, 1900-01-02
FIGHTING @ LOVE.

For many years Phelim O'Leary was
with truck No. 9 in the engine house
in Cottage Grove avenue, near TWEEN
ty-siXth street, and If he had his way
about 1t he would not have gone to
another engine house, w If it were
an advancement, but his reason for
this was not given to his companions.
When he was a boy v e in st. Cece-
las parish he knew Maggie brennan.
She was such a little slip of a girl
then, but at that she had a pair of big
dark gray eyes hat used to set Phelim
to dreaming, though he knew not why.
AS the years would have it Phelim
grew up until he was as tall as any
man on the fire department and as ac-
tive as any and he knew as much about
the duties Of a fire fighter as almost
any, and, as he wanted to be a fireman,
1t was only natural that he became
one. There were other reasons tor that,
too. Once he heard Maggie brennan
say she thought firemen were so brave
and so grand, and he was simply living
out his ambition to please her. When
the Drennans moved into Twenty-sixth
street and he was stationed with truck
No. 9 he was happy, for now and then
he saw her as she passed the engine
house.
At the big fire in the Kenawbash
flats Phelim O'Leary was the fireman
who traversed a Intel ledge at the
sixth story, going from window to win
dow carrying a fainting woman in his
arms through the flames until he
reached the fire escape and brought
her down in safety. Marshal Koran
said he wal a natural born fireman"
and the next week secured his trans
fer to truck 10, with promotion.
But Phelim O'Leary was lonely
there. He could 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 a young
woman. Her father had died. The
worldly affairs of the family were
found to be in such shape that Maggie
must help. So she became a stenog-
rapher and found employment in one
Of the big buildings in Wabash ave-
nue..
1t may have been by accident or 1t
may not, but she was scarcely installed
in her place when Phelim knew about
it. By way of other accidents he often
happened by the big building just as
Maggie was leaving at the end of her
days work. II they were lovers, no
n ever heard them say so. If they
yer sighed for each other when they
were apart, no one knew it. Phelim
always seemed care free and uncon-
cerned whenever he met her. though
more heroism than scaling the great
extension ladders In the face of the
leaping flames. Maggie always tried
to seem as If she would Just as soon
meet many another whenever she met
him, but the effort cost her many a
secret little cry after she had got
home.
One day Phellm was SlttlnB 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 another
for whom she cared far more. He sat
there racking his mind with these con
flicting thoughts when a ''still' alarm
came clicking in. He sprang to his
place counting the strokes as they
came over the ticker. The first num-
Der was -four and the second figure Of
the box number sounded one, two.
three, four and then it stopped.
"Forty-four." he murmured. and
knit his brows as the truck went DASH
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