Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-04-17


| asleep.
An odor of something burning!
/ Helen, only half awake, started up.
, What was it?What was burning? Then
as she threw back the covers she saw
something glowing in the bed. A mo-
ment of dazed terror and she gave a
piercing scream.
! With a bound Warren was out of
Hey! What the devil"
bed and had caught up the droplight,
still glowing through the charred
towel. Snatching up rug, he threw
! it over the smoldering, smoking bed
clothes, which seemed ready to burn
into flames.
| 1t was several minutes before he
cautiously raised the rug to make
sure there was no further danger, and
several more moments before either
of them could talk coherently.
We'll. that was a blamed lucky
escape!" He drew a deep breath.
Another second and the whole bed
would have been in flames"
Helen was now sobbing through
sheer nervous terror.
How the devil did it happen ?
Knock that light off in your sleep?
But don't see how it got turned on!"
l-l- began Helen, and then
choked convulsively.
IDTOuRn
to the mattress Look here!"
The bulb, which had slipped from
under Helen's cheek as she slept, had
fallen down to the very edge of the
pillow where 1t had charred through
ticking, feathers and even down
through the sheet and mattress.
Just look at that" and Warren
dug out handful of charred hair
from the mattress. How in thunder
could it smolder like that without
naming? Must have been covered up.
Didn't get you. did it?" turning to
Helen with sudden apprehension.
II don't think So" sobbingly.
Don't see how you escaped--ex-
cept that it was on the very edge of
the bed. Come over here" drawing
her to the light, but her nightgown
was not even scorched.
Having satisfied himself as to Helen,
he turned back to the bed.
We'll, that lights got to be weight
ed. We'll not risk that being turned
over again.
Should she tell him? She had been
too dazed to say anything at first, and
now she hadn't the couragel She
couldn't face his scathing denuncia-
! tions. He thought the light had fallen
over; couldn't she let him think that
at least for a while?
Warren was still digging the char
red hair out of the mattress. The
burned surface was large than his
outspread hand.
oh, it's ruined" moaned Helen.
i wouldn't care for the pillow and
sheets, but that was such an expensive
mattress" =
"Mattress?" contemptuously "You
ought to be blamed thankful we es-
capped with our lives
"Our best blankets tool" as Helen
discovered that a corner of the blan-
ket was charred crisp.
We'll, let's get a move on us. Cant
stand here gaping all night How'll
we fix this SO we can get back to he'd .
Here, put this pillow somewhere.
| those feathers'll be over everything )
Helen took the pillow, which was
shedding charred feathers through the
blackened hole, and laid it on the H.
brary table. Then she got out fresh
sheets, folded one over the burnt place
In the mattress, and they made up the
bed. p '-''
II didn't know an ordinary e,ec-
trio bulb could burn like that" she
faltered at length. II didn't think
they'd burn at ALL"
Cant tell what electricitv'u do
Mighty dangerous thing"
But it doesn't burn the silk
shades!" slim
Because they don't touch it--air
circulates between. That's the ouear
part OF this, with puzzled frown.
you must nave got that bulb Gov
cred up with the bedclothes or I,
wouldn't have smoldered like that" "
Helen did not answer. but her face
flushed as she stopped lower to tuck
In the fresh sheets at the foot.
Hello, what's this?" Warren was
examining the charred towel which
had been wrapped about the globe
and that had fallen to the floor un.
noticed. That's funny--it's a towel,
How did that get in bed?''
oh, l got up to heat an iron for my
TOOTH pointing to the iron that Iay
on the table still wrapped in the news.
paper.
But this wasn't around the iron
Why, the whole towels burnt TO 9
crisp. Looks like"
She Confesses
Helen with averted face was still
tucking in the bedclothes. The color
/ INVADED her neck, as she now felt
| Warren's keen searching gaze.
See here!" sharply What's up ?
something mighty queer about this!'
"Why-why, nothing, dear. I don't
know what You mean," in the uuaver.
ing tone that Warren always knew
meant equivocation.
What do you know about this, any.
way? You've been up to some foo
thing. Out with it!'
"Nothing-only I-I-my tooth hurt
me So she began miserably
and the hot water bottle leaked-and
l-got up and heated that iron, but II
was so heavy and cumbersome
! and-'
What's that got to do with THIS ?'
scowling at the charred towel "Get
to the point---can't you?"
We'll, l-some one told me tbout
using an electric bulb instead of a
hot water bag, and IL thought I'd
try it,"
Warren gasped. For the moment
I words failed him.
Al any other time, Helen would
| have seen the lumor of the situation