Kootenai County Republican. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1899-1903, 1900-05-18
The girl looked him full in the face,


the God-giyen intuition OF her sex.
There goes your dance with Miss
Clark" she broke In. You must no,
keep her waiting"
But l can't leave you, Virginia, all
alone here"
please do. Then come back to me
after the number. l want 10 be alone
for awhile"
And Fairfield reluctantly left her sit.
ting on the farthcst corner OF the broad
piazza. which had been made gay for
the party by long festoons OF colored
paper and multitude OF candles In
fantastic paper eases. Virginia sat In
an ingenuity nearly akin to sacrlege
had made the intermeZZO from "Caval.
leria Rusticana" into a waltz. The girl
knew that the music told OF a mans
love for woman. OF the great Joy that
had come into her own life.
A solitary breath OF wind stirred the
festoOns along the front OF the piazza.
The coasting sailors knew storm was
brewing. A sharper breath Of wind
came and swung the festOons near
where Virginia sat. The candle In one
OF the paper lanterns toppled over. In
a second the tissue paper case was all
afire.
The girl saw the accident. In sec
Ond she realized the danger to the great
hotel, its wooden frame as dry as tin.
der Virginia saw the peril Of the hun
drcds Of men and women 1t held Then
she realized her own helplessness. Dick
had taken her crutches and placed
them In q corner Of the building beyond
her reach. While she thought with tho
full rnpldity OF her active mind the fire
spread to the fcstoons. Then she con.
ceived her plan.
In a second she was upon her knees.
She half-crawle across the piazza floor
until her outstretched hand could reach
her crutches. She slipped them under
her shoulders and swung back across
the piazza. Not soul was near to help
her. and her quick instinct told the girl
that scream would create panic In
the crowded ballroom. The fire danced
along the paper festoon.
How she ever did 1t she could never
afterward tell. but 1t seemed divine
strength aided her strong arms as she
climbed upon the piazza rail. With one
arm grasping the pillar for support, she
stretched the other toward the blazing
decorations. She thought she caught
the sound Of hurried footsteps along
the plazzi. She could not reach the fes.
toon by several inches. In a moment
the dry dead vine along the caves
would be ablaZe and 1t would be too
late. But Virginia had kept her head.
She coolly reached down, and, grasping
one Of her crutches by the arm rest,
blazing paper decoration. A sharp,
quick pull something broke, and In a
moment the whole blazing mass lay
burning 1t out In the grass far from
harm.
She turned and saw Dick standing
beside her. He gravely helped her
down and carried her to n chair.
Your opportunity came quicker than
we expected. You did very brave
and very gallant thing" She heard
Dicks voice speaking in her ear, and
she turned and gave him her hand
without saying Il word.
1t il needless to tell what followed.
Virginia Howper found her popularity
had swept Into fame. People called
her the heroine of the hotel, and new
arrivals begged to be presented. Sun
day newspapers sent for her photo
graphs. and the tales OF her achieve
ment went far and wide. Virginia
laughed at II and took 1t most good
naturally. To her the praise OF Il GER
tain westerner was infinitely more de-
slrable than the entire loudyoiced
plaudlts OF the eastern contingent of
the hotel.
Richard Fairfield returned to Cor
dona. Iowa, after his fortnlght's rest
In the south. To certain Of his friends
he gave condolences. He limited very
vaguely Of general dislike for the
fasteners he had met ut the Florida
resort. lie described them vigorously
as cold FLOODED and disa greeahle. Then
he would lower his voice and hint that
there was one exception to the rule.
Two months later when he returned
from lying trip to Baltimore that
seemed strangely suspicious In view
OF his previous opinions. he gave more
condolences. This time he allowed that
he would make no exceptions In the
future. The only exception In the east
was going to move into the west.-New
York Evening sun.
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