Marion Marlowe's Courage: A Brave Girl's Struggle for Life and Honor — page 15: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

If they found Bert’s cap and jacket it would be with some difficulty. : CHAPTER VII. ~~ MARION PROVES HERSELF A HEROINE, “An hour and a half! Well, that isn’t so bad. Bert must have had time to get a boarding place by this time.” Marion Marlowe glanced up at the tiny nickel clock as she spoke, and both she and Ae her sister laughed a little nervously. _~ “T never talked to Silas so much in all my life,” said Dollie, merrily. “But I kept think- ing of Bert, and just went on talking and talking.” e ; “And how polite I was to that brute, Matt _ Jenkins,” laughed Marion. “Oh, well, we had to do it to save poor Bert. Hes well | - worth the sacrifice we made for him, Dollie.” & “TI should say so,” said Dollie, “but it 1s —_ awitilly late, Marion, and I’m tired and ~ sleepy.” | “Tt seems to me I smell smoke,” — ion’s only answer. _ She went to the door and opened it cau- tiously. Slowly a great volume of smoke came roll- - ing up the aay “The house is on fire! I am sure of it! cried Marion, sharply. ‘Oh, Dollie, 1 won- - der if Miss Allyn isin. Quick! Get your hat on dear, while I run and warn her.” Marion was up the stairs like a flash of lightning, and at the same moment there _ came cries and shrieks from every floor and landing. was Mar- 7 { “The house is on fire!” echoed from every -__ side, and in an instant the halls were crowded with half-dressed men and women. oF tions, and soon the frightened people could hear the woodwork snapping and crackling. There were shrieks and orders, some hysterical and some calm, but in the excite- ment no one seemed to know just what to do or which way to go to secure their safety. J Marion pounded vigorously on Miss Allyn’s door, but could get no response, al- though she felt certain that her friend was within. The smoke choked and stifled her, but she continued her frantic efforts to arouse her iy h - by MY QUEEN. ._ her ear. Great puffs of smoke came from all direc- 13 friend, although all the others roomers had disappeared in the darkness. , Suddenly new sounds fell distinctly upon ‘he fireman had arrived; she could hear them racing up the stairs and shouting. Just as her strength seemed giving out Miss Allyn opened her door. There was a gust of wind from the open window, then a sudden burst of flame in the hallway. Marion staggered into the room and slammed the door behind her. In that awful moment she thought suddenly of Dollie. The house was old and burned as rapidly as tinder. In spite of the furious streams of water that hissed and spurted upon it the flames ate their way ravenously to the very rool, flashing their long tongues of flame out of every window and thrilling with sensa- tions of horror the thousands of spectators who had gathered in the streets. One by one the roomers had been hurried out by the firemen, one of them carrying Dollie in his arms down the stairs and de- positing her safely on the pavement. “My sister! Oh, my sister!” shrieked Dol- lie, shrilly. “Oh, save my sister Marion and dear Miss Allyn!” “Where are they?” asked a fireman who - had heard her cry. “Third floor, back,” answered Dollie in an agonized whisper. The fireman shook his head. “No use,” he muttered sadly. gutted. Ifit was front we might save them.” Suddenly a cry of terror went up from the crowd, then followed shouts of warning from a thousand throats, which were unintelligible to poor frightened Dollie. The fireman looked up from the hose he was tending. “My God, don’t jump!” he shouted, hoarsely. Dollie looked up and saw her sis- ter standing on the sill of a third story win- dow, her girlish form encircled by wreaths of smoke and long tongues of flame lapping the wali until they almost reached her. Spell-bound with horror, Dollie stood and gazed as a long ssoder was run up by an agile fireman. The ladder was too short and another was handed up; Dollie meanwhile standing mo- ticnless as the crowd shouted about her. “The rear is - GOMIIGDOOKXS (C ©)