The San Francisco call., 1913-11-05

sent a spreading shaft OF light up-
ward like the beam of a searchlight.
The warmth, too, of the object was
almost overpowering. Had not the
surrounding walls been constructed
of stone and brick there must have
been an immediate outbreak OF fire.
As 1t as. the glass in the windows
cracked. and the woodwork began TO
scorch. In the same instant a dread
ful roll of thunder swept over tho
locality, and deluge OF rain. with
out any further warning, descended
All this seemed to the wondering
boy to be a very long time in pass
ing. In reality 1t occupied but
very few seconds. People in the dis
tant street could not distinguish the
crash of the fallen meteor from the
accompanying thunder, and the down
pour of rain came in the very nick
of time to prevent the wood In the
house and the neighboring factories
from blazing forth into a disastrous
fire.
The torrent Of water caused a dense
volume Of steam to generate In the
back yard, and this helped to mini
mize the strange Tight shooting up
from the savity. There was a mad
kissing and cracking as the rain
poured over the meteor and gradually
dulled its brightness. Pandemonium
ragged in that curiously secluded nook.
Amazed and cowed-not by the
natural phenomenon he had wit
messed, but by the Interpretation he
placed on 1.-THE boy unfastened the
rope from his neck
Very well. mother" he whispered.
aloud. II 1t is your wish I will live.
/ suppose that God speaks in this
way"
WHAT THE METEOR CONTAINED
Philip descended the stairs. He
was choking now from another cause
than strang gulation. The steam uour-
ing In through the fractured window
panes was sitting. He took Off his
coat, first removing from al, inner
pocket the bundle of letters found
under Mrs. Anson's pillow, and care
fully stuffed tho worn garment into
the largest cavities. BY this means
ne succeeded somewhat in shutting
out the vapor, as well as the lur5d
light that still fared red in the back
yard.
The lightning had ceased totally
and the improvised blind plunged the
room into impenetrab1e darlxness Ho
/ felt his way to the stairs and founf7
the candle, which he reliEhted The
rain beating on the roofs and IN t4,a
outer pavements combined Wfth The
weird sounds I'm the inclosed yard ~
| make terrifying racket, but ID was
not likely that a youth who attrfh-
uted his escape from q loa6bsome
death, self-inflicted, to the direct an
terposition of Providence in hia he
half would yield to any sentimental
fears on that account Indeed. "a :
though quite weak from hunger ne
felt an unaccountable elntion 81 snir-
Its new born desire to live ana d,,r-
tify his mothers confidence In h1m !
sense OF power to achieve that which
hitherto seemed impossible.
! He even broke into a deru14c~x
whistling as he bent over the hesrtl,
and resumed the laying Of the Are
abandoned five minutes earlier wifh
such sudden soul wearinesz. Tha can
| die, too. burned with cheery riirnmer.
as IL pleased with the f7asapnearance
of its formidable competitor. Forth
nately he had some coal in the houre
his chief supply was stored in 4
small bin at the other side OF the
yard. Beyond the burial place 81 the
raging, steauing meteor. and conpe-
| quent1y quite unapproa chabie.
Soon the IRE burned merri1y. ana