Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1907-01-02

threshold of safety in wild rush for
life. With clenched hands and burn
ing eyes, the captain pushed ON
through the selfsame corridors he had
lrod In safety a few moments before.
The fire had entered the rooms near
the shaft but the others were still
safe, except for the smoke.
He could see the gas burning in
some OF them. A figure, head swathed
In a wet towel. suddenly staggered
toward him with choking cry.
Get me-get me-out of this!" it
gasped, half articulately. Ii"
Williams seized the man quickly, and
half carried him to the stairs. When
he got to safety more men were stag
gering up with hose. Murphy, the bat
talon chief, came up with man
whom Williams had never seen be-
fore.
"Penfeld," he was saying, you help
Williams here. Get your men with a
stream on that wall. Some dead, you
say, captain?"
The latter hardly heard him. In
stead, he was looking at Penfield. The
eyes CT the two men met for moment
in sudden flash of mutual dislike,
then Williams answered: -
There's at least six of them up
there! No telling how many there
may be higher up!"
Down below all was wild connection
now. Cries of women and hoarse shouts
of men in sudden panic came up in
a medley of sound to where the fire.
fighters stood. The guests, alive now
to their danger, crowded Railways and
stairways, while the elevator shot up
and down until it's top blazed into sud-
den flame, when it went down and
stayed there. Police and firemen in
the corridors sought to save the panic
stricken ones from themselves. Pen
field hurrying away with his men, took
one side of the shaft, Williams the
other.
Williams, by a roundabout way,
worked up to the next floor toward
the street. Rooms were open, but no
sign of life came from them. He was
coming back, when he stumbled into
some enc who was feeling his way
rather blindly. 1t was Pentield, and
he carried an ak in one hand. AS he
saw Williams his face went into a
scowl
You're the captain of Thirteen,
aren't you?" he demanded
What of it?" tartly replied the cap
tain.
Don't talk to mo, that's ALL" sput-
tered the other, in causeless wrath.
That's easy!" said Williams, "life's
too short!"
ooh, be id to you'll" cried Pen
field savagely, stumbling past MIN
toward the glare.
At that moment something went
wrong with the other hose. The men
below yelled, and one of them start.
ed down to investigate. Pentield was
nowhere in sight. In the few moments
of inaction that followed, the flames
on that side took new lease of life,
and with hiss and cracl1le leaped anew
to their task of destruction. It was
then Penfield suddenly appeared at a
window in dangerous proximity to the
flames. He leaned out into the shaft,
and swore when he saw the predica-
ment Of his men.
There was sudden tear and crack!
Williams looked up, saw that the
heavy elevator tackle had burned
from its fastenings, and was coming
down with all the impetus of its ID
stories drop! Penfield, unheeding,
choked with anger, leaned out far
Their. M
Look out, men!" cried Williams.
The men with one impulse drew back
as the thing came down like whirl-
wind, and fell, a tangled mass of cable
and chain, far below Penfeld had
disappeared! For second every one
gazed at the window in dismay.
did it take him down with it,"
asked Hickey, voicing the fears Of the
rest.
moi" cried Williams, in sudden
comprehension. but it's knocked him
on the head into kingdom GOMEZ! He's
lying in that room, I'll bet! And that
fire will be at him in minute!" The
others stood appalled,. There was
no way to get across that yawning
space. To seek way through the
rooms would take too much time.
Keep your stream over near that
window" commanded the captain,
suddenly. Here, give me one Of
those laddersl" Then they fathomed
his purpose as he sought to lay it
from window to window. It just meas
ured the distance. ,aSss III \
Another moment, and he was on It,
crawling on hands and knees to the
rescue of the man who had reviled
him but a few moments before. He
got to the window and stepped in
side. His foot touched something
soft. 1t was Penfield! The floor was
hot beneath him.
williams. saw that he would have to
carry him, and promptly set about It.
BY herculean effort, of which he was
little conscious in the excitement OF
the moment, he got the wounded man
on his back with his arms about his
mack Then slowly he clambefed on