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Show iA MODEBN ELIJAH. ITe wa mail and Llaek-a clll 1 of an Inferior race. There win nothing In nil irinrun lo tnjrgrat tho hero, and " ton had lot 1 Mm that he wa a Iwro he onll tcarrely hare known what you meant An nnachooled, Illiterate. u;tly, bullet headed negro. In had nevt-rthe-leva been baptlted by the mii -plrit which had caoMd tho fact of Ht. Btrj.Lcll In ahlna m tho face of an angil One v, Inter tiny ehnoet a year bofore the event which gave Win a chance to thOW tho Hull that wa In lilin ho cam Inti tho hotel looking for a Jub Tho office waa brilliantly lighted ami filial with a crowd of handeomely drc4 incn. Then wen pullllitne, club men, men aluot town, rrlnrura, many member of tho trllflg fraternity, frater-nity, Iho uanal lonnjren and hanger-on, hanger-on, an occasional haytoed all forming a very ttartling bnckground for tho ran an 1 tilth of tho r, inlverlmf, half ttarved Utile darkey It waa no raay matter for him to tteerldacourae to Iho 'Ink, and when ho Kot there tho iplmdor of tho man behind It datnl him to that hla volon elinuet fall"! him. lie had, however, ereu at Ma early are, reached the put"! where he had to work trtttrre. Ho Ida neceteitie made him eloquent. Ilia eloquence revelled. Ho waa on the neit day placed on the ay folic f the great holed. Af a bell boy be waa not a aticreea, 1 fear 1 moat confwe) that bo waa laty. IVople llh-l him I do not know why and fi r aotne rraacn or oilier ho waa a farorlte with Ma employer. If ha bad not lnn Ihay woul 1 hate illimlaml him before Ma tint week waa out Icalee-l of doing tlut, tbey conclnilol to fital more congenial work for hlm.au tliey faithlm In charge of one of IherUra ton. Among tho paMengrri who need to ride np ami down Willi the lmy waa a little f.ve-ycar-ol I girl, the daughter of a faintly living lutkolioUL KliowMa t'rfect a typo of hrr raco aa lie waa of Ma. Willi her fair, while akin, gulden hair, deep tloo eyre and pretty womanly aya,thechlll waa a general favorite. Itry one know hen erary one loved her. Ilelween her and tlie boy a great f rlrndahlp had atirnng op. It waa devotion de-votion Itaclf, ami bu attcntlotia Uttne Utile Cauraalan were ao grotewuely cMialruuaaatoboalmoalMithetlo. Hue accepted them all with a dutnlly an I grace that were charming. Iter family lived on tho top floor of the liutun, and aa alio elwuye rode In bla eleralur when ake oould manage to do to, tlie boy and girl aaw much of ntrh other Once alio waa HI. The incOldno tliat helped her nvxt wain wretched little booiuet aent tr by her doaky friend. It wal winter agiln. Tlie (renins of which I write waa very cold mi I clear. The atara were dlainondllke In their brilliancy. Uvrrylblng waa frutcn up the wlirela croaked on tlie anow. The hotel waa crowded Willi gucata. Not more than two or three of the hundred hun-dred of rootne were unoccupied. A belated be-lated traveler, wlioluu becnon awenth-er awenth-er hound train, rame In at 1 o'clock, tired and col L, lie ordered a Are In liU room and then went to the bar fur a drink. A few tulnutui later ha aU pod Into the Iwy'e elevator and waa carrlod to the lop floor. Tlie great luiuae waa quiet, Inat of the light In the office had Inn ntlu-gulahcd. ntlu-gulahcd. Two tilfht owla were talking la low tone! on one of tboeeiiceewhirli lined the walla of the lobby. TUMI boy were tnoat (f them ruleep. Tlie cletk waidrowilng. Twoiclorkl The night owla got up and walked oat Into the cold air. A druukra man poked Ida now In the door, Tho aleeplng purler teemed lotrrnt tin, for lie huallnl the air fellow out. The quiet ilea putk-,1 till It beiaiao el-ruoat el-ruoat ojiireulro. The air waa heary bu Vlenly, without a note of warning, the cry if "Flrer ranu through the bonw There waa life enough rww. Hoanllly dl peojle were acurrytn wlllly through the anu,ko filled rorrl-dora. rorrl-dora. They oaloe plunging down the auln lo the ofllce, ami ao opt Into the frw-ilng bight, rthrieka uA airaea and cruana and prayt re-It waa IU1 I broken louae. All the Ulla la the liouaewrre ringing. Tlie amoke grew daiuer It Meimxl to come fruin ererywliere abore arid below, ari-atblaikvoluinre rolW through Ilia long lialla. Oulilde, the treela were Jammed wllh i.la, Tlie ragtrue, wllh their clanging gouge, hurried hur-ried to iho areue, IjuMim were ralaed. and the work of rewue U gau. It waa time, for then waa a while fig-ore fig-ore at aunuat every una of the ruultlia alnoue wLdowa. The awful wall 1u.hu. ail up In the darkueaa, ttory ou ttory, dimly torn aa to Ita upper half, for tlut nrt of It waa wreathed In Ibe blinding rinoke. The amoke turned to lUma-Oime lUma-Oime bunting through eeorea of win-dowa win-dowa Tlie terror etrlcken cteatnree 1. inn to nmn. Tlie pule In the atrcet below were f rentle. "Ilackl baokr tlieythriekwL "Walll well aave youl aVw'tiuinpr Which la the 4uanUr, to be routed alive or to la mailed out of ilio on the loue latemtnU If there la to be any aav lag done, It luuat be done iukk-ly. iukk-ly. JUiy pewJo were buiy taring tliemHlvre. The aleeMng rlerk aud Irttr and bell boya ld. inHtm i.ul. Hut what of the llule black fellow In the elevatorl lie, too, had Uu ruVrp II lud been awakened m Uw otliera lutd been by Hie ttr.1 cry of fire. Unlike Inula he had Hut twcH chick In tht morning courage" which Napoleon eaM waa the rareel trk In an liulant lie de-rlJed de-rlJed lliat It waa hie duty to atlck to till poet. And itlrk U ,114. Up and uuvu lie Kent, aud eiery time Ua ear touched the udko floor It waa loJe.1 wllh people. The Journey waa a frightful one hut be dll riot thriuk. Iluw long be enuld cuntluue to wake the HHSI mp cuuU not telL Tlwilovator HHW laudtt drop any minute Very well. let I HKKl It drop, eeuiecf tho pipl In It might ' H "mite the ehuik. It wna aura to colrli M1 " nouercr later I'.ventuMiliowould I fl ' " the way toaafay wllh bla paa- HKin T"" Ana ' nir ru '"' Viww Ei J" could bring aume looile outof the DjK-jn tro burning aboie. ' LHaalBaW ,'" ' "" gocl at going np. I IHIKfl if,"".JM'.cool', "" ,'t, '"lor WT i SIS .'12 '" n"u- ""h woraethun at if J5 'J 71" (lr,m" at the bottom of S ' ',! '" 'KM aouht to at.ip ),m u ,ia V .... 'SwU' ""1 'ar im tord the J-T '' lte Ike could bo aetu. HUH he kept on, and It did aeem that every tiuio he atanc 1 aky ward he waa going lo certain death. Hut lie knew that the noma and lialla were iwarrnlng with pwl'lCi and be would take any chance lo tare a life Tho firemen were doing their licet ontaldei ib-nth waa lmay wlthlni and he Anally m.vlo up Ida mind that It waa no use to go lnck again, till all at once he rememberoil that bo had teen nothing of lite llttlo friend. Cottl 1 ho weather the etonn and flame cncoinore? Ita could try He lulled the rope, and the Journey began. It waa alow, oil, bow alow. The amoke waa terrible worae even than the Are but he held Ma breath and flieJ lilt lnlu.1 upon the bnaineM In liand. The flame kindled the woodwork of the ear He fell on hit luuda and kneea, but be kept Ma hold on the ropm At laat he reached her floor. He found her room, and fomid ber. Slio waa aaleep and alone. Wrapping tier In the LUnWti, an 1 Ihruwing about her a rug which lie matched from Iho floor, he alruggled through the flame and tmoke back to the burning car. "Hack I roin the J n of hell" It waa that he brought her, lighting Ibe Are away from her every lucli of the way down. I le had Jnat etrrnglh enough to atop the car. Tlie chlldnn were Mkenont anl can rled to a drag elore acroM the etrccl Hie girl alive ami well and the boy awm lualy dievl lie waa horribly turned. Among the people who elood around were the n rruU of the little girt. They livl been out to an evening party, and rvlnruln.t after a long cold drive fonnd their home on Are. Kvery effort bail been made, In rveporwo to the agonlilng apiab of the fathfr, to tare the chill and now here the waa, tafe an 1 tuund, laughing In ber mot her a anna. Ami the hero? He opened lilt eye. "I)i 1 1 bring her fruo all right!" "Vea. yee," ul I tho father, "and how can we ever thank you for what Juuliavo doner "Nebber mln' Iwut dat, bote. VJ ahe'a aafo daft 'null for lae" and he cluaed hla ryea, Drailr Yea. del ami gone to heaven In a chariot of Are. Ilicbard Yorkei lio-mance |
