The Kenna record. (Kenna, Roosevelt County, N.M.) 190?-1924, 1917-05-04
A HERO's CUE
BY SYLVIA TURNER.


excitable reaction, mental, of course,
wherein the hero feels ilreslstibly inn
PEELED to act in accordance with the
exigencies of the moment"
There was d silence at tie tables
where Mrs. Bardwell's paying guests
took their evening meal. But Frances
glanced up with a little laughing
glance at Roland, and Miss Brockway
gave vent to an audible sigh. Opposite
Frances sat Williams, absorbed as u.s.
ual in his own thoughts, and eating too
fast.
DO you agree with this, Mr.. Will
llamsT asked Miss BrOckway, tact
lessly.
YES" said Williams, without par
ley. mo man Is hero who sets the
stnge and acts part. 1t is purely in-
voluntary"
After dinner, as Install, 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 back
room they shared hi common and went
after his engineering books with ceFs
tain savage avldity. 1t was late when
he finished, about H. 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" suid
Roland. "She is not exuetly what you'd
call beautiful, Tom, but she's tnhtaliz.
ing and interesting. Did you know she
was from Kentucky, tOo?"
Williams iiOdded his head imperson.
ally.
1t was far into the night whetl he
wakened with the muscles of his throat
taut and singing When he opened his
eyes he faced gun-metal cOlored mist.
Making for the window in a 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 6ut In the halls and fOuse the
people, while he found the Source of
the fire.
'Rlng in an ALARM" he called, as he
slapped a Turkish towel out of cold
water and held 1t around his face and
nOstrlls in the dOwnrush through the
halls. And from then on until he was
dshed out unconscious from the sub
cellar by the firemen, Williams dropped
out of mortal ken, but Roland dis
covered involuntary heroism. He was
In his pajamas with raincoat thrown
hastily over them, going from door to
door rouslng 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. Bardwelrs house
hold 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?" she asked. 1.-THE firemen are
coming, aren't they?"
"Oh, yes" Roland assured her, hap
PLY. 81 have just turned i'll the alarm.
| don't think it's dangerous yet though.
Only, of course, the smoke. We might
all have been suffocated."
"That's what they are saying" an
swered Frances, 1T was good you
wakehed In time"
Now right there was RolAnd's
chance, and he missed it because the
doctor spied him and hailed him as
hero. So did Miss Broclway, almost
fainting ON his shoulder. So did each
and every one of the survivors, indi-
vidually and severally. He had reused
them and saved their lives. Roland
almost believed 1t himself.
Then came the engines outside and
the firemen. And Clarence, the eolored
waiter, emerged from the basement en-
trance gasping and the bearer Of It'd
ings.
"It's boiler of clothes done got left
ON de laundry stove" he explained,
"and Mister Williams he's down derO
In de smoke right by de furnace. He
put de fire out all by hlsself."
Two stalwart fremen bore Williams
up out of the laundry in the subcellar.
1t was a bad anticlimaX. He was UNI
conscious and blackened, and his hands
were burned and his eyebrows and hair
were singed. And while everyone wOr-
ried 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 minuteT Frances eyebrows
raised. "What an instantaneous re
Spouse the department gave you. You
might have told someone that he was
hn,,.r, thnrn MN Irno,,t- thn,.n ,,.n q lima