The Van Buren press., 1904-05-28

time a great roaring and laundering OF
the flames. the engines, and human
voices around him.
BY this time his face was so black his
mate would not have known him. At that
| very moment he was grooming 10 the
| baby on the lawn several hundred feet
| from the house, while the maid pinched
| and pushed. slammed and almost brow
/ beat the child, apparently with the idea
that if it was not yet injured, it by
| rights ought to be, and all the time tell
| ing him what a brave, good honest man
| he was; but falling TO note that his
| smoke-colored face in segments showed
even redder than the devouring flames
| through which the smoke rings
Suddenly the woman grasped him by
the arm with a cry. There were Mrs.
| Kinney's watches, gold and silver, lying
on the table In her room in pear-cov-
cred box; and before the words were
out OF her mouth the baby was thrust
into her arms, and the man had disap-
| peared into the chaos Of fiery rain
He heard babel of voices calling upon
him to come back, but on he went. He
! burst into the room, and CROPPED abont
in the sitting atmosphere until his hand
came in contact with the box, and then
step by step he fought his way back to
the door in the face of streams of water
and fire combined
Somehow, he missed the door and
stumbled against window his hands
so blistered that he could not raise il,
and, plunging against the glass like
drunken man, jumped into the night,
covered with blood and smoke 1t was
descent of more than Is feet and when
he became conscious again he was lying
in a cot at the Southwich hospital, ban
daged like mummy.
He is stirring now" some one called
out in loud whisper at the bedside,
Under his mummy folds he saw part
Of man and about two-thirds of the
nurse and smaller sections Of other peo-
pie in the room, but ii was like looking
through glass darkly. There were two
whole fingers on his right hand, and
] ftNG = manu- anu NOilt nm AZ
the same time.
He felt him wave the others aside, as
he bent lower.
They caught us both, Jack, he heard
him say, its a case of sure evidence, old
man, but they won't sentence you till
you are able to walk Internal shame,
old fellow, but did the best for you
could after the fire."
Jack pressed his hand gratefully, even
while he groaned at the news.
"Did-did-the blamed cops get onto
yer. Jack?" was his first question,
1T wasn't the cops, not the cops that
gave the thing away, Pete, Twas the
woman, the maid, you see"
"The old leather faCe!" muttered the
other under his breath. Don't ye sup
pose Pete, that the-the judge will"
Then, with groan, be relapsed into
unConsciousness He felt some pun
gent odor at his nostrils, He became
dimly aware that the room was filling
again; in the shame and horror OF his
situation, he raised with desperate eff
fort one manned end blackened hand to
draw the covers still more closely around
him.
See here, Mr.. Williams" he heard
some one saying to Ills pal; you shall
not come in here again II you are going
to handle the patient this way, What
was It you were whispering to him
| alone inst now YOU rdSCal? ~
With incredible ama2ement he heard
Pete's voice explaining that the maid
whom he rescued from the burning house
was going to sue him for breach Of
promise when he recovered, declaring
that he had proposed to her when he
broke open her door.
The doctor stood at his side
"Mr. Hendricks he said put your
well hand out of the hed!'
He did So trembling,
"Mr. Kinney, you may take the two
fingers YOU can see, and by that sign
manual | want 10 Introduce you to one
Of the best men in the city, There's not
one man In a thousand, sir, stranger
a hard working man on his way home
after long days work that would have
risked his life as this man did for you
and the sake of your child And hope
=, that you will find some way Of making
II right for him when we let him 60"
81 have been wanting good man for
gardener for some time, returned the
, other, "and Mr. Williams informs me
that this man has had some experience
, in this line, and speaks so highly OF him
that ! shall be only too glad to engage
him as soon as he Is able to get out"
The fingers on the spread twitched so
violently that the men started,
"ln pain, sir?" they asked
4 ut amt that sir groancd the man
. under the clothes I'VE went into the
, house to"
. Never mind about that Mr. Hem
! bricks, interrupted the merchant bend
Z Ing over him tonderly Never mind
Z about that, sir It's not what you might
!, have been, but what you are going to
b. be-, that shall engage You for and, Jack"
= Ne added placing his hand Improssiycly
: on the mans arm when they were alone
D together, mo one knows OnythIng'
do not, the nurse does not nor -Ioos The
Y world TO me you two men were la
{ burors returning home late at night
4 after hard days work, and rIsked your
lives for me and mine and that Is all
e the world ever will need to know"
Q Then the man fell asleep under tho
mesmerIsm Of the wonderful words, and
i slept Ike a chlld=N Y sun