The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1904-07-02

all that was human was submerged in the
brute struggle for survival. 1t hardly
needed the agonizing cries from the stair
cases to tell Dolph that the harvest of death
had begun. He saw Mazda dart up the
incline and recoil from wave of wretches
who hurled themselves hopelessly upon a
living, shrieking barrier Then she turned
aud ran quickly around the half-circle to
the right end, which the flames had not
yet reached With the swift decision of
the trained gymnast she leaped, caught a
dangling rope and swung herself to the
stage flooring
-Dolph heart cried out to 20 to her, to
help her But something within him,
something more potent than fear, than hor-
ror, than love itself, held him to his trivial
role He must stand to the immediate
duty before him, like MAZDA; like that
heavy, sodden-l looking Swede chorus singer
down there in front, staggering blindly
among the smoking seats. with two little
children that he had caught up, clasped to
his breast; ike a scorched and pitiful COB
lin who was dragging an old, yelling woman
toward safety, and strangling as he toiled; {;
like the terrified SpriteS who had danced
till the releasing order came; like Dillon.
who had fallen at his post; like Benny
Hughes. now striving with voice and mus
Gle to break the last of a jam at the side
exit ike the whole of 1.-THE profession, y
which he had always admired and enyied,
which he now honored and loved
"Wenu es stets zu Schultz und Trutze,
played Dolph, heudins low over his violin
as the eloggine fumes closed down. To
his dulled senses it seemed that great
seraph-voieed ehyir was bearing up Haydn 5
mighty music
You fddler! The interruption came
harShly in a shout from Benny Hughes.
"Get out Run for your life Under the
stage and to the left.
The task was done. Dolph sprang to-
ward the place where he had last seen
MAZDA, and leaped back from wave Of
fre From beyond it came wild call.
"Dolphl Dolphl This way. Here ;
way out. Come to me Its MAZDA
Dolphr
He could not answer. The smoke was
in his throat \ woman arm dangled to.
ward him from box His heart leaped
at the God given opportunity to redeem his
piiiful part in the catastrophe By saving
one life. Exerting his great strength he
dragged the woman down To him, threw
her aeruss his shoulder, staggered back
through red 1t smoke, and plunged beneath
the stage Fous yapors filed the air Hith-
er and ,hither he stumbled doggedly bearing
the woman Without her he would not
survive She was the emblem of the one
deed that had been given him to do. Some
thing struck bis forehead. He reeled into
a yawning gulf. clutched with one hand
at the little white statue of MAZDA in his
pocket, and fell headlong with his burden
Water tricklins upon his face brought
Dolph 10 himself. Where he lay was no
smoke Overhead he heard trampling
feet and the voices Of hremen. Where
was the woman he had saved2 Fumbling
tor his match h-box. he struck light and
shrank in horrur from the face revealed in
the fare. The woman had been dead Of
suffocation when he found her Feeling
his way, he came upon stairs, painfully
mounted them, made toward CLINT Of light,
and fell out into 4 side street, where
close packed, moaning, white faced crowd
was being held back by police guarded
4 -, ss,l
his appearance.
\ huge. brutal faced policeman, wish
eyes swollen from tears, lifted him gently
10 his feet Dolph saw in front of him
long ranks Of the dead, lying in stiffly
parallel lines He gripped the policeman 5
arm with a power that made the giant
vince.
MAZDA ? he gasped. Not Mazda
No, there His glance swept the rigid
tiles
Easy, easy, son The policeman
turned to Young man who held a list Of
names Got any Mazda there 2 he
asked
The young man swiftly scanned his
roster Mazda Corwin, he read Role
Of the Flying Fay. Guess that her Safe
and uninJured
.Gott sci dankr' mumured Dolph.
Where in Heaven name do you come
irom an hour after the fires cut p de
manded the young man of him. Who
are you3
Me? Ii don matter noddiugs said
Dolph YEARLY, all his careful English slip
ping from him in the stress of his shame
Second violin, dot iss all, just no good
but to yiddle, viddle, yidde
What cried the other in sharp ex-
eitement You re the one man -orches-
ira? The fellow that stuck?' He raised
his voice TO shout. Benny Hughes
Call Benny Hughes. Tell him his little
fat fiddler is here.
Down the line came striding the out
rageous figure Of the star, his blanket only
half hiding the smirched grotesquerie un-
derneath. A murmur Of admiration that
was mole than cheers followed him, for
already the story of his monologue had
become known He fell upon Dolph like
crazy man.
That the fellerr he cried. The
little fat fiddler Are you hurt ? My
God wouldn't have lost you for"
He broke off with gulp. This is the
man that saved the orchestra floor, he
announced to the crowd, "The rest
skipped. He stayed and fddled, and kept
the panic down. Dillon was down and
out | was down ana out. | gave 'em
the best talk | could make, but ain got
any education, and it WASH good enough.
Everybody else was down and out. He
stuck to his Enes-his job-his post, |
mean. Dillon safe, ne said, turning to
Dolph. And oh that little girl that does
the Flying Fsy, she's crazy to see you.
NO: no. Dom t let her couldn't
stand it. Not now, protested poor Dolph,
in his shame, for he had taken in nothing
of the sense of what the star was saying.
ssShe don want to see me.
Don't she thought" There was a
tingle in Hughes voice. Anybody know |
where Mazda went%
THE little brunette that tried to fight |
her way back to the stage? gasped a
breathless fireman. ''She's over yonder !
in a doorway, crying.
Let me through Make way"