Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1898-12-15
CHAPTER XIV

The wild excitement and dread of
that clustering night lived long in tho
memory of every family at the post
But for the most unusual though fortu-
nate change in the direction of the blast
all officers row on the northeast front
must have been swept away, as on an
other we'll remembered night the quar-
tiers of the infantry-all of officers row
on the northwest side-had melted away
in flood Of flame some years before.
With tho garrison gone there was no
, lire department, and even had there
been one of metropolitan proportions it
could have accomplished next to moth
ing. The big finder box jointly occu-
pied by Majors Barry and Stannard was
swept away as though in the twinkling
OF an eye. In less than ten minutes of
the alarm broad sheet of fire swept
across the roadway and far out upon the
parade, licking up the fence like row
of matches and clustering the hopeful
young cottonwoods, just budding along
the bordering acequia while in less
than 20 only mass of glowing embers
lay glaring i'll the tiercely tanning gale
and every vestige of the goods and
chattels had gone to feed the flames
The marvel was that the inmates got
out at all
First to discover the fire was Mrs
Barry, aroused by dense and suffocating
smoke, and sound of swapping and
cracking in the kitchen. She called
Mary, who sprang from her couch,
rushed to the kitchen door, and, with
an awful shrek, recoiled before the in
slant rush of the flames into the dining
room. Maynard, still writing in his
room, heard, flew down the stairs,
stumbled over her on the front piazza;
then, bending low, broke through the
dense smoke now pouring through the
little hall, found Mrs Barry feebly
striving to reach the doorway and bore
her, half suffocated, into the open air;
then, facing flame now as we'll as dead
ening smoke, had dashed up the stairs
and burst into Nathalie's blazing room.
The girl had managed to reach the
wardrobe and to throw about her the
very wrap she wore the morning she an
swered Maloney's impudent summons,
and then had fallen helpless and half
stifed, unable to open the door. Reck-
less of himself, Maynard dragged the
blanket from the bed, wrapped it about
the slender and beloved form, lifted her
like child in his strong arms, and, fol-
lowed by the seething tongues of flame.
smuggling his hair, eyebrows and mus
tache, and scorching the skin Of his
face and hands and neck and ears, had
gone bounding down the row Of blazing
balusters and out into the open air be-
fore he fell, blinded, burned and almost
sutfocated, but triumphant The guard
was there in two minutes, the bands
men and "doughboys" soon came rush
ing from their quarters Women and
children poured, shrieking, from the
houses nearest, while others less alarm
ed hurried from those farther down the
row. Warner was at the spot as quick
as the guard, and under his cool head
ed direction the rescued ladies We're car
ried or led to Mrs. Ray s. and then they
sent to the hospital for stretcher for
poor Maynard, writing in terrible
pain, while his sister, swaying to and
fro from side to side, knelt with clasp
ed hands, moaning and sobbing and i'm
ploring people to do something for him,
deaf to his stern admonition of silence,
and only ceasing VEN he sought to
stagger to his feet and leave her.
Over him presently bent Walters,
shocked and sore distressed. To him
soon came the little doctor, and through
lane Of weeping women and children
they bore him to the captains quarters
down the row-Walters would admit of
nothing less-and there with soft cotton
and sweet oil and soothing lotions,
with tender hands and words Of bound
less praise and sympathy, they did their
utmost to comfort and to soothe. When
the fire. swept by the gale away from
the rest of the row, had burned itself
out and Walters could hasten to the
bedside Of the brave young fellow, he
almost sobbed aloud when he strove to
answer Maynard's half apologize
s'Broke my arrest, sir, but couldn't
help it,
Meantime. though suffering shock
and partial suffocation, Mrs. Barry and
Miss Baird were pronounced uninjured
and were being devotedly attended at
Mrs. Rays. Mary, the housemaid, was
still in semihysterical state and re-
quired more waiting on than all the