Year: 1875




liable time writing romanees instead of
seeking out facts and adhering strictly
to them, he could make his everlasting
fortune. The facts were these: Our
fire reporter was routed out of a sound
sleep at 3 o'clock this morning by the
general alarm. He rose up in bed mech
anically and listened for the box. 1t
was box g. Probably Main street was
being annihilated. "It's too bad you
must go out this cold night" said Mrs.
Reporter. Look out when you get up :
there's glass all over the floor, replied
he for he had smashed thelamp chimney
in his impetuosity. He bounced out of
the door, buttoning his vest as he cleared
the front steps, and hauling on his coat
as he ran up street struggling his head
into his collar as the mercury skunk into
the thermometer bulb. There were the
steamers belching out black smoke, but
where was the fire? Well, 'twasn't
much of confagration, just little
smoke in the coal cellar back of the
Massasoit house He learned who struck
the box, which company got on the first
water, what hydrants they coupled to
how much hose they laid, and all these
thrilling details which are read with
such morbid avidity, and then giving a
cheap cigar to each of the fremen and
policemen who had given him the de-
sired information, he wended his way to
his peaceful home, jotting down by the
light of the street lamps the memoranda
for his item. He entered the basement
of his tenement and slammed the door
that the night latch might fasten itself.
He pulled off his wet, muddy boots, and
prepared to ascend the stairs to his bed
room on the first floor Meantime there
was excitement above. His worthy
mother-in-law, when he went out, had
made appropriate inquiries of his wife
as to his errand. She was told that there
was big fire. She had hardly wrapped
the drapery of her couch about her
again and extinguished her waxen taper
before she heard noise in the basement.
Her conclusions were quickly formed.
| Her son-in-law could not have returned
so soon. Burglars were abroad during
great fires. A burglar was in the base
ment He must be nipped i the bud.
She rose and in her robe de chambre
made her way to the side of hearty
young brother of the reporter, who lay
wrapped in the deep slumber of inno-
cence. "There is burglar in the base
ment !" No further words were neces-
sary. He bounced up, quietly knocked
over carved chair, and made his way
to the bureau where his weapons were
stored. But now there was excitement
down stairs too. "What the dickens is
that noise p thought he in the basement.


Burglars I'll bet my gizzardw Soft
ly he crept up the stairs, with one hand
in his hip pocket, while the other, acting
as feeler, accidently knocked down the
broom which the women had carefully
set there with the brush end up. The
door at the head of the stairs flew wide
open, and with huge bowie knife APP
pears the younger brother in the attitude
if not the costume of Roderick Dhu.
while midway the stairs rose up the fire
reporter in the role of James Fitz james,
Snowdoun's knight aud Scotland's king.
Big eyes looked wild to eyes which stared
again. With his usual presence of mind
the confagration historian inquired ifl
the Mulligan guards usually paraded at
that hour. The brothers fell on each
others necks and wept. The mother-in-
law came out of her retreat in the bed
room of her daughter and it is thought
that when the doctor has got the glass
all out of her feet she will be as healthy |
as ever---SprinqfeLd Mass, Union