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                                        5.

Hundreds of dollars would not have hired a team then, so we went out as I told you before in the midst of a shower of sparks and burning embers flying faster and thicker than the heaviest snow storm you ever saw, with the water works just coming down with a crash, and all ways cut off by fire except to hurry straight north. It is the greatest wonder we were not burned alive from the falling fire, but managed to get over to Dearborn Street where we met Mr. Colyer who told us to go up to the church and go into his study, but be careful that no one else got in till he came back. We were very glad of the word 'course' is written and then scratched out some such refuge, for we were ready to drop the word 'drop' was inserted by caret from our heavy loads (without them walking was almost an impossibility on account of the terrific wind) but the fire gained on us so fast that I was afraid to stop anywhere inside the city limits (in one place four blocks burned in twenty minutes) and looking back all we could see was a solid mass of flame roaring and crackling behind us, with a terrified and panic stricken crowd flying before it. The wind was changing at that time, so Chalkley thought the church might not be in immediate danger, so went in. It was three o'clock in the morning when we left the house, and