The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1918-06-06
CHAPTER XVI.
A Fire and a Rescue.

ter. When we landed / was thankful
to note that there were no lights In
the house. Apparently every one had
gone 10 bed for q much needed rest. I
sent Bill up to get Clair's clothing,
while ! unloaded the supplies and hid
them under the dock. I expected to
telephone Jim In the morning and tell
him where they were so that he could
cook breakfast for the castaways.
| When Bill returned I helped him put
out to sea again. This required consid-
cradle persuasion and 50 In money. I
also had TO promise to make IL all
right with the newspaper man whom
he had brought owe
Now the next adventure In this
Arabian nightmare occurred. At FIRST
/ thought II was the reflection Of the
rising sun In the windows Of the cot
tage which caused the red light, but
when 1 looked to the a 9 I saw that
the sun was not up.
Then the house must be On frel
Clearly I had no time to lose. Proba-
bly, every n was sleeping. I ran up
the path from the beach to the house,
my temples bursting with the exertion.
BY the time / got to the front door the
flames were beginning to lick out OF
n Of the upstairs windows
I threw myself against the front
door and broke the lock without cere-
mony. The stairway was stfl clear.
/ dashed up, yelling, "Fire!"
The people began to come out In
various stages Of undress, csrrying
clothing and valuables. Vida's stage
experience stood her In good stead.
She emerged from her room complete
ly dressed and went downstairs as II
she were answering a rehearsal call.
All were accounted for but Lucille.
I pounded on her door again and
again.
Hurry" / commanded at frequent
intervals.
"Pm hurrying," she always an
swered.
At last the smoke began to be In
bearable In the hallway, and the
cracking Of the flames warned me
that In an instant the stairs would be
impossible. / stood on ceremony no
longer. 1 threw open Lucile's door.
She was looking aimlessly about her,
with a stocking In one hand.
~ can't find my other stocking. ">she
announced calmly.
Don't be excited" I shouted. 'The
house is on fire. and we've got to get
outr'
I'm not excited. But how can I es-
cape with only one stocking7"
There was no time for argument. I
grabbed a blanket that was finng oyer
the foot OF her bed, wrapped her ia It
end swept her of her feet and into
my arms.
The rescue was very simple. There
was 9 little smoke c-tA stairway,
and In a minute II would have been
hard to get down, but as 1t was l only
had to hold my breath for a few sec
onds and we were safe on the first
floor, which had not caught yet.
However, / carried Lucille clear out
in the front yard and deposited her in
the little group OF ~scantily clad sur
vivors.
where's the fire Department."
asked Vida.
t.There isn't any IRE department.
Kent volunteered gently.
Cant anything be donef'
"Not much now" I shrugged nv
shoulders. when a IRE gets that
much Roadway in a country house
built OF wood there is nothing much
to do but save the nearby buildings"
slow could II have caught?' asked
Bopp. trying to put his left shoe on his
right foot. He had carried them both
out In his hands.
"No one was up" said Jim. the fire.
man.
How did you come to be around,
Montyr Bopp Strengthened ND with
q quick glance at me. MRS. Green
teiephcned that you were going to the
mainland"
1t hardly seemed possible. but 7 knew
that for a moment they all suspected
me of having set FIRE to Lucile's house
In revenge for u quarrel Of the eve
ming before.
II came back to the island for some
thing. and ] noticed the fire." I ex-
planned weakly. 'The flames were
coming out Of the window OF the north
east ROOM
awho slept sherer' Captain Perkins
asked practically.
No one answered.
That's funny.s Captain Perkins
$1,000 sn,aa - -