New-York tribune., 1902-03-24

Nothing reveals the grain-the warp and woof-
Of our complex human nature like the hashlight of
sudden fear" said woman recently. A panic
strips off all veneer. and We see the hero or the
coward as he is. There was a blaze in a West Side
tenement house night that threw light upon
some things beside the walls OF the houses oppo-
site. The fire small and quickly under control
Meanwhile. however a great crowd had collected
and the tenants rushed about half dazcd with
terror But against the smoke and darkuess-above
the dire confuson-stood revealed bit OF simple
human kndliness, fash Of love and loyalty, that
is worth the telling.
The dweers in that tenement house arc among
the very poor that live life close to the bone-they
are not given heroica. On the top floor in half
back room lived a crusty. half crazy old woman
who was always quarrelbng with her 'landlaay.
the vith a baby VINO lives In the other half
of the room. TIE crusty old woma7 does days
work and hordes every penny-sne apparently
hates children. and the tot whose home was in the
other end of the room runs at her approach.
The mother had been i'll for several days, but
the crusty old woman seemed 10 take no notice Of
the fact. She in her corner usual, fumbiinG
over an old vase IN which she kept her treasures
her small savings. her bits OF clothing and trim
ket or two. including a fly specked chrome OF an
impossible COW which a very bow legged child
feeding with sky blue grass. All Of these
were carefully packed each night in the valise in
case of fire. OF which the old woman lived In daily
dread For nearly three years this performance
had been enacted nightly in this very room-Pre-
pairing the fire that never came.
The other night about midnight. however a
blaze bro ke The old woman wakcned in ter
ror Smoke was curling up about the windows and
creeping through the thin partitions. The baby was
CRYING with fright and its mother trying in vain
packed this emergency II was hardly an
instant that the old woman hesitated. then she
reached for tho crying child she helped the sick
TO StagEer up ana the three started Tor the
stairs. The VdliSC left behind
In a OF the basement lives bit Of a
boy--or rather he goes there to sleep, and per
haps get a bite when he had earned enough to
! insure himself against cuffs and abuse. The boy
has a dog-his stanch friend and ever ready
Confdant-a NANCY. stubtailed sandy cur. that
sinks through the black alIeyway and Crawls in
through the broken window to his little master.
after braWs and noise have subsided and there
is no longer any fear Of being turned out-there
TO sleep on the pile of straw and rags that serves
At the first cIans Of the engines the boy started
The dog knew he never to follow unless
called. and lay still awaiting developments igno-
rushed through the smoke filled alleyway and
into the street Then he came into full possession
of his senses, and the thought Of the dog shot
through brain. The OF air in the alley
wav carried the tongues Of flame down and along
The way seemed blocked. yet-the dog at the
other end The dog had been a real friend his
friend. They had shared the same crustS and
bones and penny ginger cakes-the dog loved him.
Like A fash the boy darted back into the smoke.
The dog heard his cry and sprang out. and In an
instant the two were the again.
And the old woman 4 fireman met her half
wav down the stairs relieved her OF her living bur
dens and she free to rush back for the bat
tered valise But before she could drag II down
he four flights the pavement the frc out,
the street clearing of its gaping crowd and the
tenants preDaring crawl back to their
again. To-day she is and Grabbed ever.
herone-she scarcely knows what she did, certainly
why she did II.