The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1917-03-22
A HER0's CUE
BY SYLVIA TURNER.
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excitable reaction, mental. of course.
wherein the hero feels irresistibly i'm.
PEELED to act in accordance with the
exigencies of the moment"
There was silence ut the tables
where Mrs. Bardwells paying guests
took their evening meal. But Frances
glanced up with a little laughing
glance ut Roland. and Miss Brockway
gave vent to an audible sigh. Opposite
Frances sat Williams. absorbed as us.
ual in his own thoughts, and cutting too
fast.
''DO you agree with this, Mr.. VIII.
lfams?" asked Miss Brockway, tact.
lessly.
YES" said Williams, without par.
ley. mo man is hero who sets the
stage and acts part. 1t is purely in
voluntary"
After dinner, as usual, he avoided
the congregation Of kindred souls out
on the front steps and in the double
parlors. Roland always Joined them,
but Williams went on up to the buck
room they shared in common and went
after his engineering books with Ger.
tain savage avidity. 1t was late when
he finished, about IL 80. Roland came
up. He spoke of the new moon and Of
Frances dancing.
"SOme girls are merely spectacular.
but she has soul and intellect" said
Roland. "She is not exactly what you'd
call beautiful, Tom, but she's tantaliz-
Ing and interesting. Did you know she
was from Kentucky, too?"
Williams nodded his head imperson.
ally.
1t was far into the night when he
wakened with the muscles of his throat
taut and stinging. When he opened his
eyes he faced q gun-metal cOlOred mist.
Making for the window in quick dive,
he opened it wide, drew in the keen
air deeply and turned around to rouse
Roland. Williams wasted no time, but
splashed water in his face and told him
to get out in the halls and rouse the
people, while he found the source Of
the fire.
"Ring in an ALARM" he called, as he
water and held it around his face and
nostrils in the downrush through the
halls. And from then on until he was
hshed out unconscious from the SUBJ
cellar by the tiremen, Williams dropped
put of mortal ken, but Roland dis
covered involuntary heroism. He was
n his pajamas with raincoat thrown
hastily over them, going from door to
1Oor rousing the slumbering boarders.
Also he went to the corner and turned
IN the fire alarm, rather dazedly. And
when he came back he met the full
contingent of Mrs. Bardwells house,
1old coming downstairs with their most
precious belongings clasped in their
arms. Frances stood out on the front
steps.
"Have you seen Mr.. Williams any.
where's" she asked. 1.-THE firemen are
coming, aren't they?"
"Oh, yes" Roland assured her, hap
ply. Il have just turned in the alarm.
don't think it's dangerous yet. though.
Only, of course, the smoke. We might
al have been suffocated."
| THAT'S what they are saying" an
,wered Frances. 1T was good YOU
wakened in time"
Now right there was Roland's
chance, and he missed it because the
1octor spied him and hailed him as q
zero. So did Miss Brockway, almost
:ainting on his shoulder. So did each
and every one of the survivors, indi.
Vidually and severally. He had reused
hem and saved their lives. Roland
almost believed it himself.
Then came the engines outside and
he firemen. And Clarence, the cOlOred
waiter, emerged from the basement en-
trance gasping and the bearer of It'd.
lngs.
Its q boiler of clothes done got left
IN de laundry stove" he explained,
and Mister Williams he's down dere
n de smoke right by de furnace. He
put de fire out all by hisself."
Two stalwart firenen bore Williams
up out Of the laundry in the subcellar.
It was bad anticlimax. He was UNI
conscious and blackened, and his hands
we're burned and his eyebrows and hair
were singcd. And while everyone wor-
lied and tended to him Frances turned
Just once to Roland and asked:
"And you forgot him?"
"Frances, just this minute got back
from sending in the alarm"
'"This minute?" Frances eyebrows
raised. what an instantaneous re-
Spouse the department gave you. You
might have told someone that he was
down there, you knOw-thcre was time
while they We're praising the hero"
And when Williams opened his ewes
and said quite anxiously and impul.
sively before everyone:
"Franccs
I'm here, Tom" She went over to
the big couch where he lay and gave
him her hands, even with Miss Brock.
ways eyes upon them.
Everybody safe?"
Everyone" she assured him.
ut was only that blamed laundry
stove" he muttered. "but the smoke
got me by the throat"
The doctor turned around and SOFTLY
left the parlOr. After him went NIjss