Daily Kennebec journal., 1910-11-10
A VILLAGE BLAZE.
Chicagoan Brings Back Episode In
Which kansans Played Strenuous

Here is an episode Of life in a Kansas
village brought back by Chicagoah
who passed MS vacation there.
There was a holiness meeting IN prog
ress at the little house near the alfalfa
field Every religious emotionist in the
town had share in it. The sitting room
was bordcrcd with a ring of men ana
women who wept and moancd and
screamed as the great voice of III"
preacher, Il former section hand on inc
railway. rolled forth it's eNhortations INTO
the surrounding night. An unwiinn% hhN
was undergoing the ceremony of coiISr-
Grafton. His frightened protests rose.
shrll abov6 the thunder of the clergy
man ana the general din of the congresa-
ton
An the neiehborhood knew what was
going on. 1t would have been difficult
MT to have known. Side pOrchcS bore
Interested listeners. Across the street
Il low of boys sat on the curb III silent
appreciation Of the noise. only little
more shouting and the subject would be
duly conSccrated.
Then, on a sudden the boys across the
street saw the night lessencd by warm
glow from the windows of the house next
door. The light Wavered, i'll an instant
waning and waxing. and from the source
Of the light came Il terrifying cry that
Stillcd the prayers of the consccfat"rS
and brought the listening boys to their
feet
Fire" cried tnc voice from the house.
ana the boys, running across the road
v,
night ring with 1t,
At one corner of the house the lower
windows We're outlined against the dark
wall. The Fir" spread rapidly, throwing
across the room. One glance inside was
enough to show the boys what they had
to do. They did not need the word of
the householder. staggering out OF the
omen door to send them dartng into the
surrounding shadows. ~ minute ;
time one had returned with a metal tube
Of extineuishing powder: Inc sudden
peal of the tre-bell. ringing an insistent
demand into the ears of hundred per
sons preparing for bed, told of :nothers
hand on the bell-rnpe that hung ever
ready outside the shed where the muni-
cipal hand-pump rcpoSed.
Before the bell had told the tow of
danger, help Was already at hand. Men
and women, limpng with the weight Of
pals and tubs that spilled water along
the way, had started to d" their share IN
aiding the neighbur. Out of the dark
they came fiecked with the freight that
grew more ANA more terrible and seemtfs
to press outward the contininc walls as
if hunccrinG for the freedom Of open air.
i.eri. shadows swept about with every
advance and retreat of flame and swirl
ing smoke that could not Veil the light.
4 mans figure was outlined for an in
start against the brightness of n window.
His arms were lifeted q moment. Then
they fell with the ShatterinG Of glass and
frame under the stroke OF an AK. Tn
fame lcaped up at the touch of the night
wind that SUcDt through the ncW-madc
entrance. Into the fire and smoke went
Intellectual spashes. of water from the
pals of the neiGhborhood. The cXtin-
gushing powder was as if it had not
been.
Brighter the fire hared rs if in welcom
to the municipal pump, in the tank of
which some 1lame-killng saline solution
truck hit hardened ridges in the road.
Behind the engine came the entire
population of the town. in various stages
of undress and among them the organ'z-
fn from T"n he%time nfS fo1Gd amd
mighty disorder the hose was laid to n
blazing window and the handles of the
pump wcr" worked up and down with u"
valves of the labornG pump hissed and
@urglcd and spurtcd forth Il stream OF
brine, which refused {" seek its proper
course through the nozZl" in the fire
mems hands until some thoughtful per
son looScned an impeding kink in the
hose.
The chemical" stayed the fire for Il
moment, but there was not enough of
it. The tank was sucked dry and fire
showed itself in the windows of the sec
ond floor. Despair lasted Il moment.
Then a haSty search in the dark discov-
cred Il we'll at the rear of the house, anh
length of hose was lowered to tap this
supply.
The flames gave way. Little by little
the red glare faded. the faces of the fire
fighters bccamc indiStinct in the dark
ness, and the odor of wet charcoal filled
tn" air. The pump was abandoned to the
care of it's servants two of whom still
chopped doGSedly from the roof Of a
porch to discover hidden embers between
the walls. Slowly. first Nv ones and then
by groups of three ana four, the spccta-
tors wandered off int" tn" night, home
Ward-bound. and the house smoldercd re-
tlcctively under the light of Il latc-risinc
moon Chicago DaiN News.