The Carlisle independent., 1918-04-04
CHAPTER XVI. A Fire and e Rescue.

that we shipped very nttle wa | ter. When we landed I was thonkful l to note that there were no lisnts in the house Apparently every one had gone Co bed for a much needed rest. l sent Bill up to get Clair's clothing, | while l 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- erable persuasion and s in money. l also had to promise to make 1t all right with the newspaper man whom | he had brought over. Now the next adventure in this Arabian nightmare occurred. At first l thought it was the reflection of the rising sun in the windows of the cot | tage which caused the red light, but when I looked to the east I saw that the sun was not up.
 Then the house must be on fire! Clearly had no time to lose. Proba- bly, every one was sleeping. I ran up
 
 my temples bursting with the exertion. By the time I got to the front door the flames were beginning to lick out of one of the upstairs windows. l threw myself against the front door and broke the lock without cere- mony. The stairway was still clear. 1 dashed up, yelling, Fire !'
 The people began to come out in various stages of undress, carrying clothing and valuables. Vida's stage experience stood her in good stead. She emerged from her room complete ly dressed and went downstairs as if she were answering a rehearsal call.
 All were accounted for but Lucille. pounded on. her door again and again.
 Hurry" I commanded at frequent intervals
 I'm hurrying," she always an swered.
 1 At last the smoke began to be un- bearable in the hallway, and the cracking of the flames warned me that in ap instant the stairs would be impossible. l stood on ceremony no longer. I threw open Lucile's door. She was looking aimlessly about her, with a stocking in one hand.
 q can't find my other stocking" she announced calmly.
 Don't be excited !" shouted. "The house is on fire, and we've got to get out"
 I'm not excited. But how can I es- cape with only one stocking?"
 There was no time for argument. I grabbed a blanket that was flung over the foot of her bed, wrapped her in it and swept her off her feet and into my arms.
 The rescue was very simple. There was a little smoke on the stairway and in a minute it would have been hard to get down but as it was I 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, I carried Lucille clear out in the front yard and deposited her in the little group of scantily clad sur yiYors.
 "Where's the fire department?" asked Vida.
 There isn't any fire department" Kent volunteered gently.
 Cant anything be done?"
 Not much now" I shrugged my shoulders. When a fire gets that much headway in a country house built of wood there is nothing much | to do but save the nearby buildings"
 How could it 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, Monty?" Bopp strengthened up with quick glance at me. Mrs. Green telephoned that you were going to the mainland"
 It hardly seemed possible, but knew that for moment they all suspected me of having set fire to Lucile's house in revenge for our quarrel of the eve ming before.
 T came back to the island for some thing, and I noticed the fire" I ex- plained weakly. "The flames were coming out of the window of the north | east room."
 "Who slept there?" Captain Perkins asked practically. No one answered.
 That's funny" Captain Perkins was sarcastic. Didn't anybody sleep in the northeast room, or don't you know where you slept?"
 You slept there yourself" Jim ex- plained, rather hesitant about calling his superior officers attention to such damning fact. "Oh!" The captain collapsed. q guess I did"
 Where did you empty the ashes of your pipe before you went to get that drink of water?" I interrogated. CTO BE CONTINUED)