Show FLOYD GIBBONS Jf ft Adventurers Adventurers' Ciu Club 4 4 t R S I 1 f J Wizen When the Earthquake Struck By FLOYD GIBBONS Famous Headline Hunter MOVE 1 11 1 OVE back your chairs boys and girls and make room for Emanuel Mitchell l who tells a strange story in this One- One I Thousand-and-One Thousand Nights of Adventure club of ours We pick up Emanuel in a little tittle lunch room The date is April 18 1935 and the hour is late As Emanuel sails into his ham and eggs sunny eggs sunny side up up-a up a young priest takes the counter scat seat next to him Emanuels Emanuel's eyes wander to this tills you young g. g priest many times as ns he eats In his memory he Is back In San Francisco 29 years years before on the night the earthquake pardon earthquake pardon me the fire destroyed destroyed the coast city And come cometo to think of It If It happened on this same date date April April 18 1900 Emanuel Is In a retrospective mood The priests priest's Roman col cot far lar recalls another priest to him He wants to tell of this other man of God who saved his life that night so GO long ago In S San Fran cisco The young priest smiles and Emanuel tells his story Emanuel was a n traveling salesman In those days das and on that memorable memorable able April nl night ht was sleeping In a lI little le hotel In n San Francisco He was tired from his days day's work Emanuel says and the first shock of or the quake W not awaken him but he remembers feeling a n strange e disturbance about as though In a dream He slept on and only awakened when he be felt felta a 3 violent loleat tugging on his arm A Awakened wakened From One Dream Into Another He opened his eyes The room was pitch dark but he lie was finally able to see a young oun man In a nightshirt standing by his bed Wake up the man said theres been an earthquake Emanuel looked around blankly and discovered the room In fn great disorder Another shock hit the city at that moment and the awful feeling o of terror that comes to a person who first feels an earthquake hit him with paralyzing force He was unable to move but lay there In bed rigid with horror The man In the nightgown seeing his helplessness never hesitated He pulled Emanuel out of or bed and und throwing him over his shoulder carried carried carried car car- ried the salesman bodily down the seven flights of or stairs to the lobby of Guests Are Petrified With Fright In the lobby a pitiful group of or frightened guests In n nightclothes were cr crying ln and gesticulating beside tl themselves es with fright The manager i He Pulled Emanuel Out of Bed and Carried Him alone Ilone was calm He told his guests that fire had already broken out inthe In Inthe Inthe the doomed city but that If f they hurried they would have haye time to go to their rooms and dress Up the stairs went the guests as fast as they could go all go all except Emanuel He was still too nervous to function and the elevator In the hotel was in the same condition But th that didn't stop the young stranger in the nightgown He Just tossed Emanuel over his shoulder like a sack of meal carried him back up the way he had come and then went puffing off to his own room to dress When he came back after Emanuel Emanuel says sass he couldn't believe his eyes The young man of orthe the nightgown was a priest His collar was Just like that of ot the man who now sat beside Emanuel In the lunch room Emanuel Rides Once More on Friendly Shoulders Once more Emanuel still Emanuel-still still In a nervous condition was conditIon was carried down those long nights lIghts This time out Into the night Emanuel does not remember remember re re- re member the many scenes of of horror they must have passed as ns the young priest picked his way through the strewn debris-strewn streets He Be does docs remember remember ber the glare of fire that lit up up the city In back of ot them and he remembers stopping at a deserted lunch room The proprietor had left everything In his hurry to be he gone one Coffee Conee vas was still hot bot In la the coffee urn and a cup of r It served by the priest soon had bad Emanuel back on his feet The priest left a coin on the counter The rest of their Journey through that night of horror Emanuel Emanuel Eman uel does not like to recall Morning found them safe from the flames that had already swept the quarter where their little hotel had once stood The years passed passed passed-as as years ears do but do-but but Emanuel says he never ne failed to call on the priest whenever business took him Im to the PacIfic coast The two became close friends and maya man years later inter when the brave brav priest died I I Emanuel traveled GOO COO miles to attend his funeral Proving Again That the World Is Not So Small And that boys and girls Is the story Emanuel told the young priest tD in the lunch room In New York As he finished the two drank a silent roast ast In coffee to the other priest To Father Harrison Emanuel said holding his cup to the others The young priests priest's cup shook In his hand He lie stared at Emanuel Father Harrison he said softly was m my uncle He was my InspIration inspiration tion for entering the priesthood Q e S Service |