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William T. Cox's
“ T H E    H O D A G    A N D   O T H E R   T A L E S    O F   T H E   L O G G I N G   C A M P S ”
(  90th  A N N I V E R S A R Y    H Y P E R T E X T   E D I T I O N  )
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approached by a knight of the grip, who had a suavity that took me off my feet, and a line of talk that would make a brass monkey weep.
    He had a fire escape, recognized by the state laws that would cost just half of what the one I was considering, would cost. A drowning man will grasp at a straw, so I ordered the new system installed. Each guest room was equipped with a pair of rubber boots and each guest was instructed that in case of fire, he was to slip into the boots and jump out of the window.
    Oh that I could wipe from my memory the events of that horrible night! A convention for school teachers and another for trained nurses were being held in our city, filling all of our hotels to capacity. At two o’clock in the morning, a fire alarm sounded, causing confusion to reign in our hotel. Would that I could lay my hands on the scoundrel who put in that fire alarm! I tried to quiet the guests and was quite successful with the males, but my endeavors with the females were of no avail,—they were in their rooms, with the windows raised to the half sash, and no fire in sight! Within a few minutes, all had jumped! The manufacturers of those boots must have had x
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a surplus of rubber, at least they put enough spring into their product to make them shock proof. I can make only a feeble attempt to describe the terrible scene which followed those flying leaps! There was a shower of white forms in the moonlight,— slender school ma’ams and plump ones, and nurses in all garbs. Lucifer with the fallen angels had nothing on me. Pandemonium reigned, fire engines and the whole fire department came to the rescue. There was an endless procession of passersby, including the board of health, the police force, ladies’ aid societies, the House of David, inmates of the Old People’s Home, Y. M. C. A., and last but not least, the Reveeting Society headed by their great leader.
          There was an excessive abundance of buoyancy in the rubber soles, which caused the flying forms to rise much higher than the roof garden of the hotel. Hour after hour passed, and still the forms hovered in the air ! The police were keeping a careful watch over me while a strong protest was made to the mayor by the gate keeper of the House of David, declaring that competition and infringement was being made on his patented, sacred organization.
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