The Parker post. (Parker, Ariz.) 1910-1918, 1913-07-26


It was a little fire at first, but it
spread swiftly, and by the time t'at
the call came to his company, from
The other end of the town, a whole
block of tenement buildings was
ablaze. And, mounted on the fire
.ruck, he felt the whizzing air sweep
by, he saw the horses plunge madly
in answer to the deafening bell, and
his heart leaped up in his breast. He
was a man! He would show them
that he was a man.
The hose was playing upon the fire;
it might as well have been a childs
squirtgun for all the effect it had
Above him-far above-he saw white
faces of women at the windows He.
heard their cries family in his ears.
He was working upon the hose, and
other men, more trustworthy than he,
were climbing up the long ladders to
bring the women down to safety.
Suddenly he saw burst of fire that
leaped out from a window and en-
quilted the ladder nearest him 1t ate
through the side bars as though they
were match sticks. Crash! Two men
fell from a hideous height and struck
the street close by. He did not look
at them.
He did not look for he had other
work in hand. Already another lad
der was being raised. Harrigan
sprang forward and began to ascend.
To hand cbO1Itc hopootb him Tho
captain was ordering him down. This
was not for him; he was a coward
and this was no towards work. He
climbed steadily, though the frail lad
der trembled and shook beneath his
weight Now he had reached that aw-
full gulf of fire. He felt it scorch his
skin; he heard his hair crackle as it
singed.
He swung from the ladder to the
narrow coping, just out of the reach
of the flames. He did not dare lock
down. Above him-only one story
above, he saw those women's faces,
Even as he looked two disappeared
They had run back into the room,
seeking madly for an outlet One, i'm,
mediately above, looked down. He
choked. 1t was Mary.
Now he had no more fear. He
braced himself backward, standing
upon the narrow ledge half an inch
from eternity He bent his knees and
leaped, stretching wildly upward. One
hand found the window sill above and
chung to it; the other hand CROPPED and
found it; now he was drawing himself
up by an effort superhuman. In an
other moment he was on the ledge by
Marys side. He clasped her in his
arms.
He looked down into the cluster Of
awed faces. No men had ever done
such a deed before And he had gone
to his death, for there seemed no
chance of reaching him. They chung
together on the ledge, fire over and
under them. One minute of life re-
manned
'Mary-my love," he whispered,
pressing his lips to her cold cheek.
She opened her eyes. "John!" she
answered. smiling.
"You are married, dear?'
mo, John. l was-waiting," she
answered
For me-" he cried
ITO show that you were man,
John. And you have shown me-"
Shouts came to him. The men were
bracing ladders An elongated snake
of wood crawl up the side of the wall
The fiery tongues beneath were
quenched. John felt for the ladder
top with his feet and found it. He
placed his feet upon the topmost
rung, supporting Mary in his arms,
and tainted in the arms of the man
who had climbed to save him
"Well done, John Harrigan"
voice was murmuring far away. He
listened in amusement What was
the voice saying "Bravest man on
the fire force?" He opened his eyes.
He looked into the keen blue eyes
beneath the thick eyebrows OF Fire
Chief Bethany
Copyright. 1918, by w. G. Chapman)