Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1909-10-08

| caught my breath. She was beau
tiful--beauiiful. could hear my
heart pounding. could feel my veins
Jingle forgot the hell that surged
around us. | forgot the red tongued
Heath that was reaching out, i could
zee nothing. think of nothing, but her!
amy Jack was standing notion
less: not upright. like she. but leaning
toward Eer. His hat was in his hand
That red mark showed on his fore
head. and his eyes-you could see
his soul through his eyes.
"Weli?" she said haughtily.
saw Jack stagger but he caught
himself. raised himself up, up, until
he stood six feet and more, magnifi-
cent in bis manhood.
"Amy"-his voice was calm-"in this
hour belong here with you. 1t may
be the last time but you'll let me-
Slowly she dropped her eyes. then
raised them. They were full of panic.
Her lips trembled. Her small frame
shook.
Jack" she cried, 81 don't want to
die" She was sobbing.
He placed hand under her chin
and. raising her face to his, gazed
courage into her eyes.
Come" he said. He spoke firmly,
and she followed us, her hand In
| Jacks.
From window we could see in 4
dozen places where hell had broken
through-red arms that reached up
ward, grasping the sky. Above there
was no blue. only low hanging can
opy Of smoke, blood red, rolling to-
ward tie sea. Through the corridors
and up the stairs there seemed to drift
a voice that yet was not the voice OF
man, for no one could have told whose
voice it WAS. Shrieking with terror
trembling with hopelessness, it came
Fire! Firel And there is no water!'
Set faces met us in the street-a
flood Of humanity, dumb, sweeping
tide that bore us on ard on. For hours
we walked; it seelhed thousand
miles. And always Amy and Jack
were silent, and always her hand was
in his. Once / saw him look at her, a
deep usefulness in his eyes, but be
did not speak. SO we trudged on.
Suddenly | heard a commanding
voice. Book" it cried. CLEAR the
wayw An automobile shot pasta red
fash. like meteor The wind caught
my light hat and sent it spinning.
saw Amy grasp Jack by the arm and
cast frightened glance over her
shoulder.
Jack" she whispered, "did you see
that-that-in the auto"
YES" he said. at was dynamite
She shivered.
Dynamite, and the streets choked
with humanity! We knew what il
meant. Another hell was TO be turned
loose-a he'll to meet hell! thought
fast. but | did not speak. could not
We came to small park that over
looked the bay. The waves were lash
ing themselves into red foam, leaping
high in air and falling in red rain
The sun was copper ball.
We found n clear spot between two
trees and sat down TO rest. Amy was
quite exhausted Jack famed heI
with his hat. | ached all over, but
lay back upon the grass and thanked
my Woodworking old guardian angel
that was still aboard this pretty
good old earth.
Then | heard crash like a thou
sand .clGps Of thunder. The earth
seemed TO reel before the blast like
q ship in a storm. Between us and
;hat red glare something shot upward
something big. black and screeching
"a building that man had studied and
| planned and labored TO build. An
other followed. ard another and an
ether, like handfuls of sand thrown in
the air By children. Whole squares
seemed rising and melting. 1t was
Or-r-r-um. br-r-r-um, br-r-r-um-um-um
There was 10 waiting, no pause. The
world seemed leaping into atoms
while the flames reached up long arms
10 grasp the fragments before they re
turned TO Garth 1t was the wrath Of
God pitted against the fiendishness Of
Satan. 1t was awful-awful!
Amy covered her eyes with hel
hands and sobbed softly.
"Don'tw begged Jack. "Please don't
can't stand it,
She raised her eyes to his suddenly
"Oh," she said, "do you care?"
"Yesw he cried passionately and hel(
out his hands. He was standing above
her. never saw greater tenderness:
| Oh mans face.
For an instant she looked at him
then lowered her eyes again. A pear
glistened on the end of a lash.
"You aren't fair" she said, rather
rebeliously. "You are taking an ad
vantage"
81 am unfair" be replied tremulous
". Forgive me-" He turned abou
and bit his nails. He was pale, ye
perspiration beaded his forehead
Presently he faced her again.
81 am sorry" he said. 1--WE NIGH
have saved some of your effects. Yor
have lost everything, am afraid. for
see. the flames must already have
reached your hotel" His voice was
solicitous, almost tender. Yet there
was no trace of passion in it.
NO" she said, Il did not lose all
The rest does not matter" She spoke
softly, avoiding his eyes.
"You saved something" he asked
He was looking away to where the dy
Mantle and the fire were leaping a