Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1905-09-28

~ SSS ~AJ Ivy
over to the solid iron door and began
kicking it with my heels. After a mo-
ment I stopped, breathing hard from
my exercise, and then / heard MIR
garet's voice behind me, saying:
"sWaith a minute Bob! Listen!
II strained my ears, and from the
outside I could hear a rumbling that
seemed to come from far, far away.
"It's the machineryp I cried. It's
after 1 o'clock, and they have begun to
work again. No wonder they couldn't
hear usv
"By that time / had become really
frightened, and I suppose I must have
temporarily lost my head. I shouted
wildly until my throat was sore, but
it seemed only to fill our oven trap
with noise. There was no hope what
eve that it would penetrate the thick
brick walls. Suddenly I was startled
into silence by a sound of scraping iron
underneath us-a familiar noise to my
ears. Some one had pulled open the
great damper that shut us off from the
fires in the cellar below! They were
going to heat our over!
"'What was that?' exclaimed my sis
ter, touching my hand with her cold
fingers. What did that noise mean,
Bob? She seemed to know our danger
by instinct. I did not answer, for with
a sinking heart I felt on my face the
first'breath of warm air!
"'Tell me, Bob!' demanded Margaret.
They are heating this oven, aren't
they? She had caught my wrist and
pressed it as hard as a girl could
squeeze,
"'Yesv I gasped, trying to speak
bravely. I remember I felt hat if I
were alone I should not care nearly so
much, but the idea that my little sister
would have to die, too, put me into
another panic.
"A second breath of air a good deal
hotter than the first famed my cheek.
l jumped up with a scream, and beat
and kicked upon the rough brick walls
and on the iron door in blind terror.
Then, exhausted, I crawled along the
floor to the place where Margaret sat.
She was crying quietly could tell be-
cause when I put my arm about her I
could feel that she was shaking.
"'They will never, never hear Us!
she sobbed.
Don't cry, Marcy said I, patting
her wet cheek while I tried to arouse
my own courage. Perhaps there is
another way
Il tried to think, but the heat had
then become almost unbearable; it
stung my nose and seemed to suffocate
me-. Once when I touched a place on
n of the tiles I drew my hand back
in real pain. There was no hope of
breaking the latch of the iron door. ard
no one could hear us, though we put
our mouths to a little crack at the top
of the door and screamed. 1 was sure
we would be baked. My arm was still
round my sister, and her hand was still
mine, as if she were seeking the COM
fort of the touch.
1T was becoming hotter and hotter.
but neither of us spoke for several sec
onds. Then suddenly Margaret started
up and cried out, eagerly, Tell me,
Bob, quick! Have you got a piece of
paper?
Il felt in my pockets. Yes, 1 have
an old postal cardv I exclaimed.
What are you going to do with it?'
"'They can't hear us, but we can
make them see! she cried. Hurry!
Give it to me-and your jack-knifev
Il handed them to her, and she began
to pick at the hem of her skirt with
the point Of the knife.
"'We need thread she explained. ex,
citedly, and if this is a chain-stitch on.
this hem we can get itv Lighted a
match. And it is, Bob, it isl she cried.
l realized that she had caught an end of
thread and was carefully ripping it
out. !
Nov, Bob,' she commanded, hand
ing me the card, punch a hole in the
card and tie it through Her voice
was weak. From my own struggle to-
keep my senses in the awful heat. I
knew that she vas nearly at the col
lapsing point.
VIVA are you going to do with ;t%
I gasped.
"'The door, she answered, family.
bangle the card through the crack in
the door! Then I understood her nlan
at last, and crawling painfully over or
my knees 1 thrust the postal card down
the little crack between the door and
the iron jamb.
Pull it up and let it DOWN. cried
Margaret, with a final effort. and I
Jggled the string SO that the paper
would dance upon the wall outside.
My head swan with the effect of the
terrible heat, and it seemed ages before
any one came.
Then suddenly the latch was lifted.
the door swung open, and in spite Of
the binding daylight which poured in
l could see the astonished face of old
Carberry, the baker. peering in at us!
I caught my sisters dress, pulling
her toward the opening with all the
strength that was left in me. and fel,
u after her into the old mans. arms.
"Ihat is why l say" concluded MI.
Colchester, as he looked round upon us
with a smile, "that it was a girls wit
that kept me from being baked like a
biscuit And that is the reason whv 7
say tina a grips wit &c H.