Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1903-04-10

/ very readily. | fear
Then he deliberately and polntedly
changed the topic, and did not recur
TO ii again ut any time. As | say, he
was twenty years my senior, and we
/ had little in common. | had many
friends and many interests. and Daw-
ley aud his oddities formed an unim-
| portant episode.
But 1t was only a week after this
took place. which every newspaper
reader in the city will remember.
II WAS at two in the morning that
awoke suddenly from profound slum-
Der. with the consciousness that some
one had run past my door, scream
ing.
| sprang out of bed, and as | did so
heard the crash of breaking glass in
the court below, and saw brilliant
red gleam through the blinds at the
window. | looked out; the kitchen
and dining-room in the rear of the ho-
Tel had already burst into flame. and
n 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 bundle under my arm,
ran out into the hall
| hammered AT each door that |
passed, and yelled in frenzy of ex-
element and horror. The place was
rapidly filling with smoke, and the
| light grew brighter. Presently | 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.
| had several good friends in the
hotel, and now that the alarm seemed
to be generally given, | ran to their
assistance; but did not think of Daw-
ley, nor did | 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
| "a hot
and the main building were roaring
| like 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 move for
me to do, SO | ran down the main
stairway and out into the street, where
great crowd was assembled | no.
ticed that their faces were turned to-
ward the east wing. and, as | instinct
| lively glanced In that direction. | 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 flame, and the odor of burn
| ing wood? Surely, he must be asleep,
| else he would have appeared at the
window. Then it 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
| iltdi SthAiNlhS hthNi my iphi h'AiNNo
| that no smoke came out of the open
| window.
| | ran forward to a pile of mattresses
| and bed clothes that had been carried
| out from the hotel and arranged n
place for him To be laid. The call
| for doctor flew along the line Of
| spectators, and presently one came
running. | asked the fireman what
had happened,
he was sound asleep when | en-
tered the room through the window y
he said II had to shake him hard
to wake him up. He Just stared at me
4 moment. and said, 'Ah. You have
come and then his face turned kind
Of black, and his jaw dropped, and
he went into dead faint"
How is itT', | asked the doctor, as
he rose from STOPPING over the pros
| t,.af f.,t s4-