The long elaborate dream of mine hadn’t lasted a second. It wuz staged in the real Dream Land, for the awful drayma so soon to be enacted there, by the terrible actor, Fire! The most fearful and tragic actor on the hull stage of life.
Fire! Fire! Fire!
Thus did I scream as I throwed on my clothes, I thought at the top of my voice, but I don’t spoze it wuz much above a whisper, for Bildad’s folks didn’t hear me in the next room, through the thin wall, till I rushed to their door and knocked, cryin’ out:
“Bildad, git up! Josiah is afire!” 299
“What you say?” he called back.
“Dreamland is afire! Josiah is in danger! But I will save him or perish!” And I ketched up a two quart pail of water, and rushed out doors. You can’t recall your exact thoughts at such a time, yet I have a ricellection of thinkin’—Josiah is small boneded, and two quarts of water might put him out if he had jest got afire. But where wuz the idol of my soul? I spoze every woman on Coney Island thought them thoughts whether she remembers it or not. Where is he? Will he escape? And men wuz thinkin’, Where is she? Is she safe? Love puts the question, and Fear and Horrer answers it.
As I rushed along cryin’ Fire! winders wuz throwed up, doors opened, and in less time than I can tell on’t, Surf Avenue wuz full of people. Frenzied cries and shouts rung through the air. And as the flames riz higher and higher, so did the shrieks and yells of the crowd, which had swelled to a mob; bells clanged, fire wagons raced and jangled.
Quicker than any seen wuz ever changed at a theatre the Quiet Night wuz turned into Pandemonium. Men, wimmen and children rushin’ every which way—police—firemen—fire bells 300 clangin’—men shoutin’—wimmen shriekin’—and every minute the flames increased!
The firemen did what they could, they worked like giants, but the element they wuz workin’ aginst wuz more powerful than man. Anon burnin’ timbers fell with a crash, clouds of smoke wropped us round and choked us, the firemen sent up streams of water that turned to mountains of steam.
I wuz carried by the screechin’ mob hither and yon with no will of my own. Another element wuz added to the dretful seen. Someone cried out: