The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1915-02-19

the HEe5 Hhu prayed freaks, burning
whole blocks, skipping blocks, and oft
en- skipping a single house in block.
And here, too, the providers were still
at their work. We carried our auto.
matte pistols openly in our hands, and
looked desperate enough, forsooth, to
keep them from attacking US. But at
Doctor Hoyle's house the thing hap
pened. Untouched by fire, even as we
came to it the smoke and flames burst
forth.
THE miscreant who had set fire TO
1t staggered down the steps and out
along the driveway Sticking out Of
his coat pockets were bottles of whis-
ky, and he was very drunk. My
first impulse was to shoot him, and
| have never ceased regrettinG that
did not Staggering and Numbering
to himself, with bloodshot eyes and a
raw and bleeding slash down one side
of his bewhiskered face, he was alto
gether the most naugeating specimen
OF degradation and filth | had ever
encountered. did not shoot him, and
he leaned against tree on the lawn
to let us 60 by, 1t wss the most abb
solute, wanton act. Just as we were
opposite him, he suddenly drew a pis-
tol and shot Dombey through the head
The next instant / shot him. But it
was too late. Dombey expired with
out groan, Immediately. l doubt il
he ever knew what had happened to
him.
Leaving the two corpses, hurried
on past the burning house to the gar
age. and there found Doctor Hoyles
motor car. The tanks were filed with
gasoline, and it was ready for use.
And 1t was In this car that threaded
the streets of the ruined city and came
back to the survivors on the campus
The other scouts returned, but none
had been so fortunate. Professor Fair
mead had found a Shetland pony, but
the poor creature, tied in stable
and abandoned for days, was SO weak
from want of food and water that 1t
could carry no burden at all. Some
of the men were for turning 1t loose,
but insisted that we should lead 1t
along with us, so that, II we got out Of
food, we would have it to eat.
There we're forty-seven Of us when
we started, many being women and
children. The president of the facul-
ty, an old man to begin with, and now
hopelessly broken by the awful hap
penings Of the past week, rode in the
motor car with several young chill
dren and the aged mother Of Profess
sor Fairmead. Wathope, young pro-
lessor Of English, who had grievous
bullet wound in his leg, drove the
car. The rest of us walked, Profess
sor Fairmead leading the pony.
Our progress was painfully slow.
The women and children could not
walk fast. They did not dream of
walking, my grandsons, in the way
all people walk today. In truth, none
of us knew how to walk. 1t was not
until after the plague that
learned really to walk. So 1t was that
the pace Of the slowest was the pace
of all, for we dared not separate on ac-
count of the providers. There were not
so many now of these human beasts of
prey. The plague had already well
diminished their numbers, but enough
still lived to be a constant menace to
us. Many of the beautiful residences
were untouched by fire, yet smoking
ruins we're everywhere. The providers,
too, seemed to have got over their in
sensate desire to burn, and 1t was
more rarely that we saw houses fresh
ly on fire.
Several of us secuted among the
private garages in search of motor cars
and gasoline. But in this we were un-
successful. The first great flights from
the cities had swept all such utilities
away. Calgan, fine young man, was
lost in this work. He was shot by
providers while crossing lawn. Yet
this was our only casualty, though
once drunken brute deliberately
opened fire on all of us. Luckily, he
fired wildly, and we shot him before
he had done any hurt.
"At Fruityaie, still in the heart Of
the magnificent residence section Of
the city, the plague again smote US.
Professor Fairmead was the victim.
Making signs to us that his mother
was not to know, he turned aside into
the grounds of a beautiful mansion.
He sat down forlornly on the steps OF
the front veranda, and /. having lin.
gered. waved him last farewell. That
night, several miles beyond FruitvaIe
and still in the city, we made camp.
And that night we shifted camp twice
to get away from our dead. In the
there were thirty of us. 1
shall never forget.the president OF the
faculty. During the mornings march
his wife. who was walking, betrayed
the fatal symptoms. and when she
drew aside to let us 60 on he insisted