The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1904-03-11

WENT WHOUFkN0 DOVE T@M mUAD.
aars lookin into the embers fur the
bonea Of their husbands and husbands
ahOyelin over hot Goals In search OF the
remains OF wives and children even
Joe Truelove was seen TO wipe q tear
from his left eye. Fur once every body
seemed to be agreed. and when Reube
was named fur foreman OF the compa-
ny nobody kicked Before the meet1n
closed It was resolved to buy two more
pals and another ladder and that the
company should be uniformed.
Jericho woke right up. Real estate
began to jump. Tom Bigelow put down
ak rods Of new sidewalk. and Homer
Lee repainted his barn and put new
hinges on his gate. People who came
over from Dobbs Ferry and witnessed
the speerit Of enterprise went home
jealous Of the town, and lightnin rod
man said that the hustlin reminded
him Of the early days Of Kansas City
and Denver. 1t wasn't week before
the Wilder Taylor's smokehouse got
afire at midnight, and Peleg Scott
rung the alarm bell In q way to turn
the hull town bottom side up In i've
minits. That fire company went at
that conflagration to conker or die. and
in IL minits the red tongued flames of
destruction had bin doused out, and
Jericho was safe. In leetle speech
which follered the fire Squar' Danvers
said that Rome In her palmiest days
never equaled the occasion, and Phile-
tus Johnson declared that the thanks
Of congress would be poor reward fur
such heroism.
The day the firemen got their uni
forms Jericho got up on her hind legs
and howled. There was SIGH excite
ment in the town that soft soap was
allowed to boil over, bread was burned
up In the ovens, and most folks forgot
to feed their hogs. Some Idea of what
sort of royal jubilation it was kin be
gathered from the fact that one gro
Gerry alone sold 16 lemons and Z cocoa
nuts durin the day. 1t was Reube
Holdfast's idea that fireman should
always be on duty, and he advised ev-
cry member of the company to wear
his uniform day and night When the
first thunderstorm came along, the fire
bell rang, and the company turned out
and stood ready to rush to the spot II
lightnin hit anythin. If there was
dog fight in front of the town hall, the
company come rushln up, and II any
stove got red hot there was a dash of
red shirted heroes Jericho was boom
in. but Reube wasn't satisfied with her
progress. He got his company out
and marched them to Sunday church
and to Thursday evenin prayer meet
In. There was lawsuit over a COW
between Jim White and Aaron Temp
kins, and the fire company was present
In full uniform. Old Mrs. Hopkins was
taken sick. and the doctor said she
must go. and Reube felt it his duty to
march the company up to her house
and bid her a last farewell. Her sick
ness took turn fur the better, and she
begun to git well. and Reube marched
the company up ag'in to give her three
cheers fur not dyln.
After about month there was only
one thing lackin. The fire company
had turned out fur everythin but ru-
neral, but death had obstinately refus-
ed to gin 1t show. There was lot
Of old folks with asthma and liver com
plant and lot of babies with whoop,
in cough and measles, but none Of 'em
would die. Reube used to go around
achin fur it, and he'd drop into the
postotfice occasionally to say to me:
Pap, If some one would only die. I'd
turn out the boys In way to jump
Jericho 100 years ahead. Them red
pals and axes and ladders would jest
be an offset to the mournin, and the
way the boys would stand around on
one leg and Iook. solemn would be pic