The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1915-12-19


Molly long time. was there ever a
better-hearted friend or a cheerfuller
worker? Look at poor Molly now!
She looks as sad as the East river on
a winter day. It's no news TO any OF
you or | wouldn't go into It. But Mol
ly's got no big brother nor no heavy
tisted father to look after her All
she had was herself to look after her
SELF and a heart that trusted every.
body. And you know as well as l do,
as well as she does. what's come over
her eyes, that used to be so bright
and smiling, to make them look the
way they do. Look here
He took a much crumpled paper
from his breast pocket
Girls" he said this here is a II.
cense for me and Molly to get mar
ried It's four months old now, but
it's a perfectly good license; in per
fectly good working order. | fooled
her with It, That's what did"
He turned abruptly to the girl at
his side
81 don't ask you to forgive me now.
Molly, not this moment | don't, not
till I've made good with you by kind
words and thoughtful deeds. But |
do ask you to step out with me right
now to the office OF the nearest magis-
trate, and-and I'll always be good to
you"
Celestia stepped swiftly forward.
took the girls thin pretty face be-
tween her two hands and kissed her.
Il know you'll be happy" she said.
After Celestia, many others, some
crying with excitement, came forward
to kiss Molly and wish her well. And
then the manager made Molly take his
arm, and he led her the length OF the
room, looking proud and manly, and
out of the door
From the outskirts OF the crowd a
from the outskirts of the crowd a
very young. sicklooking girl said sud
denly in loud piercing voice:
81 smell smoke. ! smell smoke!"
There was a dead silence And then
another voice spoke.
IT'S coming through the floor. Look
at It, Look at IT,
Tommy, a sudden great dread in his
heart, hurried toward Celestia. He
had traversed half the length Of the
room when the girl who had spoken
first screamed at the top Of her lungs,
Fire, FIRE."
Others took up the cry, and upon
the instant pandemonium broke loose.
There was no longer any doubt that
/ the building was really on fire. Just
how the smoke got into the sewing
machine room you could not see, but
there was plenty of 1t, enough to make
Tommy cough and to fill his eyes with
tears. Celestia, after a desperate ef
/ fort to calm the girls, had not moved.
/ II seemed almost as If she was wait
ing for Tommy to come and get her.
Come, Celestia," he said, Tets get
out of this"
As he spoke a billow OF smoke shot
up between two planks, and for the
first time the cracking OF burning
wood could be heard.
By this time really horrible things
were happening at the pine-bound
door. 1t opened inward. The first
girl to reach it had flung herself
against it. of course, and tried to
make It open outward.
Tommy tried to fight his way to 1t.
He intended to get to it and fight the
girls back from 1t so that 1t could
be opened.
He forced his way to the middle Of
the crowd, and then he had to give up.
1t was all he could do to fight his way
out again
The other end of the room was in
flames. Through the soles of his
shoes Tommy knew that the whole
floor was burning on its under side.
A glance at Celestia filled his heart
with pity that was almost intolerable.
She, too, it seemed, had gone mad
with terror Along the walls of the
room were many fire-buckets half full
of water Celestia had caught up one
of them and was running toward the
SlIuSBlluB mass Vi humanity dlOuAN
the door. But Celestia had not gone
mad. She was excited, but her mind
was still capable of putting two and
two together.
She hurled the contents of the
bucket into the thick of the crowd. .
and raced of for another. The effect F..
of that sudden hard shower of cold 7
water was extraordinary.
Tommy got to the door at last and /
dragged it open. That started another /
stampede that had to be controlled |
with more water and with more vio- |
lence But gradually Tommy at the |
door and Celestia in the crowd began
to bring a little order out OF the
chaos. and to herd the girls through
the doorway like sheep. not too many
at a time.
II had been a slow business, and by |
now the floor was burning clear