The Grit-advocate., 1905-12-22
gORCORAN'S 3,
-- Richard
ExPIAFION.. :;;''''. ';'t';

n "a new experience to Lad
II ~ 9 derman COrcoran. While
lie was cropping his way up
NOM the stairs of Rowe L. Co. s
warehouse steel maui in one
hahd and in the other sputterins
lantern. which seemed dim spark in
lhe binding smoke. n sudden deafen-
ing roar sounded through the cavern
Gus nails, accompanied by the crash of
tlhpef ana the tinklc of broken glass.
ana then his first thought was to get
10 the street as quickly as possible.
indeed. so great was his anxiety to
ieave the building that in his mad
nleht down the stairs he crashed into
Lieutenant McGill, of 33, who was as
cendinS just behind him.
Cofcofan weighed 100 pounds. and
McGlll was wiry little man. The
PAIR crashed into five of 33's hosemeu,
VINO were dragging up line of hose in
'he ileutcnauts wake, and all seven
went down the flight in heap.
When they had untangled them
serves. and the lieutenant was anrrily
1nqulring what had happened. some of
Ladder GS's men, who had seen the
Whole affair, came down and grabbed
tile labby hose which 33s men were
picking up.
ana as they tugged and srunted they
scorhlully explained the matter.
All might have been forgiven him
Aad the explosion been near enough to
oiow him off his feet. but it had been
on the seventh floor. while Corcoron
was ascending to the third. It had
oe moreover. of no real consequence
merely n couple of doors blown off
the elevator shaft and a few windows
broken.
From that moment the persecution
OF Ladderman COrcoran began. He did
not realize that lie was not the FIRST
man to finch from hot air explosion: !:
ne did not know that countless green
men before him, who had been guilty
OF similar mistake, had become in
time exemplary members of the de-
partment. In the jokes at his expense,
ana IN the coarse laughter they inya
rlably provoked. Corcoran saw only the
richly mcrited scorn of unpardonoblc
cowardice.
IL Cofcoran came up stairs in the af-
ternoon while the men were loafinr or
playing cards, the witticisms at his
expense were particularly biting.
Take care there. Larry. Mccarthy
would call 10 Began. keep away
from the stairs, lad He'll be coastin'
down on ye, same's he did on McGill."
or Began would call out to old Fin
heran, with unnecessary emphasis:
cut out them sneezes Tin, Yell
be stampedin' Corcoranr'
And CorcOran would turn red To tho
roots of his hair and bite his lins ne 10
turned angrily on his heel.
Foremost of his tormentors was his
'wn cousin. Dan Kennedy. an older
man. Dan had quick wit and n hit
ing tongue, and the fact that one of
his kin should prove uneqral to an
mefgency lent more scathing scorn
to words. There had been nothjnr
100 harsh for him to say to Corcor,n
since the warehouse fire
Day by day Corcoran grew silent
moody and morose. He ceased to t,usb
ut the taunts of the men, and when hc
looked at them his eyes took on q
strange, sullen glitter of hatred.
Inc lapper over the desk in CS.s
Louise sounded the alarm from 81
Now So is n box that generally moons
business, ana when it is sounded every
man in the department knows that
trouble is imminent, for s., is in 1h,
heart Oh the lumber yard district. and
lumber yard fire is generally a bIoz.
lng furnace before the first piece of an
paratus on the scene has time to m
timber.
Began. whose trick at the desk if
was, shouted to the men I'M stoirs
o. boys. as he mechanically re
corded the number on the sheet,
Corcoran, sitting by the window LIST.
ehed to the grumblinS from the mon
that dangerous box always brought
lorth. He heard Lieutenant Reilly
ana began, arguing good naturcdly as
10 the PROBABILITY of Il second alarm,
Kennedy came to the window with ,
blank in one hand and pen in tbo
other.
"S3's in." he said leering at Cor.
coran. I'VE thought, perhaps, we'd be
wishin' to resign"
Corcoran felt the hot blood rush IN
his face, but he bit his lip and looked
steadily out of the window.
hF ledy turned deprecatinely TO the
others in the room.
He says he'd be glad to, bows. but
he needs the money and maybe there
won't be another alarm. He's coin
to risk it,"
This bit of buffoonry was greeted
with a chuckle. At that moment III,
second alarm came in.
There was 4 sound of bustlinc below
as the horses were hitched up to avail
the possibility Of a third alarm. at.
us for SO, all right" growled Einneran
and hardly were the words out whe1
the third alarm came in and the me.
rushed to the room below. And as G.
wheeled out into tile streets i'll the gra,
February twilight thare cluns to tht