The Richmond palladium. (Richmond, Ind.) 1906-1907, 1907-02-24
Continued Fror1 Last sunday.)

They nught have followed MIN tnen
but Captain Edward Taylor came up
A man OF experience aiongshore and
one of the towns selectmen, his words
carried weight Don't let him STIR he
commanded. Dynamite boxed in as
he's got it in that hold is sure to ex-
plode, and he knows 1t. The least
shock III 10 it If the fire doesn't. Come
back to the hill. Ez, you'll have to 90
with US"
That settled it. Fighting, pleading.
swearing, Captain Titcomb was car
ried by main force along the road to-
ward the hill by the bridge. Long
tongues of fame were spouting from
the Diving Bellies main hatch. Up in
the village the schoolhouse bell was
ringing.
Don't let anybody go near the
wharf" ordered Captain Taylor.
"Warn 'em as fast as What's that?"
There was a scuffie on the road be-
low, two or three shouts, the sound of
running feet.
Ira Sparrow rushed up the hill. His
voice trembled.
He's got through, We didn't see
him in timer he painted.
''Whog asked several voices.
BRAD Nickerson. I'm afraid he's
Roin' off to the schooner
Captain Titcomb gave spring that
almost cleared him. The tears came
into his eyes.
"Ior the Lords sake" he begged, "are
you goin' 10 let that boy kill himselff"
Then, bending forward, he shouted:
"Brad, Brad Don't go nigh her for
your life, The dynamite's aboardg'
The crowd was still. Every one lis
tened. There was no reply, but they
heard the rattle of oars in a dory's
rowlocks.
When Bradley came out of the kitch-
en- after the burglar had made his
confession he shook hands with Cap
tain Fri, babe the latter laughing
good night and went up to his cham
Der. 1t was a long time before he fell
asleep. He heard steady hum OF
conversation from the old maids room
and knew the sisters were going over
the astonishing events Of the evening.
Once Miss Tempy came to his door to
ask in whisper IL he knew just how
old Captain Titcomb was. "Oh, about
forty-eight or fifty" he answered, smil-
Ing to himself
He had fallen into a dose and was
dreaming a confused medley in which
the sisters and he were chasing Sam
Hammond from one room to another,
while Gus locked the doors in front
of them, when Clara's scream of
Fire" rang through the house. He
sat up in bed, not sure whether the
cry was real or part OF the dream.
But the next moment he heard foot
steps on the stairs. Fire. screamed
Clara, rushing through the hall. f"Oh,
Brad. get up quick. The Diving Bellies
all on fire.
He was cool, surprisingly cool, as 1t
seemed to him, when he thought Of it
afterward. His first move was to run
to the window, open it and lean out. |
AT first he saw nothing but the black
night. the stars and the lights on the
horizon. He noticed, too, how salty
sweet the wind smelled as it blew
from the fats at the foot Of the hill |
Then he saw the puff of flame on the |
schooner in the harbor
Barefooted, bareheaded, dressed only |
in his trousers and shirt. but struggling
into his jacket as he ran. he sprang
down the stairs. The sisters caught at
his arm and cried something or other, |
but he did not heed them. Clara called
after him that Captain Titcomb had |
gone to the schooner. He stopped for
an instant to ask her to rouse some of I
the neighbors and send them to the |
wharf. AS he came out into the yard !
he noticed vaguely that there was a
light in one of the rooms of the Baker
cottage.
He took the same route that his part
ner had taken, but made better time.
1t was evident that the fire had been
seen by others, for as he crossed the
bridge the schoolhouse bell began to
ring. 1t came to him like a flash. but
too late, that he might have saved half
the distance by taking one of the
skiffs in the inlet and rowing straight
out past the point.
There was shouting crowd on the
hill above the bridge, but he could see
no boats about the Diving Belle and
wondered why. Part of the crowd on
the hill came running to meet him.
who's that:'' shouted some one
Ira Sparrow. he thought
Bradley did not answer ''who is
it?' cried Ira again. Stop
The Junior partner did not stop.
"Squealer" Wixon got in his way and
caught at his jacket. Bradley tripped
him up, jumped the rail fence by the
roadside and ran across the fields He
heard ''Squealer" shouting his name.
The wharf was empty. Not man
was there. He reached the stringpiece.
caught at the painter of one of the do
ries alongside. and. pulling the boat to-
ward him. jumped in. Luckily the
oars We're lying on the thwarts. He
picked them up and. with his knife, cut
the painter
And then be heard the captains voice
calling to him from the hill: Brad.
Brad, Don't go nigh her for your life,
The dynamite's aboar6I"
Like his partner. Bradley had for
gotten the dynamite Mechanically he
put the oars ia the rowlocks and sat I