Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1911-06-15

! Her son Henry was uluereuI AToA thS
meek husband who had died and the
submissive daughters who had mar
ried and gone away. Henry had a
| dominant spirit OF his own. but she
had exacted his promise not to marry
without her consent. and then after his
engagement to Alice Secor had been
an accepted fact for three years she
had set her face against it
She was Jealous of the girl and or
| Henry's devotion to her. So she had
made family pride and money the We
| hiele of her displeasure. and after
awhile. when she had explained her
| views to Alice herself. the engage
ment was broken of. She. wondered
| now IL she was any happier. True. she
had her son all to herself. and he had
passionately declared that he would
| marry nobody else. But he was
| changed from the happy young man
OF three months ago. and in his seri-
Gus, brooding face she read bitterness
and sorrow. She was afraid. and she
| was ashamed. and yet she did not
4 Know how to make amends Perhaps
| It would come out all right. she argued,
| although she had doubts, for the Sc
| cors were proud, too. and would never
| make the first advances.
| Dusk was falling when Henry drove
into the yard again.
After Henry had eaten his supper
he went with his mother to the high
| hill back of the barn to watch the dis
| play of rockets from all around the
| valley.
/ ". toto %Hn Err n
broke into rainbow showers Of stars
or sent streamers of red FIRE down to
earth with their dropping sticks.
| "That one fell on the barn. HenryT
| cried Martha suddenly. 81 wish I'd
/ let you renew the insurance on 1t as
| you wanted to, but-there. guess it's
| gone out. oh. look Henry; it's awful
| like a judgmentr She pointed upward
| where by q strange freak Of circum
stances six great skyrockets, like blaz
| ing comets, tore toward the zenith
| from all points of the compass. Just
4 above the Fame house and barns they
| poised an instant and then broke all
| together In a fiery rain that fell on the
Fame farm buildings like heaven sent
| disaster.
/
| Martha, almost hysterical with fear
Eve better get down to the house and
see that everything's all right 1 wish
| I'd let you renew the insurance"
| Henry spoke not q word as they hur-
ried down the slope. When they reach
ed the barnyard the barn was afire in
a dozen places where the cinders had
ignited the dry shingles. While Mar
/ tina few to telephone to the hose COM
| pany Henry tore open the barn doors
| and led the frightened stock into the
pastures. Then he rolled the carriages
to a place of safety, threw a canvas
| cover over them and turned to the
| house.
Through the dormer window of the
| attic there glowed a red light. and
| little tongue Of flame licked the roof.
| He called his mother, and they worked
frantically to remove their choicest
| possessions from the house, for there
was nothing else to do until help came
from the village. Suddenly Mrs. Secor
and Alice appeared and worked side
by side with the mother and son.
When the hose company came 1t
brought half of Little River with It,
and before long the house was denud-
ed of its contents while the fire burn
| ed slowly downward, checked little by
little by the streams of water pumped
from the artesian well.
| The three women, Martha Fame Mrs.
| Secor and Alice, huddled in one cor
ner Of the yard. Somehow or other
their arms had become interlaced, and
once Martha Fane's quivering lips had
| pressed against Alice's dark hair.
"1ts a judgment on me for being
| proud" she moaned continually.
Long after midnight the fight ceased.
| The barn lay a heap of smoldering
| ruins. The house was Quilted by the
devastating fire, and the household fur
niture of careful Martha Fame was
| heaped about the yard.
Henry came and placed his arm
| around his mother. II guess we're
| poor enough now, Henry" she sobbed
mot penny of insurance on any
thing and not a place to lay my head"
Mrs. Secor took her arm and gently
led her toward her own house. poor
| or rich. Martha Fame, my house is
| yours as long as you want to stay
| there. Uncle Benjamin will watch
| over the ruins and the furniture. He
doesn't mind, because he can sleep ali
day tomorrow. Maybe it's, all for the
best, Martha. You know you never
liked the upper floor of that house.
You can build 1t to suit now"
81 guess it's judgment come direct
from heaven to straighten out whole
lot Of things" said Martha Fame meek
~. She looked back over her shoulder
at Henry and Alice following. You
take good care of Alice, Henry" she
called I'm a meaning tone. and Henry
responded with his old boyish cheeri-
ness: