Judd opened the door into the hall but was met by such a blast of hot,
suffocating smoke that he quickly shut it again. What was to be done?
Cateye was unconscious; the hallway was black with smoke. The window!
Judd rushed over to it and looked down. But the dorm was three stories
high and they were upon the third story! Judd was baffled for a
moment, then, diving under his bed he pulled forth a coil of knotted
rope, one end of which was tied to a ring in the floor, provided for
fellows in every room, in case of just such an emergency. He quickly
made a noose of the free end, passed this around under Cateye's arm
pits, and pushing him out the window, lowered him to the ground.
Half-clad figures were already dashing across the campus. At Judd's
lusty hail some one took care of Cateye. Satisfied that his room-mate
was now free from danger Judd turned about to see what else he could
do. The smoke was steadily growing thicker.
He grabbed a towel, saturated it by thrusting it in a pitcher of water
on the dresser, and wrapped it about his face; then he turned and
rushed into the hall. At the further end, near the stairs, a little
line of red flame sputtered. Judd started back, remembering the coil
of hose at the other end of the hall, and wondering why none of the
students had thought to use it before. But he stumbled across a body
lying in the doorway of the room adjoining Cateye's. He stooped and
rolled the body over so that he could see the face. "Pole!" he gasped.
Stepping over Pole's inert form and into the room, Judd saw Potts lying
in a sitting posture, half-dressed, against the side of his bed!
Yells came from the floor below. "Go out the window, guys! We can't
reach you from below! What's the matter up there? Get a move on!"
Judd secured the rope from under Potts' bed, made another noose and let
Potts gently out the window. He looked out on the campus. A great
crowd of students had now collected and more were coming from every
direction. Some had lanterns.
"Tie one of those lanterns on and send it up!" shouted Judd, hoarsely.
"Where are all the fellows? There's only four accounted for! Ten more
up there!" inquired an anxious voice from below.
"Don't know!" responded Judd, pulling up the rope and taking off the
lantern. "I'm lettin' 'em down as soon as I find 'em!"
Pole's long, lean form was the next one to slip gracefully over the
window sill to safety.
Then Judd rushed into the hall, lantern in hand. The line of fire had
increased into a blaze. Two doors down, Reynolds, a sophomore, dashed
into the hall, clad in pajamas.
"Help!" he cried, wild-eyed. "Max is asleep! I can't waken him.
Hurry, somebody, quick!"
"Make a noose of your rope an' let him out the window!" directed Judd,
"then join me!"
Reynolds disappeared within his room.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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