The Carlisle independent., 1917-08-02

Louis Lamb looked at her vacantly.
 'I don't know you. l don't know you" he muttered.
 And in his empty glance Muriel read the extent of the disaster that had be- Broadway.
 'This isn't Buenos Aires" he cried. Where am I? What has happened to me?"
 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 q 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 q dull apathy. She ran to him, kneeled at his side, and placed her arm about him.
 'OH, Jimmy she Wept.
 Then Murfel screamed and stared into the corner of the room Unere stood her brothers desk. His eyes followed her own his teeth began to chatter.
 The pencil which lay on Jimmy's desk had begun tU poise itself in the air, as if held by invisible fingers. Then an invisible hand picked up the pad that had lain beside it and scrib- bled on it.
 Out of the air a second roll of bills dropped. It fluttered to the desk. The 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"
 MurieI snatched up the bills. There were five hundred more. She thrust them into her brothers hands, and brother and sister clung 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 'Firer' rang through the cabaret.
 They started up with the crowd. which stood uncertainty. looking to- ward the entrance, through which a thin wfsp of smoke was curling. The manager ran upon the stage.
 Keep your seats. ladies and gentle men. It 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 q whirl- ing cloud that drifted in and filled the cabaret.
 Instantly confusion reigned. There was 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 stumbled and fell. At the same mo- 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- ble to regain his footing He let her go 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 Seious, gasping in the acrid fumes of the burning woodwork that coiled about her.
 Suddenly, out of the fog of uncon- sciousness, she heard her name called. There was a shattering of glass. A breath of wind dispersed the smoke. She opened her eyes, to see Ravengar at the window
 He scrambled through, pulled her from under the fallen and, lifting her in his arms. helped her to safety. His hands were bleeding from the broken glass and his face stained with smoke He set her down, gasping, upon the sidewalk and bent over her.
 "Thank God yOu are alive i' hp ex-