The Republican journal., 1903-07-23

for the hall. The dreariness and glaring
impossibility of the after midnight dog
story are beyond human endurance.
Fishing exploits stimulate healthy i'm
aginative rivalry, but dog stories are
funereal The yearning for bed was uni
versal.
There are two or three little details
which are never omitted at the adjourn
ment of the smoking room parliament.
The first thing is for every one to ex-
press his surprise in an almost injured
tone, at the lateneSS OF the hour; ana
then, in Difference to the sleeping house
hold heavyweight men creak about on
exasperatingly noisy tlptoe and eX-
change hoarse shouts OF goodnight With
one another in what they fondly mag
inc to be a subdued whisper. AS these
interesting ceremonies were being per-
formed with all cue punctilio, some one
noticed a strong smell OF burning Wood;
indeed, it was so strong that ne actually
yentured to break upon the hoots OF
goodnight around him TO ara" atVeh-
| ton to it.
"You may bet your life, Spencer, my
bow. that this old barrack of yours is on
| fire. You had better rouse the servants
and get the womenfolk downstairs
quietly"
"Don't be an ass, Ted, it is no use
frightening the ladies out of their lives
perhaps for nothing. It is probably
only something smOulderlng IN the
kitchen. there can have been no other
fires lighted in this weather. Let us see
where we are first. Come along, you
boys, I'll show you the way
When the smoking room party had
invaded the sacred precincts OF the
kitchen there was no longer room TOR
doubt about the fire. The roar OF the
flames could be heard in the enormous
cavern of the old fashioned chimney,
and brilliant red light shone upon the
hearthstone and kitchen floor. AS the
fire brigade reports so quantity phrase II,
the kitchen chimney was "Well allghC,
"Cut over to the stable, Charlie, will
you, and get them to saddle Qulckstep
for YOU. and hurry into Lilfield as hard
AS YOU can 90. The fire engine is at the
Town Hall. They may perhaps turn
out little quicker for you than they
would for a groom, and you needn
mind knocking the horse up; 1t can De
helped. Send the men from the staples
over here as soon as they have saooleo
your horse. o ao
"Come along, you men, we can 40
nothing down here. LII taKe you up
on the roof by the back stairs. Come
up as quickly as you can. We had bet
ter get the blankets out OF tne spare
rooms and try to stifle the chimney
There are some waterjugs III 'hat pan
try. they'll be useful"
All efforts to extinguish the hre were.
however. in vain; the most that could
be done was to check its spreading from
the west wing of the house 6y keeping
IN az Constant a cascade of water as
rooms adjoining the outbreak. The
fire. however, continued TO extend its
j. borders in all directions, as the now
white hot brickwork OF the chimney
communicated destruction to the pan
cling Of ali the rooms that surrounded
;ta Glowing shaft. Fortunately it was
calm night with scarcely breeze
The noise of these proceedings had
in the mean time reused the whole
honse. Amy Ashton had hurried into
a neiopor and pair of slippers, and
was inst hesitating at her door before
, making dash over to her aunt's bed
room for consolation and advice, when
Snencer. begrimed with smoke rushed
| along the corridor. Confronted by sud-
den temptation, human nature is but
weak. This glorious and unlocked fol-
opportunity Of holding in his arms, for
;ust FIVE short minutes, this most