Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1902-04-24

have scorched my candy? No; the
| smell seems to come from the front
hail. Perhaps something is burning
upstairs
Sne stopped appalled, when she hal
reached the top step. Something Ger,
| tainly was burning. The upper hall
was full of thick, gray smoke.
Ahe children!" gasped Margery.
| earning through the smoke and into
the nursery.
Here the smoke was dense, and
through it, at the far end Of the room,
wnere closet door was standing open,
| Margery could see a dull red glow.
Quick! Quick!" she sobbed, drag
ging the heavy, half-stupefied children
out of their beds, out of the suffocating
room, through the hall and down the
stairs. ooh, do hurry The house is
all on f1re!'
"There!" said she, snatching vase
| of flowers from a table in the lower
hall, and iashing flowers, water and
| all into the faces of the poor, aston
ished children, thereby producing two
indignant howls.
There, your lungs are all right II
you can cry like that! Now go sit on
the carriage block, and don't you dare
to come into this house again until
l call you, and don't you tell soul
that this house is afire. I'm going to
put it out myself.
"Oh, l must-I must do it," cried
Margery, seizing the two heavy pals
of water which Mrs. Danvers kept
ready in her little conversatory for the
purpose of watering her plants. "The
fire is all in that one room. II | let
the firemen in they'll ruin the new
floors with their muddy boots, and
they'll flood the whole house with
water. Oh, l can't let them spoil that
lovely pale-green paper and those love
ly foors!"
So, never thinking that her mother
would rather lose a thousand beauti-
full parlors than one little loving
daughter, Margery rushed into the
dense smoke and buried the contents
Of her pals straight at the scarlet
glow.
The smoke stung her throat and al
most blinded her, but she groped her
way from the room, felt her way
across the hall, ran down the stairs,
and reflled her pals at the kitchen
sink. The bath room was nearer, but
Margery remembered that the faucets
there were small and knew she would
save time by going to the kitchen.
She drank a little cold water, filled
her lungs with fresh air at the open
door and tucked up her skirts. Then
up she went with her heavy burden,
not spilling drop on the precious
floors. After the third journey Mar
gerry noticed that the scarlet spot had
diminished in size. although the smoke
was quite as dense.
Il must be careful not to put on a
scrap more water than l need" said
this model fireman, as she toiled up
ward with her heavy pals. II mustn't
spoil the dining room ceiling. | be-
iieve the fire is in the pillows and bed.
ding stored in that closet. I'll open
the window and throw them all out, if
can"
And she did, but it was not a pleas
ant task. The smoldering quilts
burst into flames as she pulled them
apart, and the sparks burned her
wrists and hands. But with the win
dow open it was possible to breathe,
and when the reking pillows had been
added to the blazing heap on the lawn
below, the atmosphere was decidedly
improved, although still by no means
clear.
AS they discovered afterwards, the
fire started from a few oiled rags used
in polishing the hardwood floors, and
tucked into the closet by a careless
maid. 1t had burned almost through
the Dashboard, and would in few
moments have eaten it's way into the
partitions, where it would have been
beyond control.
Margery had undoubtedly saved the
day and a great many dollars although
she had without realizing it, risked
something far more precious.
She had bathed her face and hands,
had opened all the windows to let out
the disagreeable odor of burned feath-
ers, and was going downstairs, well
satisfied with her evenings work,
when her father and mother appeared
at the front door. Perched on the
newell post in the front hall, she told
them all about the catastrophe.
Where are the children?" was Mrs.
Danvers's first question.
Goodness said Margery. "They
must be outdoors on the stepping
stone yet. told them to stay there
until l called them, and l never gave
them a second thought"
And there Mrs. Danvers found them,
sound asleep in their little white night
dresses, but none the worse for their
unusual experience, for the night was
warm.
Mr.. Danvers opened his mouth and
closed it several times before he man
aged to find words to fit the occasion.
L I