Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-07-03
Richard DON like iii blue

bin alrl'. Richard DON ike lii blue
aames.''
He felt aggrieved, and, to show his
annoyance, he closed his eyes. so as not
to see the sheet OF blue fame that was
rapidly growing larger and licking up
everything in its path
Carrington's head nodded. and a few
seconds later he fell into drunken sfu-
por. He was awakened bv two causea.
one was a loud laundering noise The
other was feeling of suffocation.
In dazed manner he started around "a
find the room filled with dense smoke
Hinged with a warm red glow. On ali
sides the cracking Of burning timber
was apparent, and every now and then
the thud OF falling plaster was heard
lie was sober now. He realized that
he had done this. He was responsible
Tor the fire-he and the drink within
nm. he jumped to his feet, his eyes
s.fnartlng, his breath coming with diff
lehity, because OF the smoke He dimly
heard people shouting and laundering
az the door, but he gave no heed to
TINS, he was thinking of Ethel and
hiddy.
a great wave of smoke came out to
meet him as he threw the door open.
tie felt his way through it to the bed.
shouting Ethel" at the top of his
voice. His scorehed and bleeding hands
grasped at the smouldering sheets. but
there was no life beneath them. Like
a madman he begun to feel about the
room, thrusting his hands before him
through flame and smoke. until suddenly
he felt something soft on the floor.
1t was Ethel, and beneath her was
Kiddy.
tie called passionately to her, but she
made no reply. Then, with sudden
fierce strength, he gathered the girl and
The baby in his arms and plunged through
the fiery smoke to the doorway. Down
the trembling stairs he went, his clothes
on tire, his hair burning, his skin black
and scorched. Burning wood and masses
of plaster fell about him, but on he
strobe, until sudden blast of cool air
met him as the street door was burst
open by the fremen.
Then all seemed to 90 black before
him. Great arms seemed to seize him
and hurl him through space. On. on
he flew, until suddenly he began to fall.
downtown
L think he'll do now said mans
voice.
Dicks eyes opened, and he gazed
vacantly around, to see whitewashed
walls, a nurse, a white.coated doctor,
and-Ethel and the Kiddy.
A wave of feeling so intense as almost
to suffocate him swept over him. What
were they doing here? They were dead
-he knew they We're dead.
only three minutes, Mrs. CARING
ton said the doctor.
Then the girl knelt by the bedside
and Dick felt her cool, soft hands smooth
his shorn hair. Her soft face was
pressed to his.
Dick, my love, my hero" she whis-
pered
"Alive?" he murmured weakly.
Yes, my dear, and loving you more
than ever. Oh Dick, | was so afraid
You We're going! But alls well now,
Dick; you're getting better. See, here's
Kiddy; he wants his daddy"
The man felt the chubby hands of the
boy straying over his face, heard the
childish grooming, and then a sealding
tear fell on to his cheek.
No, no. Mrs Carrington that won't
dolp said the doctor. "You must leave
my patient now"
Ethel bent over her husband and
kissed him passionately, and, with Kiddy
in her arms, went from the ward.
So it was only a dream-they were
not dead. From his heart the man of
fered silent prayer of thanksgiving.
Then suddenly he shuddered She had
called him her hero. A grand hero he
had been, almost a murderer. His teeth
gritted together. Hero she had called
him, and he meant to earn the title.
And he did, though his proves was
humble enough Yet it brought life and
living to Ethel and the Kiddy-it made
a weak man strong, and if it was not
the V. G. bravery, it was, at any rate, a
bravery that was as noble.
Sure enough that visit to the We'll
come club was the last Dick Darlington
paid. The appointment that had been
offered him was still vacant, but the
man who offered it made the proviso
that Darlington must become an abb
stainer-a proyiso that was accepted
and faithfully adhered to.-E. Newton
Bngey in Parsons Weekly.