Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1906-08-24

ashes set the fire?' interrupted Eben.
Because I'd taken them up Sunday
morning and set them just outside in
the open shed in an iron kettle-I
hadn't calculated on the winds blow
ing so hard-and forgot them, and
that's where the fire caught So you
see it was the ashes fast enough.
Shaking and dragging the children
out of bed, l got on to them, somehow,
what clothes 1 could lay my hands on,
and, throwing blankets over their
heads, told them to run downstairs
and out Of doors as fast as they were
ready; but being walked 50 sudden and
the fear Of the fire fairly dazed them.
Your Aunt Enn. next older than
the baby, was the last one, and some
how I was so fiustered l couldn't find
anything to put onto her, for now the
fire was roaring down in the kitchen
even above the roar of the wind, and
l was afraid it would cut me off en-
tirely.
SAT last 1 felt out a coat that be-
lOnged to one of the boys, and I had
scarcely buttoned her into it when a
sudden light burst into the dark cham
ber
''My heart leaped into my throat as 1
thought of the great punches of tow
and linen-yarn-more than two hun
bred skeins, which had just finished
spinning hanging round the sides of
the stairway. They had taken fire."
But you didn't go down through
that, grandma?" cried Nell.
There was no other way, my dear
And there were the babies in my arms,
besides those who had gone down be-
fore.
"But 1 couldn't stop long to con-
slider. On the beds were big wooden
coverlets, and, throwing one of these
over my head, 1 dashed down the
stairs, with Ann under one arm and
the baby under the other, for l hadn't
put the little thing down once, for
fear she would crawl away in the con-
fusion and darkness, and / should
never find her again.
1.-THE hot flames burned my hands
and feet as | went through them. The
way was completely cut off out of
doors, as I had feared, except through
north window, and the smoke in the
kitchen was so thick that it almost
stopped my breath.
81 can't remember how / got across
the room to that window But found
myself before it, and trying in vain to
open it, for it had ben fastened down
securely to keep the snow and wind
from driving in. A light stand stood
near, and with that I broke the win
dow through, sash and all, and leaped
outr'
And, in her earnestness, the old lady
half rose from her chair and thrust
theoretically with her cane at an i'm
aginary window in the bright depths
of the big fireplace.
"Ann says l fell down, and perhaps
1 did; don't remember" she added,
subsiding into her chair and rocking
gently.
after a little SPELL" continued
grandma, Il got breath enough to
wallow through the snow around the
house, but couldn't find one of the
children. / was about to give up in
despair, thinking that, in their be-
wilderment, they might have got into
the fire, when / heard shouts from the
hog-house out by the barn. They had
driven the pigs up and had all hud-
died together in their warm beds
well, | knew we couldn't stay there
all night, for the children wasn't half
dressed, and none of us had on any
shoes, and it was bitter cold! 1t
seemed as though we had escaped
from the fire only to be frozen"
And a tear stood on grandma's
withered cheek 6. the remembrance of
that nights grief and suffering.
But couldn't bear to hear the
little things cry and see them freeze
by inches," she went on, after time:
SO squirting up courage. I wrapped the
coverlet about me as well as could,
and went out on the hill away back of
of the barn, through the binding snow
to shout for help.
"Grandfather's brother. your Great
uncle Daniel, had then moved into the
neighborhood, and his house wasn't
more than mile. off by the road and
much nearer across lots. But the wind
came from that quarter, and my voice
didn't reach three rods.