The Kansas City sun. (Kansas City, Mo.) 1908-1924, 1917-05-05
"Remain there just a moment"

KEENAN, there Just n J!
He disappeared, but to speedily re-
turn with a long, light ladder. He
dropped its top across the window
coping, ran up it nimbly.
"Now, then" he spoke, bracing his
feet and opening his arms.
Just in time! ~ he added, for a
tongue of flame darted through the
transom of the ROOM.
Ora was so weak and trembling that
she hesitated with no false prudery to
accept the shelter of those strong, re-
liant arms. Her resCuer was hand
some, nothing 10th to enfold a beaute-
Gus creature, faultlessly attired. They
reached the ground safely without a
Jar.
81 vas driving by in my car when
they brought out Miss Chandler. She
was hysterical, but told me there was
a young lady in the house. The front
was all ablaze. 1 rounded the house.
Lucky stars there you were"
Ora smiled at the ingenious offhand-
edness of this admirable young man.
frank and u~nassuming to the point of
oddly.
wraps lost, I suppose" he proceed
ed briskly. Friend of Miss Chandler7
My brother is engaged to her. Car
near by. l must get you home. This
way, and Wen evnde the crowd"
81 am not" began truthful Ora, but
she was not allowed to disclose the
fact that she was not so foftunate as
to be a friend of Miss Chandler, as
the young man had supposed, but a
very humble caterer, indeed, to the
whims of style of that votary of fash
ion. The smoke choked her utterance
and her escort breasted a crowd to
reach an automobile in which Ora soon
found herself, and the young man by
her side.
"Now, then he spoke, when they
had got a square from the burning
house, what is the address?"
twenty-five Danbury place" said
Ora, "but I cannot put you to the trou-
Bile of driving me there"
She noticed an expression of sur
prise come into her escorts face. 1t
vas apparent that he knew that Dan
bury place was located in the poorest
quarter of the city.
II am afraid that my borrowed fin
cry and the fact that I was in the
Chandler home have misled you" she
spoke out abruptly, deception and false
pride having no part in honest Ora's
nature.
Borrowed fineryT" repeated Mr..
Dale Gregory vaguely.
81 must explain" proceeded Ora.
He listened with eyes full of inter-
est. He laughed in a free, jolly way at
the conclusion of the brief narrative.
why, it's like a story book" he
cried, stimulated by the fantastic stu
alton. 81 declare! but where do l come
in?"
"Oh, you are the hero of the occa-
sion-I shall never forget that" said
Ora, and her gratitude was sincere.
To the heroic, the sensational in the
episode of the hour there was added
a touch of real pathos, Dale Gregory
realized, as, safely leaving Ora at her
humble home, he drove away thought
full and reused considerably out of his
normal. self.
"Sweet, patient little creature I" he
unused. "YVhat contrasts in life Why,
really, she has brought out some sense
of my real worthiness. What will my
friends say to the hero layout? 1 de-
clare, it's like a genuine stage ro-
NANCE
OF course Miss Chandler sent for
Ora. Shallow-souled amid her indo-
lent life as she was, the society girl
fully recognized the deep debt of graf
itude she owed. Then, of course, Dale
Gregory's part in the fire rescue came
to light.
1--WE won her" the ardent young
man told his brother one day, land If
you will put off your union with Eu'
nice a month or two, we will have q
double wedding in the family"