly have enough to make
fair atari in life again. and that, to
man of fifty, is serious thing. As
/ turned to re enter my study, fan
cied that / smelled smoke, and laugh
ed to think that the days experience
should have had such an effect upon
my imagination. 1t was early sum
mer, and the fire was out in the fur
mace, and the kitchen chimney an
isolated one. When l built the house,
twenty years before, the gas mains
had not been laid SO far out, and the
authoroties would>only extend them
on terms which thought exorbitant.
SO, more out of stubborness than for
any good reason, | furnished the
building with an elaborate array of
lamps and provided an absolutely
tireproof closet for cleaning and fill
ing them and storing a supply of
kerosene-and swore that l would
never have gas jet in the house.
My friends laughed at me, but per-
sisted in the whim, and. as much of
my fortune had been made in oil,
L jokingly declared that l burned it
out of gratitude for benefits received.
But the smell of fire grew stronger, I
rushed up stairs, throw open the
door of the guest chamber, and was
met by binding cloud of smoke.
''At once it flashed upon me that
| was exactly in the position of the
man | had an hour before condemned.
L was alone in the house; would be
greatly benefited by it's burning, and
there were no apparent means by
which it could take fire save by my
completely. If | waited to turn in an
alarm the house would be substaE-
TALLY destroyed before the engines
could reach it. l had no desire to
to take this course, for l saw that
suspicion would rest on me and my
own words be quoted against me; be-
sides, | had an irresistible determi-
nation to know what started that fire.
L could see that it was burning in the
middle vi the room, and had not yet
reached the walls or furniture. It.
was a hobby with me to provide
means for putting out fire in its in
cipient stages, and for that purpuse
there were two buckets hanging over
the tub in the bathroom near at hand
( closed the door, snatched down the
buckets and filled them, and dashed
the water over the ignited carpet,
again snd again, shutting the door 10
prevent draught each time l return
fifteen at the outside, the flames were
put ont. The house was full Of
smoke, and as put up window to
let it out some fool in the street cried
fire and turned in the alarm at the
nearest box. l was on the front steps
when the engine came tearing down
the street with half a dozen other
complicated tire-fighting arrange
ments in its wake, and had no little
trouble to keep them from flooding
the house because the smell of smoke
still hung around it. l asked the in
spector of the district and the captain
of the insurance patrol to 60 up with
me and investigate the cause Of the
confagration.
'In the middle of the floor a hole
ten feet across had been burned in
the carpet. The hocr beneath had
been charred and in a few places
burned through, and the woodwork of
the room ruined by the heat
"'You had narrow escape, Judge
said the inspector. If this had got a
fair start nothing could haye saved
the bouse.'
"'Saved the dickens l said impa
tiently. What I want to know is
how it started
d" Must have been set on fire. both
said, without a moments hesitation.
"'Looks so, doesn't it7' l answered.
But who the deuce could have done
it? l have been alone in the house
for two hours; not f servant Oh the
premises; back door locked, and front
door closed with spring catch. II
it were set on fire, one of three things
must be true-some one has forced al
entrance, or the ti1e was produced by
mechanical means, put in operation
two hours or more ago, or set it my
self Draw your own conclusions
gentlemen. If one of you will go and
examine the rear doors and windows
we will try and solve this mystery
before we 60 any farther
Hold on said the inspector, Pi
take charge of this matter, if yor
please
"He summoned couple of police
men, telling them to guard and ex
anime the house. looking PARTICULAR
for signs of exit or means of escape
"'When was the room last o:cu
pied?' he asked, stepping inside ant
giving sharp look around
"'Not for a month, at least l re
piled.
He crossed to the register undel
| the mantel and put his hand before
| the tlue.
There has been no fire in tn,
house, except in the kitchen range
since last May ] volunteered.
"'Were the shutters closedF asked
the inspector. frowning, crossing t.
the window and gIancing back to the
burnt place in the floor.
~ opened them after putting on
the fire. [ replied, but there hasn'
been sun enough to work burnin.
| glass for days
- That's So he assented. L neve