Golden Valley chronicle. (Beach, Billings County, N.D.) 1905-1916, 1907-10-31

WOlu, anu lLc udlolul ldClOIy lll0 WAS
ended forever. She could rest, rest!
And Lois! The poor crippled limbs
might even be made straight. Who |
knew? Then she thought of Dick, and |
her heart gave little thrill, that wal |
like a reaching out of hands to him. |
And yet he was SO poor-so miser. |
ably poor! He had only his hands. |
she thought, swiftly. Then some.
thing seemed to cry out to her, re.
prcachfully, that he had more-infi.
nitely more, than she could make her.
self believe this man had-a great,
honest heart, brimful of love for her
Il can't think now" she cried, put
ting her hand to her throbbing tenn
pies. Let me go-some other time,
maybe" and then she actually laugh.
ed. But was only conscious of
great longing to get away from the
man who had offered her his hand.
Presently she found herself in the
street alone Was she dreaming?
Had Ralph Leverson really asked her
to be his wife, or had the fever smit.
len her with it's mighty, merciless
hand, and was this the delirium it
generally brought?
She went back to her loom next day.
with the wheels of thought still turn.
ing. Should she choose this one, or
that one? On the one hand. rest and
the beautiful things which wealth
could buy. On the other humble
home and the wealth of loving
heart. Dear, patient, willing Dick!
How mean and selfish she seemed to
herself, for hesitating in making her
decision between the man she loved,
and who loved her, and the man who
loved her, but whom she did not love.
I'm going home" she said, at last,
sick, dizzy, faint. Il shall go crazy
if stay here. I'm not sure but
shall, anyway"
She put on her bonnet and went
out into the warm June day.
But which to choose? Which to
choose? The words made themselves
into little verse, and set themselves
to the monotonous hum of turning
spindles.
Suddenly the clangor of the bell
smote on her ears. She turned and
looked down the road, wondering
vaguely what the matter could be.
A wild. shrill cry of fire came to
her, on the wind, and at that instant
a great, black cloud of smoke broke
from the upper windows of the fac
tory. 1t was strange, but the first
thought that came to Sybil was one OF
exultation. If the factory burned
down, she need never go back to her
hateful work again. She would be
free.
Then she turned suddenly and ran
back to the burning building. Per.
haps there was something her tired
hands could do.
She knew, before she reached It,
that it could not be saved. The win
dows were loop-holes of fire. The
caves were wreathed with fantastic
cornice of writhing ames.
Suddenly great cry rang out from
the terror-stricken crowd. At the win
dow of his private Office upstairs she
saw Leverson's frightened face. He
must have been asleep, and had prob
ably just awakened to the reality Of
his awful danger. She thought IL
was death. She could. see no way Of
escape for him.
''Ill try to save him." some one said
1t was Dick. There was something
grand in the sound of his voice.. Il
seemed to her. Then she saw hin
fighting his way through the flames
! and the last glimpse of his face show
ed her how brave and determined i
was in the wild tempest of fire.
!, She dropped on her knees and hit
her face in her hands, saying owe
and over again. in prayerful way
, Dear Dick, oh, God save him!" Sh'
knew then that the lover who wa
| risking his life for another, was NOR
, to her than the lover he was risking i
/ for could ever be. She had made he
, choice.
Another cry. like gasp, from tn
crowd. She looked up and saw Dicl
at the window of Leverson's room. HI
. had Leverson in his arms, and tn
l man seemed to have tainted.
Throw up rope!" cried Dick
5 hoarsesly. Some strong hands threw
one to him. He fastened it aroun'
3 the unconscious man and lowered hin
to the ground just as the flames burs
: out of the windows below him, wral
/ ping the whole factory in a mass O
j seething fire.
e He saw the wire of one of the light
Y ming rods. not foot away from tn
window. He grasped the rod and drol
j ped down, down into the lurid abyss
J. The rod blistered his hands, but h
t chung to it. The flames beloved abou
8 him, but he held his breath, and sliI
J. ped down, down, down. A though
r came to him, that he was going dow
forever, and then-a blank.
s The first thing he remembered, afte
t that, was a woman's face beaming owe
l. him, and woman's tears dropping O
his face, and woman's kiss was o
81 his scorched lips, and SYPHILIS voic
e was saying in a broken way: "Ol
II poor, dear brave Dick!" and then b
!. thought he must have died, and thi
e was heaven.
It They told him afterwards that b
It was a hero. Laverson came an
l, took his burned and bleeding hand
D. in his, and said to him that he ha
e saved his life, and that he would prov
r his gratitude in more substanti,
d way than spoken thanks. And b
1 did. But Dick only thought of on
e thing. SybH had chosen-and th