Page:The Prairie Flower; Or, Adventures In the Far West.djvu/31

 e preparing

to retire to rest, when 'the alarm of fire, accompanied by a bright light; which shone in at our windows, attracted 'our attention. "Ha! here is another adventure, Char ley," I exclaimed, replacing my coat, which I was in the act of taking from my shoul ders. " Come, once more forth, and let us see what we can discover that is new and startling for to-morrow, you knosv, we

O *

leave."

"Not to-night, Frank," answered Hunt- ly, yawning and rubbing his eyes. " !'- faith, man, I've seen enough of fire to last me for a long time; and O, (yawning again) I am so sleepy."

"Then I will go alone."

"Well, go; for myself, I'll to bed and dream about it. But I say, Frank," pur sued Huntly, as I was on the point of quit ting the room, " have you secured your pistols about you?"

"Xo"

"You had better."

"Pshaw! I do not want them : I am not going to fight."

"Nevertheless you had better go armed, in a strange place like this."

"Nonsense," I replied, closing the door, Rnd hurrying down a flight of stairs, and into the street.

A thought struck me, that I would take 'Teddy along; but upon second considera tion I resolved to go alone.

There was but little difficulty in finding the fire, for a bright flame, shooting up ward on the dark canopy above, guided me to it. Passing up Broadway to Sixth street, I turned down some 'four or five squares, and discovered the fire to proceed from an old,, two-story wooden building. which had been tenanted by two or three families of the poorer class. At the mo ment when I arrived, four engines were in active play, and some two or three others preparing to join them. The water was not thrown upon the burning building for that was already too far gone but upon one or two others that nearly joined, which wvre smoking from the heat. Many house hold articles had been thrown into the street, and these were surrounded by the tire-watch; while an Irishman and his wife, with a daughter of sixteen, were run ning to and fro, and lamenting in piteous tones the loss of their home and property.

"Och! howly mither of Mary! was the like on't iver saan?" cried the matron, some forty-five years of age, whose tidy dress bespoke her a rather thrifty house wife.

"Niver, since the flood," blubbered her husband, dolefully.

"What an invintion is fire!" again cried the mother.

"Tirrible crathur it is," rejoined the daughter.

"Och, honey, don't be despairing now !" said a voice, which I fancied I recognized; and turning toward the speaker, to my as tonishment I beheld Teddy, in the laudable act of consoling the afflicted damsel.

"Teddy!" I shouted.

"Here, your honor," returned the Hi bernian, looking around in surprise, and advancing to me with an abashed air.

"What are you doing here, Teddy?" I continued. " I thought you were at the hotel, and asleep."

"Faith! and it's like I thought the same of your honor, barring the slaap," rejoined the Irishman, scratching his head. " I seed the tire, your honor, and I thought as maybe there'd be some females that'd naad consoling; and so, >ye see, I gathered meself hitherward, as fast as me trotters would let me."

"And so you make it your business to console females, eh?" I asked, with a smile which I could not repress.

"Faith, now," answered Teddy, " if it's all the same to yourself, your honor, I'm a female man, barring the dress they wears."

"Well, well," said I, laughing outright in spite of myself, "go on in your good work but mind you are at your post be times in the morning,, or you will be left behind."

"It's meself that'll not forgit that same," answered the other, as he turned away to rejoin the party in distress, and add his consolation.

At this moment I felt myself rudely jostled from behind, and, turning quickly round, found myself hemmed in by a crowd, in which two men were fighting, I endeavored to escape, and, in doing so, accidentally trod on the foot of a stranger, who turned furiously upon me, with :

"What in (uttering an oath) du

you mean?"