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                                     3.

came in about ten minutes. Must stop short off here for Chalkley wants to mail this and can't wait a minute. Will write this afternoon again and tell you of our escape.

                                               Emma.

Dear Mother,

        I broke my letter off very abruptly this morning 

and although it hardly seemed a subject for levity we could not help laughing when I told Mrs. B. and Frank of its abrupt termination at such a critical moment. Mrs. B. said I should have said "to be continued next month underlined a la New York Ledger". But to resume, Mr. H. had been watching the fire on the South Side and did not dream that his office was in danger until he saw the Court House in a mass of flame, (it ran like lightning over the building.) He then rushed to his office for his safe. Of course it was dark and he had a great deal of difficulty in opening it with the combination lock, but succeeded in getting the most valuable papers and by the time he got down from the office State St. bridge was burning. The Sherman House a mass of flame, and everything near it, and Wright's Livery stable on fire on the North Side. His only chance then for the