Year: 1874

/


dinner time went out into the yard tc


wash my hands and have q cooler,


when I heard a strange, wild, rushing


noise, and felt something hit me on the


back of the head and then turning


round, stood fixed to the spot, for the


air was black with tiles, and bricks,


lathes, aud rafters, while the whole


place seemed to be crumbling up


together, just like as if you'd built


up tall card house, and then tapped


it so that it fell, one card on top of an


other, till there was a little heap all


lying close and snug so that out of q


tall building there was nothing left but


some smoking ruins.


1 knew it was not my fault, for had


looked at the gauge just before, and the
pressure of steam wasn't heavy. 1 knew
there was plenty of water IN the boiler,
and the safety valve was all right 60


that all I could do was to be thankful


for the accident happening at dinner
| time, and also for my own wonderful


escape. And then, though 1 WASH t


hurt, something seemed to come over
me like a flash, and struck me to the


ground In an instant. When came to
I felt horribly sick and deathly like,
and looked about from face to face.
wondering what was the matter /; for
couldn't make it out why I should be
! lying on my back, with people around
me in the -ward-one holding up my
head, and another sprinkling my face
with water.


Then it all came back at once, and I
| shuddered as I turned my head and
looked at the rnined works for knew
what it was struck me down to the
/ =
| it vast was one quick thought which
came across my brain, for I knew that,
being dinner time, my little golden
haired gal would have brought my
1owance tied up in a basin and some
thing told me that she had goneinto the
| stoke hole to find me when I had gone
into the yard.


Let me get up" says; and I ran
toward the ruins, and began tearing
away at the heap of brick rubbish,
while the crowd nov gathered together,
hearing that there was some one under
meath, began tearing away the rubbish
like fury.


By and by the police came, and some
gentlemen, and something like order
was got at, and people worked we'll to
get down to where the stoke-hole had
been. had said that there was some
one there, but I couldn't shape my
mouth TO say who it was f; and some
said it was one man, and some another
but whoever they named seemed to
come directly back from his dinner or
because he had heard the explosion.
So, by and by, people began to look
from one another, and ask who it was.


"Ask Wilum," says some one; "he
was here at the time" and some one
asked me. But I had no occasion
to speak, for just then the little girls
mother came shrieking out and crying:


where's little Patty? Where's lit
tie Patty ?" and then, when no
one spoke, she gave sort of pitifUl
moan, and sank slowly down-frst on
her knees, and then sideways on to a
heap of bricks and I remember think
ing it was best, for could not find it In
my heart to go to help, but kept on
tearing away at the hot bricks and rub
bish.


1t was puzzling and worriting for
one could not seem to be sure of where
anything had once stood, in the hor-
rible confusion before us. One said the
stoke-hole had been there, and another
there but even I, who had worked
there two years, could not be sure
amidst the confusion.


Hour after hour went by, and still
we worked on while, as every big raf-
ter or beam was lifted and dragged
away, I was obliged to turn my head,
for felt sick, and the place seemed to
swim; for [ expected to see Patty's lit
tie bright curIs torn out and hanging to
the Jagged wood, and that underneath
there would be something horrible and
crushed.


I know it wasn't manly bat what can
I say, when there was a little, bright, |
blue-eyed child In the case-one of |
those little things whose look viii make |
your great rough hands fall TO your |
side when raised in anger; while the |
tiny thing can lead you about and do |
what she likes with you? Pr'aps I |
amt manly; but, somehow, children |
always seem to get the upper-hand OF |
me.


And SO on we worked. hour after |
hour men getting tired and dropping |
of, but always plenty ready to fill their |
places while II never thought OF 1t, |
but kept on tearing away till my hands |
bled and the sweat ran down my face q; |
but turned away every time there was |
something large lifted, for said to my |
self, "She must be under that I" And |
then again and again, in my mind, / |
seemed to see the torn and crushed /
face of my darling, and her long curls |
dabbled In blood.


In the midst of the piled-up black
ened ruins-bricks, mortar, tiles, lead |
and ragged and torn beams, huge pieces
of wood snapped and torn latches-We
toiled on hour after hour till the dark
night came; when the gas pipes that /
had been laid bare and plugged were
unstopped and the gas lit, SO that it
I IL IT,
wild light over the ruined place. There
had been flames burst forth two or
three times from parts of the ruins,
but few sprinkIings from the fire en-
gine in attendance had put them out
and as We worked on the rubbish grew
cooler and cooler.


Some said that the child could not
have been there, but the sight of her
mother tearing out was sufficient, when
once she got away from the people who
had her In their house-a house where
bat part of the windows had been
broken by the ezplosiOn-and came
running to where I was at work, snatch
ing at the bricks and wood TIL I got
two or three to take her back, for I
ceuldnt have left where I was to have
saved my life. But I remember SO we'll
asking myself why it was that women
will let down their back hair when
they're IN a state of excitement, and
make 'emseives look SO Wild.


By and by some one came to say how
bad my wife was, and that she wanted
to see me but I felt that couldn't go,
and kept on in a fevered sort of way,
work, work and I've thought since
that if she had been dying it would
have been the same. However, I heard
soon after that she seemed little bet
ter and found ont afterwards that q