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

IAI UT was an investigating negro
IEJl child Of tender years who.
Sn:SI possessed Of petty sense Of
ssyssJ cause and effect, brought an
illuminative simplicity to bear upon
the problem of the force pump, and d
multitudinous agitation greeted his dis
covery that the engineers had forgot
ten to connect their pipes with the
river.
This naive omission was fatal to the
second warehouse. The wall burst into
flame below Crailey Gray, who cluns
to the top of the ladder, choking, stifed
and dizzily fighting the sparks that cOv-
cred him, yet still clutching the nozzle
of the hose lire they had passed to him.
When the stream at last leaped forth,
making tie nozzle fight in his grasp, he
sent it straight up into the air and
let the cataract fall back upon himself
and upon the two men beneath him on
the ladder.
There came a moment of blessed re-
lief, and lie looked out over the broad
rosy blur of faces In the street, where
no one wondered more than he how the
water was to reach the roof. Suddenly
he started, wiped his eyes with his wet
sleeve and peered intently down from
under the shading arm. His rowing
glance crossed the smoke and fame to
rest upon tall, white figure that stood
full length above the heads Of the peo-
pie upon pedestal wrought with the
grotesque images Of boys; a girls dg-
ure still us noon, enrapt, like the statue
of some young goddess for whom were
made these sacriticial pyres. Mr.. Gray
recognized his opportunity.
A b.ackened and unrecOgnizable face
peered down from the caves, and the
voice belonging to it said angrily:
"Why didn't they send up that line
before they put the water through it?"
Never mind, Tom," answered Grail
ley cheerfully. "I'll bring it up"
"You can't. I'll come down for It.
Don't be every kind Of fool"
You want monopoly, do you"
And Crailey, calling to Tappingham
Marsh, next below him, to come high
er, left the writhing nozzle in the lat
ters possession, swung himself out up
ON the graphing ladder, initiating the
chiefs gymnastics, and Immediately,
one hand grasping the second rung, one
knee crooked over the lowest, leaned
head down and took the nozzle from
Marsh. 1t was a heavy weight. and,
though Marsh supported the line be-
meath 1t. the great stream hurtling
forth made 1t a difficult thing to man.
age, for it wriggled, recoiled and strug-
gled as IL 1t had been alive. Crailey
made three attempts to draw himself
up, but the strain was too much for his
grip, and on the third attempt his fin
gers melted from the rung, and he
swung down fearfully, hanging by his
knee, but still clinging to the nozzle.
"Give it up. Crailey. 1t isn't worth
It," Vanrevel called from overhead, not
daring the weight of both on the light
graphing ladder.
But though Crailey cared no more for
the saving of Robert Carewe's property
than for butterfy's wing in China, he
could not give up now, any more than
as lad he could have forborne to turn
somersaults when the prettiest little
girl looked out of the schoolhouse Win
dow. He passed the nozzle to Tapping
ham, caught the second rung with his
left hand. and, once more dangling
head downward, seized the nozzle;
then, with his knee hooked tight. as the
gushing water described huge semi
circle upon the smoke and hot vapor.
he made a mad lurch through the air,
while women shrieked, but he landed
upright. half sitting OH the lowest rung.
He climbed the graphing ladder swift
ly, in spite Of the weight and contor'
tions of the unmanageable beast he car
ried with him. Tom leaned far down
and took it from him. and Crailey. pass
ing the caves. fell exhausted upon tire
roof. Just as he reached this tempo
rary security lady was borne, faint
in;. out of the acclaiming crowd. Fan
chon was there.
Word had Ecen passed to the gentle
men of the engine company to shut on
| the water in order to allow the line to
be carried up the ladder. and they re-
ceived the command at the moment
Tom lifted the nozzle. so that the
stream dried up in his hands. This
was the last straw, and the blackened,
singed and SCARED chief, setting the
trumpet to his lips, gave himself en-
| tirely to wrath.
It struck Crailey, even as he lay
coughing and weeping with smoke, that
there was something splendid and large
in the others rage. Vanrevel was or
dinarily so steady and cool that this
was worth seeing. this berserker ges'
ture; worth hearing, this wonderful
profanity, like Washington's one fit OF
cursing, and Crailey, knowing Tom'
knew, too, that it had not come upon
him because Carewe had a daughter
into whose eyes Tom had looked; nor
did he rage because he believed that
| Crailey's life and his were In the great
or hazard for the lack Of every drop OF
| water that should have issued from the
empty nozzle.
Their lungs were burdened with
smoke, while the intolerable smartine
| Of throat. ewes and nostrils was like