The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1900-05-11
A PRECIOUS BURDEN.


fats Phelim O'Leary was the fireman
who traversed a Intel ledge at the
sixth story, going from window to
window, carrying a fainting woman
in his arms through the flames until
he reached the fre-escape and brought
her down in safety.
Marshal Moran said he was a nat.
ural-born fireman" and the next week
secured his transfer to Truck 10, with
promotion.
But Phelim O'Leary was lonely
there. He would sit at the door OF
the engine house all day and never
see or hope to see a sight of the little
girl with the big, dark gray eyes, who
didn't mind having him walk a part
of the way and talk with her.
This little girl had grown to be
young woman. Her father had died.
The worldly affairs of the family were
found TO be in such shape that Mag.
gle must help. So she became a
stenographer and found employment
in one Of the big buildings in Wabash
avenue.
1t may have been by accident or 1t
may not, but she was scarcely In
stalled in her place when Phelim
knew about it. BY way Of other acct
dents he often happened by the big
building just as Maggie was leaving at
the end of her days work. If they
were lovers no one ever heard them
say so. If they ever sighed for each
other when they were apart no one
knew it,
One day Phelim was sitting silent
In the engine house thinking Of what
he would say to her some day. When
he had it all thought out his heart be-
gan to quake with fear at the idea
that she might tell him there was an
other for whom she cared for more.
He sat there racking his brain with
these conflicting thoughts, when a
still" alarm came in. He counted the
strokes as they came over the ticker.
The first number was four, and the
second figure OF the box number
sounded one, two, three, four, and
then stopped. ~
"Forty-four," he murmured, and knit
his brow as the truck went dashing
down Dearborn street. That's Wa.
bash and Monroe. If there was fire
there-but no, it isn't there"
The truck roared down Dearborn
street and turned into Monroe and
drew up at Wabash avenue. A cloud
of smoke rolling above the big build
ing told his trained eye where the
fire was burning He sprang from his
truck and rushed toward it. AS he
reached the front of 1t the flames
burst from the windows He met
some men and women as they rushed
out Of the building and asked them II
they thought everybody was out. They
said they believed they were.
Are they all off the fifth floor?"
he asked.
YES, I'm from the fifth floor ex
claimed a young woman excitedly.
mo, no; where's Maggie?"
Without waiting to hear more Phe.
lin ran into the building. A man at
the door yelled for him to come back
but he disappeared in the smoke.
"Maggie!" Maggie!" he cried as he
sprang up the steps. Flight after
flight he assembled. 'Maggie Mag
gie," he cried as he went through the
hot, binding smoke.
The people in the street were
watching the windows with anxious
eyes. Word was running through the
crowd that girl had been burned to
death, and that fireman who had
gone to her rescue had also persisted.
The blackened face of a man was
seen just then over the ledge a fifth
story window. The firemen in the
street were running up ladder. The
face disappeared, and an instant later
the man could be seen again through
the smoke letting himself out over
the ledge. AS he swung out the crowd
could see that he held a woman. The
people below thought that he intend
ed to drop to the pavement and cry
of warning was raised from a thou
sand threats. The man let himself
down from the ledge, holding the
woman with his left arm, while the
fingers of his right hand clutched the
window ledge above. They could then
see it was a fireman. He had swung
down into the perilous position to en-
able the woman to get some fresh
air lest she die of suffcation. Before
his strength failed him the top rung
To- 10
fusing aid, he descended to the ground
with his burden.
Maggie" He whispered the name
this time as he held her clasped tight
ly in his arms.
He alone heard what she whispered
to him, for the air wss ssS7i ringing
with the cheers of the people who
were acclaiming him hero.-Chicago
Tribune.