The Guthrie daily leader. [volume] (Guthrie, Okla.) 1893-1996, 1911-01-05

On the footboard behind, ,tthe austere
Captain hadsseen shrirktd and walled
and beloved. The child stood stock still,
petrifed with terror. The gfays saw moth
ing, heard only The GEi-tlc screaming to
tham for more speed
Patrick had not seen il like this. His
theory had presented itself for test. If he
swerved foot TO the right, there were the
pillars iron. Ii he kept on, he must
crush the child-fesh Which should it
be2 Behind him the Captain was cursing
foamily.
Turn out Turn he yelled through the
shattering din Of the whistle wild terror
Turn out Quick For Gods sake,
turn yelled the black, hazy dots in the
trolley car windows.
Red headed, fresh-faCed, blue-eyed Pat
rick ceased to be a boy in that instant His
face blanched to gray. Devil Morgan's
sad brown eyes peered at him rernorselessly
out Of the wild past
1t vas an agonizing moment Of indecision.
He had never supposed il would be like
this. His duty to his helpless mates, to the
public, to himself, swept by in lightning
review The thought OF the fire far ahead
shot after them Hi: duty-he squared
himself, the powerful muscles in his shoul-
ders and arms lightened.
Two thoughts, two distinct sensations
raced parallel in his whirling brain. He
knew how he should decide yet he hesi-
tated The agony unnered him. Only
second more remained. Every instant the
laundering team came nearer the motion
less figure OF the child before him.
Patrick was beyond reason; his actions
had resolved themselves mercifully into the
primitive. Surging up in him at the LAST
yard Of distance, just as the child found
tongue in heart rending cry Of more than
human despair, came the intuitive spirit Of
Man. 4
Once more ~, Kissing and shrieking and
belching fire, hurled herself into the IRON
ps ed by the flesh
1t was his profane, fre-scarred, kindly old
martinez Of a Captain who stood tdgeting
with his clumsy helrlet at The white bedside
as Patrick opened his eyes some hours later
in the Mercy Hospital The veteran ! face
was anxious, his bristling mustache thrust
ing out hedgewise as he bent above the still
figure on the cot. IN
Patrick stared at him from an inameas-
urable distance, through aNel Of haze that
soitened and blurred Tie familiar features.
"Wha-' What haffened." lie y his,
pered weakly, winoing Gt the pain his
cracked ribs shot through hir "Baet4
draught 49,.
"Sh, now you mustn't talk very.
things all right, the nrr4e isliie, And
the inferno, who had patched hm Up With
swift skill, added Ohl} a couple oi cracked
ribs, my man. loG'll be back on the Job
III day or SO. =.
But what happened acor 80 down: Z
persisted the wounded fireman in ieeble
petulance don understand. III
Course you dor /, lad, broke in the
Captain grimly Nobody does. but they
all do it, just the same I'm proud . ye''
Patrick sighed hisahnoy anee and sFoNned.
1t was all a puzzle. lie knew lie. Vas in the
hospital that much was lear. But how
or why, he could not imagine, Memo ~ tan
back to the morning, to afternoon, to the
little fiat in Harlem and ceased. Why
couldn't they be decent and tell him3 NJ
The surgeon saw his trouble and whis-
pered to the Captain: 1t may do him
good, you had better explain. This sus-
pense isn't doing him good now. Tell
him.
The veteran nodded and told him, bit by
bit, helping out his paralyzed memory with
rapid patchwork Of narrative that brought
Intelligence back into the blank eyes. When
ne had nnished, and the three stood quietly
by the bedside, Patrick closed his eyes, his
face SET rigidly in lines whose pain was moi
mere agony OF the body The watchers
stepped little closer. Slowly he looked
out at them again, and his lips moved
They bent forward. t'
Il didn't understand when I said
wouldn't do it, he mpttered, in scarcely
audible accents. And after pause ior th,
breath, whose coming and going tortured
him but family in comparison with his
thoughts: My God, Suppose it had beer
one 0 my kids ?"
Il knew, lad. | knew" exclaimed tht
Captain, bending down and pushing some
thing lndistihct into the range Of his vision
II knew ye was man, boy. Here's tn,
kid
Patrick opened his eyes again lar .idly
too exhausted = ~ish for sight he LII,
he nai saved sat bolt upright .g44 dies,
oi paN4 a.ass aster cast