The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1919-08-14

| NernaB posses were playing golf
and she wns alone in the office clean.
ing up pile Of work. She had her
self some Of the qualities that heroes
| and herOlnes are made Of SO she re-
malned 10 the office and put valuable
papers In the safe. while fire crept up
the outside and inside of the building
and smoke seeped through the floors
There's lots of time,' she told her.
self, and kept rummaglng for one very
important document she had been uu.
able to locate, She finally discovered
1t on file on the junior partners
desk. Tossing 1t into the safe, she
slammed the iron door, turned the
knob and hurried into her coat and
hat.
AS she opened the Office door wave
of heat and smoke rolled In upon her.
She coughed and drew back for a mo-
ment, then dashed for the stairway.
But the flames had been there first
and there was no stairway, BY this
time she was really excited. She ran
to the elevator entrance and pushed
frantcally and vanly on the he'll. Baf.
0ed, she stood in daze in the midst
Of sitting fumes which we're becoming
more dense with every minute that
| passed,
"Dan will save mel" she cried, and
| she struggled TO her feet and ran
back into the office, throwing open a
window. IndlstnCtly through the
smoke she made out crowd as.
semhlcd across the street. Bells were
changing as fire apparatus darted up
and down the thoroughfare.
"Danw she cried, with all the pow.
er of her lungs. Repeatedly she called
the name, while flames stole closer
and closer to the fourth floor.
Presently she heard an answering
shout aud a huge, light-hared fire.
man stood out in the center Of the
street and waved a hand at her the
same as he had waved II countless
times from his red demon.
He disappeared from her view. The
heat grew more intense and the smoke
got thicker. The flames were having
fecst; they were gorging Them
selves.
Suddenly she saw something rising
before her-an extension ladder. II
wabbled and qulyered before the win
dow and then slowly the ends settled
against the ledge. She looked down,
and there he was-the man--fightlng
his way, up, inch by inch, through a
shrOud of yellow flames and black
ness.
In few moments he would be at
the window and she would be saved,
A dense cloud reached out, envel.
| Oped the ladder and blOtted out the
fireman from sight. When it rolled
away there was Dan on the ladder
faltcrlng AS she watched he shook
his head, pointed at the flames above
him, and slowly began to descend.
Verna fninted.
The next sensation she experienced
was one of being jolted. She opened
her eyes and discovered she was In Il
street car which was humping swiftly
over the rails. She was half reclining
on a seat-und she was the only pas
senger.
There wHs q step In the aisle and
she saw bedrngglcd figure In blue
uniform standing over her. II was
Ben.
How'd I get here2' was her first
question after a silent moment Of con-
temptation and wonder.
~ put you there" he responded
simply. "T'm tnking you home as fast
as | can. My machine (he laughed
dryly) was stopped by the fire. l saw
you at the window and went after
you"
She look a long breath Of relief or
two to get her lungs full Of air or
something. Then she noticed that
about his forehead was bloody hand
kerchlef that his cap could not en-.
tlrely conceal,
"Where'd you get that bloodT she
demanded, shuddering.
He fumbled with his transfer
punch.
ut wasn't much Of a hurt" he said
although 1t did bleed u lot, You see
, | wus able to reach you by running
the elevator, which I found standing
open. There was q regular blanket OF
fire In the shaft, but guess the soak
ing I got from a hose when l made
the run for the building helped to keeI
ne from burning up. I got the blood
" when I rammed my head into the lror
gate at the fourth landing, thinking 1
was open. The blow sort Of dazed me
but l managed to open the gate
: picked you up in the office aud bent /
back down the elevator with you.
bet made an awful dent in that gate
!. My head feels like 1t had busted righ
, through. the iron."
Verna reached up and clasped on
: Of his hands.
"Ben," she. said, "do you know yo'
have all the, qualities Of d regula
. herop
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g Where Did He Get It7
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