The Washington herald., 1909-01-03


seemed shrivel every other thought and consdera-
ton. Away across the valley he caught girnpses OF
the red destroyer taugng n the bosom OF the black
heap OF shadow The wind would fan Il fearfuly- Al
ready the flames had probably melted the telegraph
and telephone wires that threaded the long house
Sloan and the fire crew would not know until Il was
too late. Passenger train No must have left Muley
point; would il run into the IRE and be wrecked
He plunged downward recklessly, stumbling ever
powders and blowing through yielding shale he knew
where the wires Ied-around heaving horn OF the
toward the left then downward over great fight
Of and tUnbIed stone, then along ledge toward
the right and again downward toward the left and still
downward and away through jumbled chaos OF rocks
90 leap finally the through which the Muley
boiIeo.
He followed the falling course OF the lire in wild
eageruess. The wires. Of number six steel, were
fastened heavy iHsuIators iron rods that were
much Ike long crowbars in holes drilled in the
rock Here and there he could touch the wires. and
now and again he could see them above him The
wind took hold OF him. too shaking him and breaking
OF his breath as with sudden blows. and leaving
him hattened and gasP.ng. He went down the long
slide OF jumbIed slabs and hanging blocks IN painful
Iunges literally fell upon the ledge that crossed
the face Of the crag three hundred feet below the
house The wires were intact all along the ledge;
the rupture was somewhere below he came to the
point where the wires again turned of into darkness
down the mountain
Here and there was sheer fall Of fifty sixty
feet But mode Of descent was possible; he
caught hold OF the lower wire where II crossed the
edge OF the ledge and shot downward. His hands
burned II he clutching white hot Goals as ne
few through space, then, with sudden crash OF all
his senses iron post TO which the wires
were fastened a hundred feet below, and dropped in
a heap among the rocks He struggled 20 his knees
the world tipped round him Ike black water
while afar. lifted immense billow Of the black
water. danced and uttered huge rosette OF gleam-
ing ribbons.
He got to his feet waveringIy and looked at it.
fascinated by brightness and striving to force his
stunned faculties to receive its meaning Beautiful
though it he vaguely felt that it was something
terrible. A warm, wet stuff was creeping down MS
face and neck: il got upon his lips; its favor
saline-sweetish He took hold Of the iron post and
tried to call to mind HIS original intention What
had he there to do? His face came round 10 the
Haunting rOsette the distant mountain OF black
water. Then suddenly struck his forehead
and stared il in horror; his faculties seemed to
break open wide, and the shed the fire, the broken
wires Sloan waiting by the telegraph table at Gap
his mother pacing the floor Of the stone house
the crag. No rumbIing down the long grade toward
the fames-aH leaped upon him. cataract Of things
He sprang forward with cry and again went plung-
ing downward through the gloom. falling in deep
burrows and scrambling over ragged heaps OF rocks,
sliding right and left hunting furiousiy from
post to post for the broken wires.
Nearly quarter Of a nile below the big ledge he
found the break. post cut clean away by bowlder
had crashed down the face Of the crag In wild
haste fell upon his hands and and began hunt
Ing among the for the ends Of the several wires
His breath in sobs and his battered hands flew
out before him. feeling everywhere He glanced over
Muley mountain; the flames looked be leaping a
hundred feet high and cOmbing eastward in the
wind Fourteen miles OF the shed stretched away In
direction; all that part Of the long house must
sink ashes, involving a million dollar the
suspension Of traffic for weeks. II Berg
did not soon arrive, The youth worked If he himself
fire
AZ length his hand fell upon cold thing the
precious steel. With a CRY he wrenched the splicing
wire from his shoulders and fastened end of it
the broken wire, and paying the splicing wire
ne crept onward searching feverishly about him.
Again with thrill Of JOY. his croOking fingers laid
hold Of wire end He drew the wires together, all
his body shaking he clipped the splicing in two
with the pliers and then paused.
He did not know whether he had the telephone or
the telegraph wire part Of each; there must be
no mistake he pressed wire end against either
side Of his tongue There needIelike dart OF
pain, then-blank- It must be the wire of the tele-
phone-no, 1t the telegraph wire; some one had
opened circuit breaker and working; the current
came in short, swift throbs His mother could not