Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-22


raised the fire would he all around them.
PIN shouted to the men In the street:
Here, boysi Here. you'll Push this ladder
out from the bricks. Get yer hooks an hold
j. steady"
Three of the men ran to get under the
slant of the ladder aud raise IL out from the
window. while three others braced the foot
of 1t. Two with hooks propped il, tele-
graph linemen prop the pole which they are
raising. PIN climbed like an acrobat To the
swaying top. twined leg among the upper
rungs ard looked up through the drift OF
heat and smoke.
He threw down his helmet and peeled or
his rubber coat.
'Now!' he called. Swing her out an
drop her between me an the wall. Quick!'
The noises In the street hushed TO a trcm-
bling silence of tErobhing steam pumps.
Morphy straddled the sill and swung her
out limp. He held her moment under the
arms He let her GO with a gasp.
She fell. futtering in her blanket, into the
smoke. The head of the ladder sank inJo
the flames and was sprung ont nj once Ivy
the men below And then II was seen that
PIN, catching her about the knees in foot
ball tackle. had taken her weight on his
shoulders and his back and held her safe.
The people In the street shouted and
waved their arms as PIN came slowly down
the ladder with her. squad of men ran
up with a life net for Morphy; and he
jumped and lit in 1t before the crowd had
ceased It's buzz of comment on the rescue
of the girl, and looked to see what had be-
come of him.
He ran over to where Kitty Slogan stood.
supported by two policemen, her hand TO
her forehead. Are yuh hurt. Kitty7" no
cried
She drew herself up from a trembling
droop and looked over her shoulder at him
with face that sent him back to his COM
pany with his eyes on his feet.
Fuchs. who had watched the passage be-
tween them. hummed innocently, as Nor
ply went by:
Rosie you are my posie
You are my rag-time gal"
But Morphy was either too bewildered TO
notice II or too weak now to resent 1t.
The fire was not put out until midnight:
and for three hours afterward Company
No. remained at work with hooks and
axes tearing up floors and stripping walls
for the last shoulder and spark of the
blaze. When the final washing down" had
been accomplished and the last companies
withdrew Morphy and PIN were among
those detailed to watch the wrecked rooms
for any temperance of the fire; and that
was how Il happened that the simple-heart-
ed Morphy, sitting alone with PIN and
lantern in the ruins of the Slogan parlor,
came TO tell the sergeant the details of his
love affairs. and ask his advice on the end
ing of them. There was this Rosie who
would not speak to him because he had not
carried her downstairs; and there was Kitty
Slogan turned me down. he said. be
cause I done just that" What was a man
To make of such tangle?
PIN listened with suile-the long. slow
smile of the man who sets up to be
philosopher, and takes life with twinkle
in the eye.
We'll" he said. when l was TO this
business l read story about poor young
freman-with an oil mother to keep-that
saved the millionaire's only daughter and
married the money. An that was farm
fine skywash fer the picture paper, but 1t
was a pipe dream. You pick a girl out of
a warm bunk. an load her over yer Shout
der, an climb out of a window with her
cussin' her cause she's pig-squealin an
cat-scratchin' an claWin' her hooks into
yer gils-an' she won't love yuh any moren
if she'd never had her fingers in yer mouth.
Not any!"
He turned the cud of fine cut in his cheek.
Morphy pleaded: But
But PIN said, there's another aspecls
of the business, an that's this: Kitty Slo-
gan-if it's Kitty fer yours (Morphy nod
ded eagerly enough We'll, Kitty Slogan
er any other girl in this quarter amt goin'
any man with your job. Cause why?
Cause a fireman gets good pay-cause he
amt aroun' the house. eXceptin at meals.
an them he eats standin'-'cause he keeps
steady-an when he's old he goes out on
half pagan when he don't get old she
draws his pension. That's why.
IF you want my advice. young man, quit
yer philanderin an go TO the lady with
straight talk. Up an say: Sis! 1 got
enough fer two to live on Dyou want to
help squander my pay? An If she don't
say You betr l don't know no more about
women than you do
And the subsequent event showed that
PIN knew.