The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-06-22


one to express his surprise, in an al
most injured tone, at the lateness 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 another in what
they fondly imagine to be a subdued
Whisper. As these interesting cere-
monies were being perform ed with all
due puDctilio, some one noticed a
strong smell of burning wood; indeed,
It was SO strong that he actually ven
tured to break in upon the boots OF
goodnight around him to draw at
tention to it.
You may bet your life, Spencer, my
boy, that this old barraek of yours is
on fire You had better rouse the serv-
ants and get the womenfolk downstairs
quietly
Don't be an ass. Ted: it is no use
frightening the ladies out of their lives
perhaps for nothing. It is probably
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 Tor
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
AS the fire brigade reports so quantity
phrase it, the kitchen chimney was
well alight."
sCut over to the stables. Charlie. viii
you, and get them to saddle Quickstep
for you, and hurry into Lifted as hard
as you can go. The fire engine is at
the town han. They may perhaps turn
out little quicker for you than they
would for a groom, and you needn't
mind knocking the horse up; it can't be
helped. Send the men from the stables
over here as soon as they have saddled
your horse.
Come along, men, we can do nothing
down here. III take you up on the roof
by the back stairs. Come up as quick
ly as you can. We had better get the
blankets out of the spare rooms and
try to stifie the chimney There are
some water jugs in that pantry; they'll
be useful"
All efforts to extinguish the fire were
however. in vain; the most that could
be done was to check it's spreading
from the west wing of the house By
keeping up as constant a cascade of
water as possible with stable buckets
upon the rooms adjoining the outbreak.
The fire, however, continued to extend
its borders in all directions, as the now
white hot brickwOrk of the chimney COM
municated destruction to the panelling
of all the rooms that surrounded its
glowing shaft. Fortunately, it was n
calm night, with scarcely a breeze stir
ring
The noise of these proceedings had in
the meantime reused the whole house
Amy Ashton had hurried into a peig-
nOir and a pair of slippers, and was
just hesitating at her door before max
ing a dash over to her aunts bedroom
for consolation and advice, when Spen-
Ger, begrinned with smoke, rushed
along the corridor Confronted by sud-
den temptation, human nature is but
weak This glorious and unlocked for
opportunity of holding in his arms, for
lust five short minutes this most tempt
ing and fanfa1iZinc Of girls was t00
much for him. He knew that, to her.
he was merely middle aged fOgy; in
a few months she would probably mar
ry Fred Norman or some other young
cub. His house might burn to cinders
for all that he cared but the wild in
toxication Of having her in his arms for
these few minutes, he resolved, should
be his. With a resolute man, to think
is to act. He hurried toward her. There
is not a minute to be lost, Miss Ashton;
trust yourself entirely to me-" With
these words he lifted her. bodily from
the ground. Amy Ashton had no time
to thinks her arm fell naturally enough
upon his right shoulder, as he lifted her
with his left arm and carried her out
to the main staircase.
Every one who was sufficiently clad
to make an appearance in public had
hurried to the seat of operations in the
neighborhood of the back stairs and. the
kitchen.
Spencer carried his fair burden down
the deserted staircase and through the
hall, and set her gently upon her feet
in the garden. As Amy Ashton touch
ed the ground once more, the flames
1eaped from the burning roof and CHM
ney, and her eyes met Spencer's by the
weird glow of the fire; something she
read in his glance reused all the wo
manhood in her Mr.. Spencer, how
dared you touch me? How dared you
carry me? Tt was a stupid school boys
trick I could have walked downstairs
perfectly easily. Tt was coWardly of
you to take such advantage of my
fright,
The excitement was over and the re-
action had set in. Amy Ashton's feel
ings at this moment We're difficult to
analyze. Hatred of the man who had
dared do this thing and contempt for
herself for having been so easily trap
ped were both fighting for the mastery
of her mind. while both these emotions
were in turn almost numbed by the
sickening recollection that her hair was
as she had arranged it when retiring
for the night, and descended down her
back in the severe simplicity of a p1ait-.
ed pigtail. She grew hot all over with
shame as she fancied that she could
still feel the pressure of the mans arms
about her body, and then her hair-how
can an unfortunate girl assert. herself
with her hair in a pigtail? The posi-
ton was hideous; maidenly dignity
cOWed by it's own pigtail. Finally van
1ty won the day. as 1t IS apt TO do with
men and women alike. Being carried,
after all, was not so very dreadful, in
fact-rather- Well. at any rate, that
part was not so dreadful-but the pig
tail? That thought crushed her.
Her mental torture was suddenly bro
ken in upon by shouts, the noise of
grinding wheels, the thunder of hoofs
and the jingle of harness. The fire en-
CINE had arrived
Amy Ashton stood by Spencer's side,
in he of he n
fascinated by the scene The rudy
glow of the fire turned the tree trunks
and foliage of the avenue bright red,
and lit UP human faces with a curious