The Huttig news., 1910-10-15


 from the great city. which could not even sleep quietly
 The bodiless whispering had ceased at last, but at about three o'clock in the morning a dull, persistent roar began to hammer her ear drums. Her half-dazed brain became gripped by spasm of terror Was she going mad?
 She abandoned the switchboard and moved across to one of the windows glaring palely with the reflection Of the street lamps. She looked down on the sidewalk far below-noted the stagnation. saw a solitary pedestrian and heard the tramp of his feet on the pavement Still the roar surged against her ears It was sinister.
 She swung away from the front win 1 dow and turned her attention to those commanding the freight yard. Down somewhere in that intricate mass of men and machinery was the yard fore man, Carl Meurer. There he was 1 king Her heart swelled with pride, but as abruptly contracted with jeal- ous pain.
 She suppressed the outcry of agony that pressed against her clinched teeth and forced herself to sit once more at the switchboard. For full half-hour she settled down to routine work, but at last the nerve-ending roar | that seemed to permeate every corner of the room became intolerable. With a desperate gesture she sprang erect and began to pace the floor.
 This could be no mere hallucina- tion. She halted in the center of the office. then suddenly shrieked aloud as the reason for this dreadful tur- moil swept across her faculties, clear ing them instantly.
 The freight house was on fire.
 A panther-like spring across the floor and one glance through the doors revealed sinuous coils of writh- ing smoke ascending the air currents.
 How long had the fire been at work? Had she time to escape by the stairs? Her foot was on the landing when it occurred to Milly that all of the workers in the yard were in the greatest eopardy-trapped literally
 
 house. And Carl was there-Carl!
 She dashed across to the switch board and began notifying the men in the yard of the fire. She called up Meurer as calmly as the others heard his slow, deep voice merging into a shout of excitement Suddenly her blanched face went whiter than ever.
 Call up Miss Donnelly; you can get her before any of the rest of us. Hur-"
 But Milly flung the receiver from her with maniacal laugh and leaped toward the door once again.
 So the little senseless chit was in peril-extreme peril, perhaps. So be it! The ground floor might be mass of flames before she had an inkling. No one could reach her. either, at this hour except over the switchboard in the main office, and Milly controlled that.
 She hung for moment above the well-like stairs. then skinned down the broad steps. One flight was ac- mplished-another was begun-now she was at the third landing. Here the smoke was more dense.
 She could hear the rending snarl Of the flames; catch a sickening whiff from the cellars where the stored mer- chandise was burning A burst of fresh. outside air dispersed the smoke-clouds an instant Milly gulped greedily, was refreshed and with re- urning vigor, a full appreciation of her own detestable conduct, passed through her heart like the thrust of sword.
 Had she time left In which to warn the girl?
 She wheeled and took the stairs with frantic speed. The ascending flights seemed endless. To breathe meant acute pain-her muscles refused to obey, her limbs to bear her up. Mid way on the last flight she sank to her knees. A hot gust swept up from the inferno beneath but it stirred her heavy limbs so that she could crawl the remainder of the distance.
 Somehow she reached the switch board and stirred. schooling herself to be rational, laying fast hold of her reeling brain, she called up the super intendent's office. Would the opera tor never perhaps she-Mar- garet-was already past human aid
 Finally Margaret's voice, barely recognizable. so hoarse and terrified, reached Milly.
 That isn't you, surely Yes! Yes! We are safe here but don't you know you are cut off by fire, they say. Poor. poor Milly-"
 The receiver fell from Millys nerve less fingers. She had finished her work. She had fought the good fight. She
 Red fire danced before her receding vision, something snapped in her overtaxed brain and she lurched for ward insensible, as volume of smoke poured into the room.
 The fire was a thing of the past when Milly. in the gray dawn, strug- gled back to consciousness.
 She was on the lounge in the super intendent's office. where she had been borne by Carl after he had made