The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1911-01-21
THE CATHOLIC BULLETIN, JANUARY 81, 1911

and chairs cropping, clutching, falling,
rising, rushing on. Even If Lucy had
had strength to call him Che had pa
tiently drilled her in the little living
room at home to call to him If she
should ever be caught in fire), she
could not have done it now His poor
baby! She had remembered SO well
his lessons, and he had failed her.
Failed Lucy, perhaps, but not the
thirty mothers whose children he had
restored to their arms and in the
sanctuary of whose hearts he was
henceforth to be canonized Again he
tripped and fell, and again would have
battled on, but somewhere far away
it seemed an infinite distance to the
desperate mamie heard the child
calling
"Dran'pa tum out, Use outside"
The man into whose arms she had
been thrust by Sullivan, who, hearing
her frantic scream, had climbed
through the north window and car
ried her out, urged her to call. He
also cried:
Captain serviss, Lucy is here!"
Like drowning man who suddenly
sees sail but is almost powerless to
keep his head above the waves, Ser
viss struggled back, fighting now for
his own life. The strength that had
made of him Hercules when saving
others, forsook him. He could no
longer keep his feet. He crawled pain
fully, gasping, inch by inch, the fire
licking at his rubber coat and singeing
with its hot breath his iron-gray hair.
Never, on wild plain or in trackless
jungle, attacked by lion or panther
or cougar, did man make a more des-
perate fight. Serviss' enemies were
twain-the fire and the smoke. At
length, breath of the outer air ca
ressed his face. For an instant he
opened his eyes, saw the window
above him, stretched an arm over the
ledge and fell back-unconscious.
But some one had seen the lifted
hand. A man mounted the ladder,
leaned over and dragged Serviss
across the ledge. Other hands lifted
him down. A blanket was spread on
the frozen ground. Serviss was
stretched on it. A physician gripped
| his pulse and listened to his heart.
Then he wrenched open his medicine
case, sought slender glass capsule,
shattered it in his fingers, and famed
the broken edges under the Captains
nose.
| Lucy and her mother, who had
rushed to the building, stood as near
the PROSTATE form as the physician
would permit Moments slipped by,
and no response to the powerful re-
storative was visible.
Then, gradually, the physician OBJ
served that the lips were trying to
frame a word. He could not tell what
it was. Then he saw that each time
1 little Lucy cried "Dran'pa" (for the
child could not be kept from calling
piteously to him), the lips would move
The physician turned and beckoned to
the child. Come, Lucy, call Grandpa
louder" said the man of science.
The child obeyed, leaning over her
grandfather and calling his name in
an eager, imperious treble. Again
and again the man ,endeavored to
respond. Finally his efforts were sue
cessful. AS the dazed eyes opened,
slowly, their first glance fell upon the
little golden-haired girl, whose tear
drenched rosy face bent so anxiously
lover him.
4 ''Dran'pa,' the child exclaimed, 'T'se
all-wight; wake up, Dran'pa."
1t was as though a great shudder
swept through the powerful PROSTATE
frame, and then with superhuman
effort, Cap. Jack raised himself to a
sitting posture and caught the child
in his arms.
IT heard you calling, honey. I think
I was dying, but I heard you, and
came back to you, little girl"
Tears rained down his rugged
cheeks. A light not of earth dawned
in his face. He smiled, laughed,
kissed her tenderly, Rugged her close.
Then, slowly getting to his feet and
looking about him, exclaimed:
well, I see the boys are just start
ing back to the house. I must be
going with them"
'But, Captain Serviss," expostulated
the amazed physician, IT fear you are
not yet sufficiently strong. You had
better go home and rest"
Strong? Why, could life a ton!
I'm the happiest man in the State.
Sure can go. Thanks for all atten-
tons, Doc. Wait a minute, boys. -
And, placing the little girl gently
down beside her mother, whom he
tenderly kissed, the tall, gaunt, gray
haired hero strobe over to his wagon
mounted the high seat, and turned the
horses heads toward Hose House
Number Nine. AS he backed up to
, the door he said quietly, but with a
smile of ineffable tenderness at Sulli'
van, who had saved the child
"Well, boys, let's wash the wagonn'
, IL. Keck-Wiggins, in Extension
for January.