The Washington herald., 1912-07-07


her feet and was trying to keep from
its touch. She played on, but she did
not hear; she saw only that tongue OF
flame and was blind and deaf to all
else.
Drake lifted her bodily from the
stool and carried her to the window,
where she so far recovered herself that
she was able to descend the ladder
with little assistance.
She was a heroine, of course. People
began telling her that before she had
fairly reached the ground. They
crowded about and praised and ques-
toned and chcercd, and some of the
mothers even cried. Nor was Drake
forgotten, although he sincerely wished
he might be. But Miss Radford seemed
quite unconscious of the fact that she
had done anything unusual and was
more interested in assuring herself that
none of the children had been hurt
than in anything else.
Drake accompanied her to the board
ing-house he had just left, and so much
of the adulatory crowd as could tear
itself away from the burning hall ac-
companied them. Some one carried
his suitcase, which somehow imme-
diately found its way back to the room
that he had just vacated. The land
lady seemed to have forgotten that he
had intended to leave, and he was only
too glad to have the room again as a
refuge. He did not like being hero.
1t might be all right in some circum-
stances, but the senselcss emotional
ism of some Of the excited people was
annoying Besides. he wanted chance
to think the matter over quietly. 1t
oil E,,1
exhibition of cool courage by one who
terical weakling.
She did not appear at supper that
evening, the excitement of the after
noon having proved too much for her
nerves, so it was not until the follow
ing morning that he saw her again.
Neither of them then spoke of their
exciting experience, except so far as
the other boardcrs compelled them TO,
but he showed dcfcrential, almost
revercntial, admiration that had been
lacking previously. He was, indeed. in
a state of mental bewiderment, out of
which he could make nothing more
definite than that he had sadly mis-
Judged her. On her part, she seemed
as unconscious as ever Of the fact that
she had done anything unusual, and
spoke in the most matter-of-fact way
OF the affair when compelled to speak
Of it at all. Nor was this mere mod
esty, apparently, but real failure to
understand that there was anything
surprising or particularly prafsewortny
in her act.
She was deeply interested in the
future of her school, however, and
Drake went with her to see what ar
rangements could be made to continue
that. 1t somehow seemed quite natu-
raj that he should be her escort and
adviser
Miss Radford shuddered as they
stopped moment in front of the ruins
of the town hall. Nothing was now
left of it but the foundations and a
great mass of charred lumber, in which
a gang of men was at work trying to
uncover a safe that had been in one of
the Offices. 1t was small wonder that
she shuddered, Drake reflected, when
she remembered how long she had
fingered on the second floor of the
building of which so little was now
left.
II was thinking she said, more to
herself than to him, "of what might
have happened to my children. It
it Let's go on. pleasep She shud-
dered again and hastily turned away.
81 can't bear to look at it."