The Forrest City times., 1899-12-15
| l..

The little village was left far behind
when there came a sudden grinding of
the brakes, a scarcely perceptible slack
ening of speed, and then Lovett was
conscious of frightful crash as he
was hurled forward. AS he grasped a
broken chair he knew the wreckage of
the car was piling up about him, and
then he seemed to be falling down.
down. down.
He had been merely stunned, and in a
moment he struggled to his knees.
Darkness was about him, but as he
peered above the mass of ruins a tongue
of flame shot up, and then a great light
shone upon the wreck. The splntered
cars had caught fire, and with the hiss
of escaping steam, the screams and
groans of the wounded and the shouts
of rescuers was mingled the horrible
snap and crackle of the flames.
AS Lovett struggled to his feet his
eyes fell upon the old gentleman, ly-
ing as if dead in hollow piled with
broken and splintered chairs, and his
rigid fingers were still clasped about
the hand bag with its precious package
of bank notes.
Perhaps the thought struck Lovett
that the old man was dead and beyond
the need of money, and that Fate,
which had so persistently frowned up
on him, now revealed an opportunity
he should grasp. But more likely he
did not think at all, as he instinctively
glanced around to see if he was OBJ
served, and then crept toward the ap-
parently lifeless form.
He unclasped the rigid fingers and
took the bag; then, breaking it open
and thrusting the package of bills into
his bosom, he threw the empty satchel
into the flames which were creeping
toward him. Then he lifted the old man
in his arms and bore him to place of
| safety, and for two awful hours he
worked like hero, fighting back the
flames, pulling and lifting at great
masses of wreekage, tenderly helping
to release the wounded from the debris
and reverently bearing the dead away
from the flames. Then when human
means had been exhausted and the rest
was abandoned to the fire he boarded
the special train which was in waiting
and with the others proceeded to the
nearest town and to a hotel.
The package in his bosom bulged out
noticeably, and he took it out to dis
tribute the money through his pockets.
As he took off the wrapper his eyes fell
upon a name and address. 1t was
Mark l.. Brigham, 301 Queen street,
Blank City" He meant to destroy it,
but mechanically he folded and placed
it in one of his pockets.
The hotel had been transformed into
a hospital. On every side he heard the
commands of doctors, the hurrying feet
of attendants and the cries and groans
of the sufferers. He moved about some
of the cots, but now that the fever of
action was over the sight of so much
suffering sickened him, and he passed
out into the cool night air.
For several years, since his misfor-
tunes had taught him caution and sub
dued his self-coniidence, Loyett had
wished that he could own a small news
paper in some quiet country town. away
from the ruinous competition that had
been his undoing in more pretentious
places. More than ample means were
now in his possession, and il was with a
sense of relief like that of one who steps
from a sitting dungeon into the pure at
mosphere that Lovett sat and gazed at
the stars and planned for the future.
The distant whistle of locomotive
aroused him to action. As he started
toward the street he passed an open
window. and glancing in he saw two
doctors just leaving the room. Upon the
cot lay the old gentleman he had robbed
and rescued.
'IIe doesn't need us any more" one
of the surgeons was saying. BADLY
stunned and bruised. that's ALL He'll
be all right Ii day or two"