He told his tale to the two boys and Clytie, Grandfather Delcher having wished to hear no more of the occurrence.

“You understan’, it was like this now,” he began, after having with a calculating eye rejected two proffered chairs of delicate structure and selected a stout wooden rocker into which he settled tentatively, as one whom experience had taught to distrust most of the chairs in common use.

“The people in front had got out all right, the fire havin’ started on the stage from the strip-light, and also our people had got out through the little stage-entrance, though havin’ to leave many of our props—­a good coat I had to lose meself, fur-lined around the collar, by way of helpin’ the Sisters Devere get out their box of accordions that they done a Dutch Daly act with for an enn-core.  Well, as I was sayin’, we’d all hustled down these back stairs—­they was already red hot and smokin’ up good, you understan’, and there we was shiverin’ outside in the snow, kind of rattled, and no wonder, at that, and the ladies of the troupe histurrical—­it had come like a quick-change, you understan’, when all of a sudden up in the air goes the Original Kelly.  Say, he lets out a yell for your life—­’Oh, my God!’ he says, ‘my kids—­up there,’ pointin’ to where the little flames was spittin’ out through the side like a fire-eatin’ act.  Then down he flops onto his knees in the snow, prayin’ like the—­prayin’ like mad, you understan’, and callin’ on the blessed Virgin to save little Patsy, who was just gittin’ good with his drum-major act and whirlin’ a fake musket—­and also little Joseph, who was learnin’ to do some card-tricks that wasn’t so bad.  Well, so everybody begins to scream louder and run this way and that, you understan’, callin’ the kids and thinkin’ Kelly was nutty, because they must ’a got out.  But Kelly keeps right on prayin’ to the holy Virgin, the tears runnin’ down his make-up—­say, he looked awful, on the dead!  And then we hears another yell, and here was Prof. at the window with one of the kids, sure enough.  He’d got up them two flights of stairs, though they was all red smoky, like when you see fire through smoke.  Well, he motions to catch the kid, so we snatches a cloak off one of the girls and holds it out between us, you understan’, while he leans out and drops the kid into it, all safe and sound.

“Just then we seen the place all light up back of him, and we yelled to him to jump, too—­he could ‘a saved himself, you understan’, but he waves his hand and shook his head—­say, lookin’ funny, too, with his mus-tache half burned off, and we seen him go back out of sight for the other little Kelly—­Kelly still promisin’ to give up all he had to the Virgin if she saved his boys.