The San Francisco call., 1905-03-26

dip. i want you to help me get that
ladder loose"
Hanrahan slipped his arm around his
neck, raising himself on his elbow.
Get me down out Of this, Bull" he
whispered, Get me down out OF this
an I'll make 1t good. I got pull. I
got a promise
German threw off his arm stop
talkin' foolish. 1 can't get you down.
man. Here. take a drink"
Hanrahan caught at his collar,
thrusting aside the water. Get me
down." he said You get me down,
Bull. I'll make IT good. I'm right IN
with the gang. Dorgan said
German threw him from him with a
curse. II can't get you down." he
yelled at him. What's the matter
with you?"
Hanrahan fell back heavily. and lay
breathing hard, with open mouth. A
puff of smoke blew down and choked
him with a Sob
German dragged him across the roof
to the tank and sat down beside him
uncertain what to do-with his back to
the parapet and his face to the light
well. The heat swan over them in
suffocating current Hanrahan threw
out his arms and lay as IL stretched on
cross, rolling his head from side to
side. agonized and speechless.
He began to humble the confession"
OF a Roman Catholic, beating his
breast with a whispered through my
fault. through my fault. through my
most grievous fault"
ed him; the heat pricked him. Cant
you shut yer yap for half minute?'
he complained.
Hanrahan groaned and turned to
him. 'D'you think there's any hellf"
he asked in a husky whisper.
German laughed. Jaw, cut 1t out"
he said. You're scared. That's all
that's wrong with you"
There was a crash of breaking win
dows in the airshaft. The flames roar
ed up. tapping like q banner IN the
wind.
'.Helpl" Hanrahan screeched. "Helpi
He+"
German clapped a shand over his
mouth. We'll. you lobster" he said
'Aw, don't. Bull" he pleaded.
DON'T"
German stood up in the thickening
smoke and looked down on him. Say
he said, IF you got any breath to
waste. you'd better save 1t fer yer
prayers. This roofs going to drop you
in a hole so hot it won't leave enough
Of you fer the devil to raise blister
on. Shut up. viii you?"
He turned away from him. and
climbed the ladder to the top Of the
tank. so that he might sit down there
in quiet He could hear the engines IN
the street whistling frantically for
coal from the fuel wagons. and they
sounded very far away. He reached
down into the scuttle and drank from
cool from the tank. He lay with his
face in the draft Of it, and shut his
dry eyelids on his aching eyes.
Although he, had threatened Han
rahan with the collapse Of the roof, he
had spoken in anger, to terrify him
into silence, and not because he be-
lieved that either of them would lose
his life. He was not q man of imag-
ination, and his breath was too strong
in his body for him to realize the pos
sibiity Of death. II the crew below
did not find some means OF reaching
him. he hoped to live out the fire where
he was. Chiefly, he was angry-and
bewildered by his own anger-because
Hanrahan had gone to pieces and made
such a noise. He could not think. The
heat was wearing on him. He lay there
waiting.
And in fact the men below were al
ready planning to reach him. For q
time Captain Ball had been so busy
fighting back the flames on the twelfth
floor that he did not think OF the two
men whom he had left on the roof. II
was not until sparks and burning
woodwork began to pour down the ele-
vator shaft that the possibility Of the
situation occurred to him. Fortunate