The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1903-02-14

remained standing for a minute, then
swayed and crashed backward upon
the lower buildings behind, where at
once fire broke out in dozen places,
TO the friends It seemed as IL the air
suddenly filed with groans, with ap-
peals, with cries that were like curses,
Ike walls Of spirits that had been de-
MED all earthly happiness and by the
greed Of selfish man had now been con.
Z sianed to endless torments in the
other world, there TO be subject TO the
furics' rage, to the ceaseless suffering
that earth had begun and hell existed
to pcrpetuate
And oh, for you, little child Of the
tenementsl Nameless heroine, crushed
Into shapeless form Of horror, still
faithful to your charge, both going
down together into that grave of fire,
who shall deliver your eulogy, who
shall rear your monument? For one
among those who leaped into the street
lived long enough to tell your story
ana to s,ry that you ran back into the
burning building to warn sleeping in
mates and then was snatched away.
from the window. from the only place
of possible rescue, by the very men and
women wakcned out of suffocating
death. II there is reward or compen-
satlon IN the world beyond, the good
God has surely folded you into the
vale Of pleasure int the paradise OF
chldhoods playground that eternity
viii provide. For you never knew
what play meant here.
AS the rear wall fell, crushing in the
roofs Of the smaller houses near and
spreading the fire into the adjoining
blocks David Barton gripped John Cor
don's arm tight and exclaimed: The
wind is changing! Hope House win so
nextr'
They were Oh the corner next TO Hope
House. and the horror of the whole sit
uatlon was suddenly Intensified if pos.
slble Dy the danger which now threat
oned the one building In the whole
ward that represented humanity at its
best. The wind had changed TO the
east. The rain was increasing. 1t came
down in steady cold that had no ef-
feet on the Gre except apparently to
Increase fits fury. The awful confusion
was increasing every moment. The
alarm had been sent i'm for the entire
department. In almost n seconds time
the mass of low wooden tenements that
stood crowded together on both sides
Of Hope House was bursting with fire.
The maddened. panic smltten people
were carrying their goods out into the
streets. Under the shapeless mass OF
hot bricks and twisted iron beams IN
Bowen street human forms could be
seen-here face staring up, here a
hand. foot. trunk Of formlcss hor-
ror The whole pile seemed writing,
tangled heap Of human agony. Groans
and cries burst from II that were ap
paning. The mass had fallen 80 near
TO the two men that some Of the bricks
lay at their feet Before either realized
what he was doing they were both dig
glng at the CHASTITY mound, Hope House
forgotten for the time being. Their
hands were burned and torn by the hot
bricks and splintered beams Barton
especially. seemed inspired with unusu-
al strength. lie was drenched TO the
skin His light overcoat was soon a
mass Of tattered rags, He was lifting
a beam that lay across figure that
had moved hand thrust out OF the
debris. Gordon was helping him.
Its Mrs. Caylorw Gordon exclaimed
as the face OF the figure appeared.
The woman was crushed into sick
ening physical mass, but she was alive
aud conscious.
Its Mr. Gordon, Mrs. Caylor" said
John. with a sob, as he tenderly wiped
she face and with Barton's help lifted
Oh the beam that had crushed her.
The woman gasped and.spOke feebly,
but clearly;
"Do You think I'm see LOuief He waS
= good boy-a good boy"
Yes yes, Mrs. Caylor. aud his body's
straight now. and he's out OF pain"
"A good boy. Yes. out OF pain now"
she murmured Gordon and Barton
lifted the form aud carried il over TO
Hope House entrance, There was no
need OF words. No other place was
possible. AS yet the fire had not
touched It. The crowd that surged
through Bowen street had suddenly
left everything else unsaved 10 protect
Hope House. Miss Andrews was out
by that tangled heap Of torture and
death. digging with her hands at the
monstrous Pile. working with mans
energy and shaming more than one
man by her calm but determined cour-
age
But Hope House had suddenly come
10 mean more in few seconds than Il
had meant In dozen years 10 the peO-
pie. That silent, pale, resolute. awfully
patient woman who had been loving
them resistlessly all these years. who
was now over tbere digging at the liv-
ing graves OF the people, what Of the
place called her home. the center Of
her benignant lnnuencef II should not
perish. The people OF Bowen street
surrounded the place and fought death
for a grim hour. aided by re-enforce-
ments Of the department. In almost
a dream OF action Barton and Gordon
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