Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1901-03-19

she replied with determination. Il SIM
ply cannot endure "a purposeless person,
most of all a purposeless man."
THAT last sentence lacks your GUS
tomary freshness and originality re-
marked Dudley Merrick. stroking. his
graceful moustache and looking at her
with that half-quizzical, half-indiffer
ent expression in his eyes which was
so chara teristic of him, and which so
provoked her.
"But. really, Dot. 1 am dreadfully
serious in wanting to marry you.'
Not Dot sir; how many times have
told you-DorOthy?"
"Precisely, but it is so difficult to out
grow ones childish habits" he resumed
Gas | was remarkng, l am not wholly
purposeless My one absorbing aim is
to make you my wife, / am not gifted
with sanguine temperament. you
know, and perhaps lack ardor in plead
ing my cause. but, believe me, l do not
lack earnestneSs."
She looked at him half in admira-
ton half in contempt. There he sat as
handsome as Apollo in an attitude so
grace full as to suggest that it was
stu lied, although she knew better. If
he would only use those graces and
powers for some greater purpose. Moth
lib tou.u IIlII IL Ire were OAiy
positive instead of negative. No career
was too graf for him to aspire to If he
would only move.
"No, Dudley, it Is useless" she said.
II ike you very much. vcI are excel
dent company, and l thought at one
tima I was almost in love with yor. But
I would as SOON marry a beautiful statue
or graceful bit of poetry as to become
T 6n,rh
you have any red hood in your auto
cratic veins. Otter taking all the hon.
ors, both athletic and intellectual, at COL
aege and winning all the prizes in debate
and oratory, you settle down after your
admission to the bar, and lead per-
fecty idle life. Why, sir, you haven't
had three cases in three years."
my dear girl, what's the use? AS I
have plenty of money, so what is the
use Of wearing out my brain and nerves
over interesting disputes between 9TH
er people and take the bread out of the
mouths of the fellows who are not so
fortunate as I in the possession of a de-
ceased grandfather who was kind
enough to absorb land at the very spot
where kind Providence had designed a
city. No, Dot-Dorothy-law practice Is
tics is the game of mountebank. Last
ly, dear brethren. both bore your humble
servant frightfully. In fact, Dot, you
are the only thing I have ever seen that
seems to me to be worth trying for. Is
your decision final?"
1T is she replied.
well, p-rhaps it lis as we'll So" said
he as he rose gracefully. Il hope there
will be no strained relations on account
Of this episode"
NO" she replied quietly, 81 shall con-
tinue to enjoy all the comforts first
class club can afford and take my gym
nastic exercises daily. with few luxur-
les such as horses and thea ters to round
out the time. And / trust you will find
the hero you dream Of
Then he bowed himself gracefully out.
T.
1T was a beautiful fire. The six-story
building burned like tinderbox. BY the
time :he firemen arrived the third, fourth
and fifth stories were furnaces.
Among the crowd of people drawn by
the irresistible magnet of changing bells
and leaping flames We're Dorothy Strong
and her sister, who lived but few
books distant.
Plainly the building was doomed.
Thank Providence the people were all
out, so the news ran through the throng.
Suddenly, above the shouting of the fire
men and the roar of the flames rose a
piercing cry and out from the crowd.
past the fire lines, ran a. woman with
wildly staring eyes, hatless and dishev-
elled and uttering Shrek after shrek.
The eyes of the crowd followed her point
ing finger, and there in a sixth story
window stood a little tot of four or five
years.
"It is Bessie. 1t is my child" cried the
woman. II thought she was out. She
started with the rest; she must have
gone back. Save her, save her."
"A SILVER ran through the men. The
f.remen paused in their work and gaZed
with blanched faces at the window above
the roaring flames. The gray-haired chief
H. STATED.
"My God, boys, man can't get
through those flames," he exclaimed,
hoarsely, "but we must try
Up went the ladder and up the men
until they reached the flames. when all
stopped but the first one. who went on
into the fiery furnace. Instantly he
dropped and was caught by those below
him on the ladder.
They carried him down and before an
other trial could be made the ladder
burned in two and came crashing down.
There was a momentary. pause. The
silence was broken by the renewed
shrieks of the mother.
my child, my ch'Id.' she cried. as she
wrung her hands. ooh, God, won't some-
body save her?"
The chief glanced t1aoughtful'y over the
burning building and shook his head
grave1y.
At this moment tan athletic young fell
low broke from the throng and dashed
rapidly past the firemen, caught up coil
Of small rope lying near the ladder truck
and plunged into a building adjoining the
burning structure. A few moments later
he appeared on the roof He stripped off
lis cost and vest nlaced the coil of