Evening star., 1939-10-22
The fight Of a man with an unseen foe

womans bedroom and black-haired little girl with
frightened eyes, She screamed the smoke-grmed
snatched her up and rushed for the living where the
fire escape should be- Roaring flames stopped him. He
turned back to the exit Blaze swept the whole floor
No chance at any fire escape Axes crashed somewhere
below. Tom Ross gave long booming shout for help
choked and lodged back into the bedroom protecting the
chld's face with his arm.
From the window he peered down between pillows of
smoke at the network of the new building frame flush with
the apartments at the shouting crowd throbbng engines
remen carrying hose up grders the search
light pobed at windows there Hose streams thundered
brick But nobody watched this blank Nobody
heard his shouts or the baby's cries
Under spur of excitement Tom Ross hadn't thought of
fear of himself since he gave the alarm Now he thought
of both he sumped against the sill He afraid for the
baby in his Afraid of himself Trembling with the old
sickness, he stared at their only route to safety.
column of the new building frame stood against the
apartment wall to the left of the window From girder
stretched over the smoking gap string of them from
column to column hundred feet of emptiness
Plaster fell from the wall behind Ross Hot smoke swept
past The baby redoubed her and ctched chubby
around his neck He felt soft cheek against his
He'd got to do it.
Holding her closer with one arm he reached out to the
column and drew himself over the sill. He thrust shaking
feet to the grder and stood facing the column and
clutching it with his free hand Smoke threw him into
paroxysms of coughing The baby choked gripped his
neck tighter. The smoke shifted. full breath steaded
him. The column close the wall to shin down
He tried to lower himself astrde the grder to hitch along
His knees began to buckle he bent down He couldn't
manage it with the baby in his Hastily he pulled
himself up and went rigid
moment he fought twitching nerves, then slowly
turned toward the open. back to the column keeping
steadying hand on it. There there. Molly he kept say
ing to the baby. 1t helped He didn't notice what he
had called her. She twtched suddenly started slip from
his numbng He snatched fingers from the column
and grasped her in both arms before he thought His heart
stopped giddy instant he swayed felt his knees going
again There Molly he whispered he fought the over
powerng urge to throw himself fiat on the girder.
He mustn't look down. He made himself think of his
feet broad sidewalk and began inchng toward the
dim column that seemed to dance away from him in the
Pickering halfght Clear of the worst smoke he breathed
in deep gasps. The baby stopped choking trembed and
whimpered like terrified kitten.
He reached the column and grabbed desperately He
would lose his if he stopped Swinging the baby
space again. he wrggled around the column
and went Unconscously he heightened his shules He
surprised when he reached the column Two more
grders to 60. Hallway to the next the searchght
spotted him He heard the crowd shout.
Ross stopped abruptly. Before he thought he looked
down. Men climbing the ladder toward plank plat
form beyond the last column. The crowd cheered They
didn't know this Tom Ross, old steel man scared
stiff. he thought Suddenly he grinnng His whole body
thrilled then relaxed Why he'd forgotten be scared
He wasn't scared any more!
There there, baby. Well mama in second" he
chucked He took the of the stretch his old stride
He reached the platform just the boss and fireman
clambered it. They'd phoned the boss about the fire
next to his job He stared Ross for amazed moment
then grpped his hand Boy that great. Those yaps
down there don't know how much quits it really took
The hell with that" grunted Tom Ross suddenly
shaken and very weak with reaction but worried about
it any What want to know IS do get the old
job back"
You're damn tootin'!" said the boss.
Tks End
d Smith