The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1902-06-04

help, but even we could not hear him
in the increasing roar of the fire. The
sixth story was mass of flames, and
we We're on the eighth.
'All at once the little Duke began
dragging at our sleeves. At last we
understood that she wanted us to fol.
low her. She thought she had a chance.
We followed her, all but the telegraph
man, who shook his head hopelessly
and held up the revolver.
The Duke ran to her room and
threw open the window. Beyond and
extending to the end of the building
was the art room, which had no win.
ooTs, but was above n corner of the
building not yet reached by the fire.
Pointing to an ornamental stone cor.
nice which ran some six feet below the
window, the Duke mouoned along II
toward the corner farthest from the
fire. We caught the idea, but 1t seemed
slim chance, and no one moved.
Finally the little Duke screamed,
You towards, follow men She swung
herself carefully over the sill and,
hanging by her hands, just touched
the cornice with her toes. Getting as
firm foothold as possible on the mar
row ledge, she steadied herself and
moved TO one side, waiting. We let
KNAPP out next. When he was finally
on the cornice, he chung to the wall
and refused to move. At last the Duke
seized his hand and began feeling her
way along the wall, gently pulling him
after her. KNAPP followed somehow,
and the rest of us swung out after him
In n hurry, for the floors were culver
Ing and the smoke was rolling in vol
umes from the windows below us.
Just as l swung out heard pistol
shot and knew the telegraph man had
taken the way he thought best.
1--WE chung to the wall and crept along
like flies. We were fairly steady ex-
cept KNAPP, and my heart was In my
mouth for fear he would lurch off and
carry the Duke with him. But his
knees stiffened at last, and he did bet
ter, though he never for moment let
so the girls hand. The bricks were
getting hotter and hotter to the touch,
anu tic Sttihto ~ Dt bWttDlib
toward our end of the building.
"At last the crowd saw us through a
rift in the smoke, and shout went up
that seemed almost to tear us from our
perllous hold. The firemen worked
fast, suppose, but 1t seemed ages to
us, waiting at the corner of the build
ing. The fireman first up the ladder
l,,E h., H.
lost his nerve for all that. He saw
Knap's condition and knew he would
fall II forced to loose his hold on the
Duke so he seized them both. The rest
of us were soon on the ladder, though
some were pretty helpless. for the
bricks were fearfully hot toward the
end"
'Billy's hands were cooked through"
interpolated Larry.
at was a good many weeks before
some of us We're back on The Echo, al.
though the paper was printed next day
with borrowed reporters and presses
KNAPP was the first one back, but you
wouldn't have known him for the fel
low who had bullyragged us so. His
hair was white and his face too. lie
was SO mild he couldn't manage til,
new men and had to be taken Off the
desk and put on editorials.
"Well. 1t all happened five years ago
but the Duke Is still commander In
chief ON The Echo" concluded Billy.
"But have n notion she'll some day
conflne her orders to Billy" whispered
Tom as he rose, stein In hand, to pro-
pose the usual toast:
Boys. the Dukew
Every man was on his feet In an In
slant "The Duke, God bless her"