Morris tribune., 1909-11-19

Howard her. 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. =
"WellY she said haughtily. ~
l saw Jack stagger, but he caught
himself, raised himself up, up, until
he stood six feet and more, magnif-
jcent in his manhood.
"Amy"-his voice was calm-"in this
hour l 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, Il don't want to
diev' She was sobbing
He placed a 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 Il
dozen places where hell had broken.
| through-red arms that reached aup-
| ward, grasping the sky. Above there
opy of smoke, blood red, rolling to-
ward the sea- Through the corridors
and UP the stairs there seemed to drift
a voice that yet was not the voice of
man, for mo one could have told whose
voice it was. Shrieking with terror,
Ftrembling with hopelessness, it came:
| Fire. Fire! And there is no waterw
| Set faces met us in the street "a
flood Of humanity, dumb, sweeping !.
| tide that bore us on and on. For hours
we walked; it seemed thousand
miles. And always Amy and Jack
were silent, and always her hand was
| in his Once saw him look at her,
deep wistfulness in his eyes, but he
did not speak. So we trudged on.
Suddenly l heard commanding
voice. 'Back!" 1t cried. "Clear the
way!'' An automobile shot pasta red
flash, like a meteor. The wind caught
my light hat and sent it spinning
saw Amy grasp Jack by the arm and
cast a frightened glance over her
shoulder. 3
slack" she whispered, Ibid, you see
that-that-in the auto?''
"Yes," he said "It was dynamite"
She shivered.
Dynamite, and the streets choked
with humanity! We knew what it
loose-a hell to meet hell! I thought
fast, but did not speak. / could not
We came to a small park that over A
looked the bay. The waves were lash
3 ing themselves into red foam, leaping
high in air and falling in red rain.
The sun was copper ball.
4 We found clear spot between two
trees and sat down TO rest. Amy was
squtte exhausted. Jack famed her
with his hat. I ached all over, but I
Jay back upon the grass and thanked
my hardworking old guardian angel
good old earth.
Then l heard a crash like a thou
sand claps of thunder. The earth
seemed to reel before the blast like
"a ship in a storm. Between us and
that red glare something shot upward /
something big, black and screeching
Ia building that man had studied and |
planned and labored to build. An ,
other followed, and another and an
other, like handfuls of sand thrown in
the air by children. Whole squares !
seemed rising and melting. 1t was
br-r-r-um, br-r-r-um, br-r-r-um- -um-um.
There was no waiting, no pause: The
world seemed leaping into atoms
while the flames reached up long arms
to grasp the fragments before they re
turned to earth. 1t was the wrath of
God pitted against the fendishness of
Satan 1t was awful-awful!
Amy covered her eyes with her
hands and sobbed softly.
"Don'tr' begged Jack. "Please don't!
L can't stand itv'F
She raised her eyes to his suddenly
"Oh,' she said, do you care?"
t'Yesr' he cried Bpssionately and held
out his hands. He was standing above
her. / never saw greater tenderness
49,