Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1903-04-04
you should make them," said.

my course of life will not change
very readily, fear"
Then he deliberately and pointedly
changed the topic, and l did not recur
to 1t again at any time. AS l say, he
was twenty years my senior, and we
had little in common. had many
| friends and many interests. and Daw-
| ley and his oddities formed an unim-
portant episode.
But 1t was only week after this
conversation that the terrible event
took place, which every newspaper
reader in the city will remember.
1t was at two in the morning that 1
awoke suddenly from profound SUM
Der, with the consciousness that some
one had run past my door, scream
| ing.
l sprang out of bed, ami as did so
heard the crash of breaking glass in
| the court below. and saw a brilliant
red CLEAN through the blinds at the
window. l looked out; the kitchen
tel had already burst into flame, and
a great volume of smoke poured out of
the lower windows of the east wing.
My own room was on the second
floor, in the center of the building, and
/ saw that there was plenty of time
for me to escape, and to help others
in that vicinity. jumped into bath
robe and slippers, and rolling my
clothes into a bundle under my arm,
ran out into the hall.
l hammered at each door that
| passed, and yelled in a frenzy Of ex-
element and horror The place was
rapidly filling with smoke, and the
light grew brighter. Presently l no
ticed that my clothes were gone.
had dropped them while helping a
woman who seemed to be unable to
walk through pure terror. The man
who had first reused me had gone up
to the fourth floor, and the people
were pouring down the stairways, in
their night robes, or wrapped In blan-
kets, some carrying children-of
which, thank heaven, there were few
in the house-others bird cages, and
some dragging trunks bang bang!
over the steps.
1 had several good friends in the
hotel, and now that the alarm seemed
to be generally given, l ran to their
assistance; but did not think of Daw-
ley, nor did l at any time attempt to
get over into the east wing of the
building. 1t was on that side that the
flames were fiercest, and the elevator
shaft and stairway between that wing
and the main building were roaring
like a furnace. Suddenly the halls be-
gan to fill with firemen in long coats
and helmets, some with axes and 9TH
ers dragging up hose.
There seemed to be nothing more for
me to do, so I ran down the main
stairway and out into the street, where
a great crowd was assembled | no.
ticed that their faces were turned to-
ward the east wing, and, as instinct
| lively glanced in that direction, l re-
membered Dawley and the man of his
fearsOme dream.
The man was on his way-a huge
bulk of fireman, running up the long
| ladder that had been hoisted from the
wagon and now rested against the
wall, just below the window of Daw-
| ley's room.
But was it possible that he still slept
through all this uproar and the glare
of the fame, and the odor of burn
ing wood? Surely, he must be asleep,
else he would have appeared at the
| window. Then 1t suddenly flashed in
to my mind what was the meaning of
the white skin and sunken eyes-a mar
cotic Without doubt, he was still
| sleeping.
The fireman made his way through
| the heat to the top of the ladder, and
swung into the open window. Streams
| of water played upon the flames be-
meath him, to protect his retreat. Two
other men ran up the ladder, and had
just reached the top, when he re-
turned to the window. carrying a hui
man figure wrapped in blanket The
others assisted him, and they made
their way slowly down the ladder
again.
Overcome by the smoke" said a
man standing near me. But | noticed
that no smoke came out of the open
window.
l ran forward to pile of mattresses
and bed clothes that had been carried
out from the hotel, and arranged
place for him to be laid. The call
for a doctor few along the line of
running. / asked the fireman what