Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-02-28

"In the playroom the basement" she said The stairs
are at the back Of the hall"
He tied his handkerchief his mouth and nose and
started running for the house Everything seemed to be COM
ing to him IN pictures now, if his mind taking snap
shots The pictures had feeling emotion they simply
registered facts There his wes face pleading desperate
then Jean Conads eyes that staring of focus
Then his mind took picture Of the garden hose by the
front door, and suddenly he had turned on shooting the
cold his clothes and the handkerchief on his face
as he ran up the steps of the porch.
BEroRE he stepped through the door, he took deep breath
and held it. 1t should be good for sixty seconds thirty to
the basement, and thirty back.
The hall another picture, dark with smoke Red fire.
light leaped anonymously in the living room and his mind
took picture Of magazines burning in magazine rack and
couch that a bed of fame Then the pictures blurred
he tried to through the thick hot layers of smoke
The hose olted in his hand he the end of its
length and he dropped just short of the basement door, He
opened and went down the short fight of stairs into dark
well where he heard the children crying There little
smoke in the basement but the lights and he had
use his lighter to find thenc
His mind took picture Of four small forms huddled in
group Then he icked out the lighter and had of them
under his like footballs He mbled in the darkness for
the steps with his foot and he found he took another deep
breath of the basement air There fire. now in the hall
as he its burning gauntlet He dropped the children
and sprinted back for the Others
easier and faster the second time because his mind
had taken another picture Of every square inch every small
motion and step that led to the basement and again He
followed the pictures and he didn't think and finally he was
returning toward the door with the other two children
AND then DONE and he lying on the green cool
grass clutchng its dampness up against his forehead and
snged hair and eyebrows and sucking his burning
lungs He lifted his head and looked back at the house just
as the roof collapsed in on the ground floor in great puff Of
heat that swept out at him and the crowd and the fire truck
that had just arrived Then jules face above him.
Tom. she said her face white Tom. you all nght?"
HELL yes he said He stood up and grnned her. gnor
ing the ring OF faces around them He would have taken her
m his arms then except that she had her around
little girl - around their daughter Laura he realized with
shock And the long brown cs snged and the eyes
still enormous from recent terror.
Then that was it. Tom thought That was why there
more children than he'd expected to find And one of those
four hudded little forms in the impesonal picture his mind
had made for him had been his own daughter!
she all rght? He reached and touched her head.
None Of the children were burned badly" Julie said
But how come"
Mrs Wisey let Mary and Laura come up here to play"
On he said looking down into the large blue eyes of his
daughter He stood almost staring for long time Hi,
gorgeous he finally said and grnned She smiled back at
him. her head tilted back And then suddenly he neeng
and holding the slim little body tight against his chest in
unexpected desperation.
1t was our fire, after all he heard jules voice. thick now
with the sudden relief of tears Either way Tom was our
fire" I'll. End