River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1901-09-05

tell him that you wrote to young
Norman about your train--as the
strong probability is that, if you do,
he will be your fellow traveller"
"Thank you very much, Mr. Spen-
GER You can be so nice, when you
like. am going in now to make my
self pretty for lunch. l wonder where
the others have been all the morn
ing"
1t was more than an hour past mid
night; the men of the party staying
at Winners court were still lounging
in the smoking room. There is an
entirely baseless superstition among
all men in all country houses that
their combined conversational powers
are equal TO the task of keeping
each other amused for three hours
or so nightly 1t is q superstition
that will never die, though it is proved
to be an absolute fallacy in hun
dreds of houses night after night
The flow of talk had gradually die9
away into spasmodic inanities, when
the signal was given for abrupt de-
parture by the remark: II wonder
whether any of you remember that
red setter of mine called 'Victor?'"
The drOwsiest of smokers jumped TO
his feet with miraculous promptitude
and made a dash for the hall. The
dreariness and glaring impossibility
of the after-midnight dog story are
beyond human endurance. Fishing
exploits stimulate healthy imaginative
rivalry, but dog stories are funeral.
The yearning for bed was universal
There are two or three little details
which are never omitted at the adj
journment of the smoking room par
lament. The first thing is for every
one to express his surprise, in an al
most injured tone, at the latcness of
the hour; and then, in Difference to
the sleeping household, heavyweight
men creak about on eXasperatingly
noisy tiptoe and exchange hoarse
shouts of goodnight with one an
other in what they fondly imagine to
be subdued whisper. AS these in
teresting ceremonies were being per-
formed with all due punctilio, some
one noticed a strong smell of burn
ing wood, indeed, it was so strong
that he actually ventured to break in
upon the boots Of goodnight around
him to draw attention to it.
"You may bet your life, Spencer,
my boy, that this old barracB of yours
is on fire. You had better rouse the
servants, and get the womenfolk
down stairs quietly"
Don't be an ass, Ted, it is no use
frightening the ladies' out of their
liyes-perhaps for nothing. It's prob
ably only something smouldering in
the kitchen, there can have been no
other fires lighted in this weather.
Let us see where we are first Come
along, boys, I'll show you the way"
When the smoking room party in
vaded the sacred precincts of the
Kitchen there was no longer room for
doubt about the fire. The roar of the
flames could be heard in the enormous
cavern of the old-fashioned chimney,
and a brilliant red light shone upon
the hearthstone and the kitchen floor.
Cut over to the stables, Charlie,
win you, and get them to saddle
Quiekstep for you. and hurry into
Lifted as hard as you can go. The
fire engine is at the town hall. They
may perhaps turn out little quick
er for YOU than they would for
groom. and you needn't mind knock
ing the horse up; il can't be helped.
Send the men from the stables over
here as soon as they have saddled
your horse"
Come along. YOU men, we can do
nothing down here. I'll take you up
on the roof by the back stairs. Come
up as quickly as you can. We had
better get the blankets out of the
spare rooms and try TO stifle the chin
ney. There are some wateriugs in
that pantry, they'll be useful"
All efforts to eNtinguish the fire
were. however, in vain; the most that
could be done was to check its spread
ing from the west wing of the house
by keeping up as constant cascade
of water as possible with stable buck
cts upon the rooms adjoining the out
break. The fire, however, continued
to extend its borders in all directions,
as the now white-hot brickwork of
the chimney communicated destruc-
ton to the paneling of all the rooms