The Washington herald., 1914-03-01

sousc. Jimmie was the las. to come
down, and as he come heard a crash.
The base pins of the stairs, under the
floor, had burned out There was a
sprinkle of warm water, and I knew
that the fire had reached the hose the
men had just dropped.
The top of ladder poked over the
window-sill. and the men, some of them
on all fours, like dogs, went for it and
crswled over to the outside.
| wagged over to Jimmie, and brush
ed against his leg to remind him that
had stuck to regulations. The smoke
was thicker with the fal. of the stairs.
and it was getting hotter.
The patch of light. where the win
dow was, went out. the smoke was so
thick Jimmie dropped to his knees and
began to feel his way with his hands.
The fire in the beams under our floor
began to work through. and every nov
and then | would get singed. Jimmie
was coughing awful hard, and heard
him say, Mother in heaven! Mother
in heavenw Something was wrong
with him, for his mother amt in
heaven. She's in the fiat around on
Rose street, right opposite Johnny
Murphy's Little Six" saloon, where
Duane street ends
The regulations required me to go
down to the fourth floor when the fight
ing-line retreated to the fifth, but reg
ulations is meant for nice, quiet times.
My pal was up against it on the fifth
floor, and ! guess know my place.
I'll take my beating. Nellie is going
to get hers tonight, and there is some
consolation in that.
felt Jimnie's hand touch my back.
He was trying to follow me. A big
red gout came out OF the floor, and |
sec the window again. The top OF the
ladder begun to move back. They
must have thought that Jimmie was safe
below. l left my pal and bounced to
the window, and, believe me, whooped
it up louder than ever did while on
the run to fire.
The bunch on the street heard me.
and Skinny Deevers, our foreman, rec
ognized my voice. saw him begin to
dance around, and then the top of the
ladder fell back in place.
Skinny came up like a squirrel. and
five men took their places on the rungs
below him. When Skinny reached the
sill he tried to grab me, but l ducked
and began barking to him. He swiped
at me again, but | pulled back and
barked some more. Then another sheet
of fame come out OF the floor, and
ran to Jimmie. The foreman bounced
in the window when he saw my boss,
and pulled him to the ladder in three
yanks.
The floor began to sag. Something
was giving away. l got my nose to
the air as Skinny passed Jimmie down,
and it was good air ] guess.
l heard the chief shouting up for
Skinny to hustle, but Skinny knew his
business, and he wasn't going to run
any chance of dropping my boss FIVE
floors to the sidewalk. He was that
sure and easy in every grip that it's up
to me never to forget that man.
The floor sagsed again, and l crawled
to the window sill.
Skinny was following my boss as the
men passed him along, and he was
down to the third floor.
All could do was to wag my tail
on the hot window sill, hoping he
would hear it and know was thanking
him.
Suddenly Skinny turned and began
to climb up the ladder again. i heard
Croker shout to MIN to some back, and,
according to regulations, it was up to
him to retreat, even if his own BROTH
or was in the building.
But he didn't mind the regulations.
He come up to the top rung and pulled
me off the window sill, and down we
went together, me holding to his shoul-
de- like little Ellen used to hang on 10
my pals shoulder when she was baby
and her mother used to bring her
around to the engine house OF an after.
noon.