The Yale expositor., 1917-03-01

Lamb" She took a step forward.
Louis Lamb looked at her vacantly.
81 don't know you. 1 don't know
| you" he muttered.
And in his empty glance Muriel read
the extent Of the disaster that had be-
fallen him. Louie Lamb stared out at
Broadway.
"This isn't Buenos Aires" he cried.
'Where am 1? What has happened to
mel"
He looked vacantly about him and
began stumbling through the coiling
smoke into the heart of the district.
| Muriel knew that her plan had gone
awry; that whatever the secret might
be which Louie had once possessed, it
had gone from him forever.
Terrified, she hurried out OF the
place, caught street car and made
her way homeward. There was no
way of saving Jimmy now
She found the boy lying back in
his chair in the living room, sunk into
IA dull apathy. She ran to him, kneeled
at his side, and placed her arm about
| him.
ooh, Jimuy!' she wept.
Then Muriel screamed and stared into
the corner of the room where stood
her brothers desk. His eyes followed
her own his teeth began to chatter.
The pencil which lay on Jimmy's
desk had begun 20 poise itself in the
air, as if held by Invisible fingers.
Then an invisible hand picked up the
pad that had lain beside it SBd cerib-
bled on it.
Out of the air a second roll of ellis
dropped. 1t fluttered to the desk. Tho
hand laid down the pencil and the
pad. The vision vanished. Muriel ran
to the desk, picked up the pad and
read:
"You tried your best. Better luck
next time. Here is the balance of the
thousand dollars"
Muriel snatched up the bills. There
were five hundred more. She thrust
them into her brothers hands, and
brother and sister chung to each other
fearfully, wondering, fearing, but
happy in this mystic Intervention.
Ravengar, left alone with Sebastian
and LeOntine, dropped his attitude of
absorption and became communicative.
His manners were fascinating, and
soon the three were engaged in an ami
mated conversation. Suddenly the cry
Of "Fire Z" rang through the cabaret.
They started up with the crowd, |
which stood uncertainty, looking to-
ward the entrance, through which a |
thin wisp of smoke was curling. The |
manager ran upon the stage.
keep your seats, ladies and gentle |
men. 1t is only a brazier that has |
been overturned" he said.
But as the audience was resettling |
itself doubtfully, while ladies grasped
their cloaks and men felt for their
hat checks, screams rang out, and the
coil of smoke suddenly became whirl-
ing cloud that drifted in and filed the
Instantly confusion reigned. There
was a wild rush for the door. The
band struck up lively march in vain;
then suddenly the members threw
down their pieces and ran for safety.
The fearful crush in the hall was re-
peated inside the cabaret. Ravengar
and Sebastian, linking hands, hurried
Leontine along between them. They
had nearly reached the door, where
the crush was thickest, when Leontine
cd fnIl |
ment Ravengar, torn away by the
crowd, was almost hurled through the
doors.
He strove with all his might to re-
turn to her, but he might as well have
struggled against an avalanche. With
difficulty he managed to retain himself
in an upright position. instead of fall
Ing among the writhing bodies; and
thus he was forced bodily out of the
hall into the street.
When Leontine stumbled, Sebastian
stopped to pick her up, but man stag
gered, cursing, into him. Sebastian
hesitated. If he bent down for his
wife, he saw that it would be impossi-
BILE to regain his footing. He let her
20 with a curse and sought safety in
flight.
Leontine had fallen before window
near the elevator shaft. Somewhat
protected by the bodies that were piled
about her, she lay there, half con-
scious, gasping in the acrid fumes Of
he burning woodwork that coiled
about her.
Suddenly, out of the fog of uncon-
she heard her name called.
There was a SCATTERING of glass. A
breath of wind dispersed the smoke.
She opened her eyes, to see Ravengar
1t the window.
He scrambled through, pulled her
rom under the fallen and, lifting her
n his arms, helped her to safety. His
hands were bleeding from the broken
ylass and his face stained with smoke.
lie set her down, gasping, upon the
sidewalk and bent over her.
THANK God you are alivel" he ex-
claimed fervently.