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

| SlIFFTIlIy U0FNHeNtH0IN, -TeII
| sprawling into the parlor besid. table on
| which an oil lamp was burning serenely in
| homellke privacy and quet.
There was cry of fright from within.
lie scrambled ~ his feet caught Up the
| lamp and rushed SnVo the next room with
| it. And there kitty Slogan sat up in
bed, the coverlet clutched to her chin,
| screaming.
nized him and she flushed to the eyes lie
backed into the doorway. putting up hand
| to tumble off his helmet. II" he said
| "The-the house s afire'
She steadied a iuttering breath.
| THANK YOU" she replied, in a voice that
| shook under tone of Icy politeness. you
could We told me that without scarin' me to
| death"
He had expected her to behave as Rosie
had; and he blinked stupidity at her in the
| sudden right-about of his hopes He wiped
his forehead "Yuh'd better tell the folks, 4"
| he said.
My parents re not IN. Mr. Morphy." she
! replied.
Her manner stopped him on the dead CEN
| ter. He could neither go fornard nor get
himself turned back. He looked at her
helplessly. She said; VIII you please get
| out o here?''
! A burst of smoke, blowing in from below
! stairs made a blue halo around the light
He put the lamp down meekly and went
| out, his helmet in his hand. But as soon
! as his eyes were off her a proper resent
! ment of her treatment of him blazed up
|
| and he clapped his hat on with growl
| 1t was all Fuchs worh--the little catfish!
And that was all he was, a catfish He was
as black as one; he had the grin of one: he
| was barbed like one, with Gunny mus
/ tache and he was as slippery, and as low
! down, dirt-mean one What business
was it of his If this Rosie had been maxi
! ing eyes at a fellow private around the
| gable of her nose she went past the
truck house door. And what but the lowest
| cussedness had prompted the little rat-that
day when he was on the desk, and Kitty
| Slogan had come with a word for Mr..
Morphy-had prompted him to call up
| stairs: 'Morphy! Morphyi Here's a mes
sage from Rosie for yuh!' OF course. she
had demanded to know who Rosie" was
| Darn him! 1t had served him right that
| ne had had his face punched for that.
| Morphy grasped the balustrade in the hall
| and leaned over to glover down the stairs
! IN the hope that Fuchs might be coming up
| alone. He imagined his own big fist cover
| Ing and eclipsing Fuchs broad grin in the
| blow that would meet him as he rose beam
ing on the landing; and that mental picture
| was so vivid that for moment it outshone
| the glare below--a glare which leaped and
| llShtened in draft of burning gases that
| came naming up the stairs with the crack
! ling of a brush-wood bonfire.
He understood the situation when the
| heat took him in the nostrils with a burn
| ing choke of suffocation. He jumped back
| snorting from the "scorch from his nose
and he in for Kitty Slogan with a yell
| of Stairs afire!' that was lost in the bang
| ing of the hall door as he flung it shut be-
! hind him.
| She screamed frantically. go away, you.
| Go away!' and slammed the bed room door
| in his face.
Look here" he called. hoarseIy, in the
dal kness, I'VE got to get out O. here
quick
She cried back, with that excess of cool
ness which has caused as many deaths by
fire the bindest fright: You can get
out of here just as quick as you like
"Dyuh want to jump out of a fourth
story Window he demanded
She did not answer He heard her bus
Ting about inside.
"Yuh'll have to get a move on If yuh
don t. he said.
She called out, on high trembling note
of defiance: why amt yuh lookin after
Roster
He took that retort-as he had taken the
puff of heat over the baustrade - in a
breath of Indignation through the nose; and
he took 1t, too, as proof that there was a
pique and spirit in her that blocked his way
as surely as the flame in the staircase. 1t
was useless to argue with her.
He turned back toward the front win
dows, stumbling with curses against the
furniture. He reached a blind and tore 1t
from its roller, savagely; and the glare
from without leaped into the room, red and
threa tening. He threw up the sash and
looked out.
The house was three windows in width,
and of the three directly below him two
n
with smoke. 1t was to this last one that
PINS ladder had been raised. And Nor
ply knew that no ladder could remain there
long.
He shouted and ran back to the hall door.
AS soon as he opened it the heat and flame
struck into his eyes like an explosion. He
slammed it shut and dashed back to the
bed room. Come out O. that!" he cried
breaking in on her. Unless yuh want
She was buttoning the waist of her gown.
! She screamed, How dare you!" stamping
on the floor.
He tore a blanket off the bed and made
to throw it about her. She struck at him
with an open hand and dealt him a futile
blow on the side of the head; but before she
could make another movement he smOth-
cred her in the blanket spun her around in
the entangling folds of it, pinned down her
arms; and, STOPPING, drew her forward to
fall, head down, like practice dummy"
over his shoulder.
She screamed muffied protest he rose
with her. He hitched her up on his Shout
der as If she were bag of oats.
He came painting to the window. He
shouted Hi! Hi!' to PIN. who was
clambering out of third-story window In
cloud of smoke.
PIN looked up. Who's that?" he called.
Morphy shouted: "Me-Fm cut of here
with a girli'
Huh! Serves yuh right" PIN grunted
He raised his voice: Get over to this other
window, here" Gle added to himself: AN
be darn quick about it," for the fire was
growing in the room which he had left)
Morphy carried his struggling load
through the door of little room off the
paror and found the third window. He
fought with the tight sash of it, but he
could not raise 1t with single hand He
swore angrily at the girl and swung his ell
low into the pane to send 1t crashing down
on PIN. At the same moment he heard the
explosion of the fire in the room under his
feet He climbed out on the sill quickly
as he could. He was too late The flames
were so fierce In the window below him
that PIN had been driven down from it.
1t was impossible to put up scaling lad
der through the blaze. 1t would be a neck
breaking leap from such height for any
but an expert in the use of the life net.
And before the extension ladder could be