Barriers Burned Away Page 43

  CHAPTER XLII

  BARON LUDOLPH LEARNS THE TRUTH

  With eyes ablaze with excitement, Dennis plunged into the region justbefore the main line of fire, knowing that there the danger would begreatest. None realized the rapidity of its advance. At the door ofa tenement-house he found a pale, thin, half-clad woman tugging at asewing-machine.

  "Madam," cried Dennis, "you have no time to waste over that burden ifyou wish to escape."

  "What is the use of escaping without it?" she answered, sullenly. "Itis the only way I have of making a living."

  "Give it to me then, and follow as fast as you can." Shouldering whatmeant to the poor creature shelter, clothing, and bread, he led theway to the southeast, out of the line of fire. It was a long, hardstruggle, but they got through safely.

  "How can I ever pay you?" cried the grateful woman.

  But he did not stay to answer, and now determined to make his way tothe west and windward of the fire, as he could then judge better ofthe chances of its spreading. He thought it safer to go around and backof the flames, as they now seemed much wider, and nearer the southbranch of the Chicago River.

  He found that he could cross the burned district a little to thesouthwest, for the small wooden houses were swept so utterly away thatthere were no heated, blazing ruins to contend with. He also saw thathe could do better by making quite a wide circuit, as he thus avoidedstreets choked by fugitives. Beaching a point near the river on thewest side of the fire, he climbed a high pile of lumber, and thendiscovered to his horror that the fire had caught in several placeson the south side, and that the nearest bridges were burning.

  To those not familiar with the topography of the city, it should bestated that it is separated by the Chicago River, a slow, narrow stream,into three main divisions, known as the south, the north, and the westside.

  By a triumph of engineering, the former mouth of this river at thelake is now its source, the main stream being turned back upon itself,and dividing into two branches at a point a little over half a milefrom the lake, one flowing to the southwest into the Illinois, and theother from the northwest into the main stream.

  The south division includes all the territory bounded on the east by thelake, on the north by the main river and on the west by the southbranch. The north division includes the area bounded on the east bythe lake, on the south by the main river, and on the west by the northbranch, while the west division embraces all that part of the citywest of the two branches. The fire originated in De Koven Street, thesoutheastern part of the west side, and it was carried steadily to thenorth and east by an increasing gale. The south side, with all itsmagnificent buildings, was soon directly in the line of the fire.

  When Dennis saw that the flames had crossed the south branch, and wereburning furiously beyond, he knew that the best part of the city wasthreatened with destruction. He hastened to the Washington Streettunnel, where he found a vast throng, carrying all sorts of burdens,rushing either way. He plunged in with the rest, and soon found himselfhustled hither and thither by a surging mass of humanity. A littlepiping voice that seemed under his feet cried: "O mamma! mamma! Whereare you? I'm gettin' lost."

  "Here I am, my child," answered a voice some steps in advance andDennis saw a lady carrying another child; but the rushing tide wouldnot let her wait--all, in the place where they were wedged, beingcarried right along. Stooping down, he put the little girl on hisshoulder where she could see her mother, and so they pressed on.Suddenly, in the very midst of the tunnel, the gas ceased, by reasonof the destruction of the works, and utter darkness filled the place.

  There was a loud cry of consternation, and then a momentary and dreadfulsilence, which would have been the preface of a fatal panic, had notDennis cried out, in a ringing voice, "All keep to the right!"

  This cry was taken up and repeated on every hand, and side by side,to right and left, the two living streams of humanity, with steadytramp! tramp! rushed past each other.

  When they emerged into the glare of the south side Dennis gave thechild to its mother and said, "Madam, your only chance is to escapein that direction," pointing northwest.

  He then tried to make his way to the hotel where Professor and Mrs.Leonard were staying, but it was in the midst of an unapproachable seaof fire. If they had not escaped some little time before, they hadalready perished. He then tried to make his way to the windward towardhis own room. His two thousand dollars and all his possessions werethere, and the instinct of self-preservation caused him to think itwas time to look after his own. But progress was now very difficult.The streets were choked by drays, carriages, furniture, trunks, andevery degree and condition of humanity. Besides, his steps were oftenstayed by thrilling scenes and the need of a helping hand. In orderto make his way faster he took a street nearer the fire, from whichthe people had mostly been driven. As he was hurrying along with hishat drawn over his eyes to avoid the sparks that were driven aboutlike fiery hail, he suddenly heard a piercing shriek. Looking up hesaw the figure of a woman at the third story window of a fine mansionthat was already burning, though not so rapidly as those in the directline of the fire. He with a number of others stopped at the sound.

  "Who will volunteer with me to save that woman?" cried he.

  "Wal, stranger, you can reckon on this old stager for one," answereda familiar voice.

  Dennis turned and recognized his old friend, the Good Samaritan.

  "Why, Cronk," he cried, "don't you know me? Don't you remember theyoung man you saved from starving by suggesting the snow-shovelbusiness?"

  "Hello! my young colt. How are you? give us yer hand. But come, don'tlet's stop to talk about snow in this hell of a place with that youngfilly whinnying up there."

  "Right!" cried Dennis. "Let us find a ladder and rope; quick--"

  At a paint-shop around the corner a ladder was found that reached tothe second story, and some one procured a rope.

  "A thousand dollars," cried another familiar voice, "to the man whosaves that woman!"

  Looking round, Dennis saw the burly form of Mr. Brown, the brewer, hisfeatures distorted by agony and fear; then glancing up he discoveredin the red glare upon her face that the woman was no other than hisdaughter. She had come to spend the night with a friend, and, beinga sound sleeper, had not escaped with the family.

  "Who wants yer thousand dollars?" replied Bill Cronk's gruff voice."D'ye s'pose we'd hang out here over the bottomless pit for any suchtrifle as that? We want to save the gal."

  Before Cronk had ended his characteristic speech, Dennis was half-wayup the ladder. He entered the second story, only to be driven back byfire and smoke.

  "A pole of some kind!" he cried.

  The thills of a broken-down buggy supplied this, but the flames hadalready reached Miss Brown. Being a girl of a good deal of nerve andphysical courage, however, she tore off her outer clothing with herown hands. Dennis now passed her the rope on the end of the buggy-thilland told her to fasten it to something in the room that would supporther weight, and lower herself to the second story. She fastened it,but did not seem to know how to lower herself. Dennis tried the rope,found it would sustain his weight; then, bringing into use an artlearned in his college gymnasium, he over-handed rapidly till he stoodat Miss Brown's side. Drawing up the rope he fastened her to it andlowered her to the ladder, where Bill Cronk caught her, and in a momentmore she was in her father's arms, who at once shielded her fromexposure with his overcoat. Dennis followed the rope down, and hadhardly got away before the building fell in.

  "Is not this Mr. Fleet?" asked Miss Brown.

  "Yes."

  "How can we ever repay you?"

  "By learning to respect honest men, even though they are not rich,Miss Brown."

  "Did you know who it was when you saved me?"

  "Yes."

  "Mr. Fleet, I sincerely ask your pardon."

  But before Dennis could reply they were compelled to fly for theirlives.

  Mr. Brown shouted as he ran, "Call at the ho
use or place of businessof Thomas Brown, and the money will be ready."

  But Thomas Brown would have found it hard work to rake a thousanddollars out of the ashes of either place the following day. The richesin which he trusted had taken wings.

  Cronk and Dennis kept together for a short distance, and the lattersaw that his friend had been drinking. Their steps led them near alarge liquor-store which a party of men and boys were sacking. One ofthese, half intoxicated, handed Bill a bottle of whiskey, but as thedrover was lifting it to his lips Dennis struck it to the ground. Cronkwas in a rage instantly.

  "What the ---- did you do that for?" he growled.

  "I would do that and more too to save your life. If you get drunkto-night you are a lost man," answered Dennis, earnestly.

  "Who's a-goin' ter get drunk, I'd like ter know? You feel yer oats toomuch to-night. No man or horse can kick over the traces with me;" andhe went off in the unreasoning anger of a half-drunken man. But hecarried all his generous impulses with him, for a few minutes after,seeing a man lying in a most dangerous position, he ran up and shookhim, crying, "I say, stranger, get up, or yer ribs will soon beroasted."

  "Lemme 'lone," was the maudlin answer. "I've had drink 'nuff. 'Tain'tmornin' yet."

  "Hi, there!" cried a warning voice, and Cronk started back just intime to escape a blazing wall that fell across the street. The stupefiedman he had sought to arouse was hopelessly buried. Cronk, having gotout of danger, stood and scratched his head, his favorite way ofassisting reflection.

  "That's just what that young critter Fleet meant. What a cussed olemule I was to kick up so! Ten chances to one but it will happen to meafore mornin'. Look here, Bill Cronk, you jist p'int out of this fieryfurnace. You know yer failin', and there's too long and black a scoreagin you in t'other world for you to go to-night;" and Bill made a beeline for the west side.

  Struggling off to windward through the choked streets for a littledistance, Dennis ascended the side stairs of a tall building, in orderto get more accurately the bearings of the fire. He now for the firsttime realized its magnitude, and was appalled. It appeared as if thewhole south side must go. At certain points the very heavens seemedon fire. The sparks filled the air like flakes of fiery snow, and greatblazing fragments of roofs, and boards from lumber yards, sailed overhis head, with the ill-omened glare of meteors. The rush and roar ofthe wind and flames were like the thunder of Niagara, and to this awfulmonotone accompaniment was added a Babel of sounds--shrieks, and shoutsof human voices, the sharp crash of falling buildings, and ever andanon heavy detonations, as the fire reached explosive material. As helooked down into the white upturned faces in the thronged streets, itseemed to him as if the people might be gathering for the last greatday. Above all the uproar, the court-house bell could be heard, withits heavy, solemn clangor, no longer ringing alarm, but the city'sknell.

  But he saw that if he reached his own little room in time to saveanything he must hasten. His course lay near the Art Building, theplace so thronged with associations to him. An irresistible impulsedrew him to it. It was evident that it must soon go, for an immensebuilding to the southwest, on the same block, was burning, and thewalls were already swaying.

  Suddenly a man rushed past him, and Mr. Ludolph put his pass key inthe side door.

  "Mr. Ludolph, it is not safe to enter," said Dennis.

  "What are you doing here with your ill-omened face?" retorted his oldemployer, turning toward him a countenance terrible in its expression.As we have seen, anything that threatened Mr. Ludolph's interests,even that which most men bow before, as sickness and disaster, onlyawakened his anger; and his face was black with passion and distortedwith rage.

  The door yielded, and he passed in.

  "Come back, quick, Mr. Ludolph, or you are lost!" cried Dennis at thedoor.

  "I will get certain papers, though the heavens fall!" yelled back theinfuriated man, with an oath.

  Dennis heard an awful rushing sound in the air. He drew his hat overhis face as he ran, crouching. Hot bricks rained around him, butfortunately he escaped.

  When he turned to look, the Art Building was a crushed and blazingruin. Sweet girlish faces that had smiled upon him from the walls,beautiful classical faces that had inspired his artist soul, sternRoman faces, that had made the past seem real, the human faces of godsand goddesses that made mythology seem not wholly a myth, and the whitemarble faces of the statuary, that ever reminded him of Christine,were now all blackened and defaced forever. But not of these he thought,as he shudderingly covered his eyes with his hands to shut out thevision; but of that terrible face that in the darkness had yelleddefiance to Heaven.