"Where is he caught, Charlotte?" asked the parson, as he edged a little
farther under the beam, which tottered and brought him to a cautious
standstill.
"His middle. Mikey's pushing and I'm pulling, but he's all bluggy. He's
dead all but his toes that wiggle."
"Hurry, Goodloe, hurry!" groaned Nickols, with what seemed a final
inspiration of breath.
"Pull him loose and come quick, Charlotte, you and Mikey. Never mind the
blood," was the firm command and in a few seconds Charlotte and Mikey
squeezed through the fast closing opening, bloody and torn, but with
the limp Stray dragged between them. A great cheer went up as Martha
turned and caught the unconscious boy in her arms, then it froze in the
throats that had been uttering it. Slowly, but more rapidly than could
be stayed by human hands, the whole heavy roof crushed down upon the
rest of the ruin; and under it and the beam went Nickols Powers with
only one deep groan. Mr. Goodloe tried to hold up the whole side of the
roof on his own shoulders and only staggered out from the very brink of
being involved in the crash. Martha sank to the ground and hid her head
in my knees and sobbed while I heard a great cry break from my father's
lips. Nickols was the last of his race and our pride was blasted when he
fell.
"Now forward, every man of you, but lift and dig carefully," commanded
the parson, as he stood on the very edge of the ruin. "Todd, you stand
at the corner and show them how to roll back the timbers to the right.
Carefully, men, but quick, quick, and with the help of God!"
It seemed hours that the men wrestled with the timbers and tore away
brick and stone and steel, but it was only a few minutes before they
pried up a section of the heavy roof and lifted Nickols from the debris
beneath.
"He's breathing," said Mr. Todd, as he laid him in the parson's great,
strong, outstretched arms open to receive him and which bore him out
through the crowd swiftly and laid him across the seats of Nickols' car.
Doctor Harding had just put Mark, a limp, heavy body, into his own car,
with Harriet to support the bleeding head, and Nell crouched beside him
with the Suckling in her arms, and sent them on up into the devastated
Town. Now he came and helped us settle Nickols on his cushions.
"Shall I send my car and Colonel Leftwick for surgeons and nurses from
the Capital?" asked the Governor. "How is it with Morgan?"
"He is dead," answered the old doctor with the calm serenity that he had
acquired after so many years of giving up his friends. "This case is
another matter. There may be a chance and I'll need help. We don't yet
know how many more are injured in the whole town. We'll need help."