Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1906-03-13


luminous with glowing circles where
the sparks were eating. The blaze
widened on the wall beneath them,
and Marsh was shouting hoarsely that
he could no longer hold his position on
the ladder. yet Crailey knew that none
of this was in Toms mind as he stood,
scorched, blistered and haggard, on the
edge Of the roof, shaking his fist at the
world. 1t was because his chance OF
saving the property Of a man he de-
spised was being endangered.
Crailey stretched forth a hand and
touched his friends knee. "YOur side
of the conversation Is a trifie loud,
Tom," he said. Miss Carewe Is down
there across the street on a pile Of
boxes"
Tom stopped in the middle Of word,
for which lie may have received but
half a black stroke from the recording
angel. He wheeled toward the street
and, shielding his inflamed eyes with
his hand, gazed downward in strick-
en- silence. From that moment Mr..
Vanreve's instructions to his followers
were of decorum at which not the
meekest Sunday school scholar dare
have caviled.
The three men now on the long lad
der-Marsh, Eugene Madrillon and VIII
Cummings-found their position unten-
able, for the flames. reaching all along
the wall, were licking at the ladder IT.
self between Ma, n and Eugene. Il
can't stand this any longer" gasped
Tappingham, but l can't leave those
two up there either"
"NOt alone" shouted Cummings from
beneath MadrillOn. Lets 60 up"
Thus it happened that when the wa
ter came again and Vanrevel let 1t fall
in a grateful cascade upon Crailey and
himself three manly voices were heard
singing as three men toiled through
the pillows of rosy gray below the be-
leaguered pair:
| "Oh, the noble Duke Of York.
He had ten thousand men;
He marched them up the side Of q house
And marched them down again.
A head appeared above the caves,
and Marsh, then Eugene, then Cum
mings, came crawling over the cOrnice
in turn to join their comrades. They
were a gallant band, those young gen.
tlemen of Rouen, and they came with
the ironical song on their lips and, look
ing at one another, ragged and scarf
fed, burst into hoarse but indomita-
BILE laughter.
Two others made an attempt to fol-
low and would not be restrained. 1t
was noticed that parts Of the lower
ladder had been charring, and the lad.
der men were preparing to remove 1t
to less dangerous point when old
General Trumble and young Jefferson
Bareaud made rush to mount 1t and
were well upon their upward way be-
fore the ladder, weakened at the mid
die, sagged, splintered and broke,
| Trumble and Bareaud falling with 1t.
And there was the graphing ladder
dangling forty feet above the ground,
and there were the five upon the roof.
The department had no other ladder
of more than half the length of the
shattered one. Not only the depart
ment, but every soul in Rouen, knew
that, and there rose the thick, low sigh
of a multitude, a sound frightful to
hear. 1t became groan. then swelled
into deep cry Of alarm and lamenta-
ton.
And now almost simultaneously the
west wall Of the building and the south
wall and all the southwestern portions
of the roof covered themselves with
voluminOus mantles of flame, which in
creased so hugely and with such saw
age rapidity that the one stream on the
roof was seen to be but a ridiculous
and useless opposition.
Everybody began to shout advice to
his neighbor. and nobody listened even
to himself. The firemen were In as
great q turmoil as was the crowd,
while women covered their eyes. Young
Frank Chenoweth was sobbing curses
upon the bruised and shaking Trumble
and Jefferson Bareaud, who could only
stand remorseful, impotently groaning,
and made no answer.
The walls of the southernmost ware
house followed the roof, crashing In
one after the other a sacrifice pyre
with It's purpose consummated. and In
the seeth and flare Of Its passing Tom
Vanrevel again shaded his eyes with
his hand and looked down across the
upturned faces. The pedestal with the
grotesque carvings was still there, but
the crowning figure had disappeared
the young goddess was gone. For she,
Of all that throng, had an idea In her
head, and, after screaming 1t to every
man within reach, only to discover the
impossibility of making herself under
stood In that babel, she was struggling
to make her way toward the second
warehouse, through the swaying jam
Of people. It was difficult task. as
the farther In she managed to 90 the
denser became the press and the more
tightly she found the people wedged,
until she received involuntary aid from
the fremen. In turning their second
stream to play Intellectually upon the
lower strata Of fame they accidentally
DETECTED 1t toward the crowd, who
separated wildly, leaving a big gap, OF
which Miss Bett. took instant advan-
tage. She darted across, and the next
moment, unnoticed, had entered the
building through the door which Crailey
Gray had opened.
1. The five young men on the roof were
well aware that there was little to do
but to wait, and soon they would see
which was to win, they or the fire, 80
they shifted their line of hose to the
eastern front of the building, out OF
harms way for time at least. and
held the muzzle steady, watching its
work. And in truth 1t was not long be-
fore they understood which would con-
auer. The southern and western por
tions of the building had flung out grea,
flames that fiuttered and fared OH the
breeze like titanic flags. and steadily
slowly at first. then faster as the sec
onds few, the five were driven back
ward. rp the low slope of the roof to
ward the gable ridge. Tom vanreye
held the first joint Of the nozzle. and III
retreated with sulky face, lifting iiit
foot grudgingly ut each step. They
were all silent now, and 10 one spoke
until Will Cummings faltered:
"Surely they'll get rope up to VI
: some way"