The Heroine:

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23009, 9 April 1938, Page 8 (Supplement)

The Heroine:

By d. e. T yS on

JESSICA wanted to be a heroine more than anything else in the world. Nothing thrilled her so much as the brave deeds of Grace Darling, but Jessica knew she could never be another "Grace," for she could not row, let alone take a boat out in the wild tempest to rescue poor sailors struggling for their lives in the cruel sea. Uncle Ben as a boy had stopped a runaway horse, and Jessica was never tired of being told how he was flung from side to side, yet still clung to tho bridle, trying to sooth the frightened animal until it pulled up on the- edge of a cliff. There were but few horses on the streets nowadays, and those she saw seemed to have more sense than to bolt. • So the daydreaming little girl had to satisfy her craving in deeds of fancy and imagination, and it was "Jessica, the imaginary heroine," who, finding the big kauri lying across the railway track, bravely cut her finger (Ugh I She hated blood really) and holding the crimson handkerchief in front of her torch, ran along tho line to Btop the doomed train. . v ... , . Again, it was "Jessica, tho storybook heroine," who at tho circus, followed the escaping lion,- and without a tremor of fear, placed her hand on the. broad, shaggy head, and led the animal, like a big clumsy puppy, back to its den. One day a friend of her mother came to their h'ouso. "I wonder if Jessica would mind looking after my children while I go down to the town," she Baid. "fliey are getting over chickenpox, and your littlo girl has had that, 1 believe." The Strettons lived in the top flat of a big building at the end of their . They played at "Spin the Platter" and "Hunt the Slipper," and all the indoor games Jessica could think of. The Stretton children were better now, and could enjoy the games. It seemed rather a long time that Mrs. Stretton was away, and feeling urieasy, Jessica went to the door that opened on to the stairs "What a funny smell," she remarked. It made her catch her breath for a moment. Thinking of little Tim a cough, she closed the door and pushed the mat hard against the space underneath. Suddenly, in the distance, there came the hoarse scream of a siren. A fire engine . . . coming this way, too, perceived Jessica, and for one wild moment she wished she were free in the streets to follow the throng of excited people that always flocked to the scene of a fir?!. ■' J ' v . Then, as the unseen engme appeared to stop in their road, she wondered how near the fire must be to the block of flats. Climbing on to the broad window ledge, she peered out as well as she could against the iron bars out-

side. The room overlooked a deserted yard at the back of the building, and not even a wisp of smoke could' be seen. Another false alarm, perhaps.

Jumping down, Jessica started a new game, but before she had finished the "counting out" for the "he" a thunderous crash came on the outer door of the flat. "Who is it?" she cried. "Open tho door," came a muffled voice. "Quickly." Jessica pulled back the catch and opened the door an inch or two, and the peculiar smell wafted to her nostrils again. Then she gave a stifled scream, tor the door was forced open roughly against her, and a dreadful monster, with big round eyes and the snout of

a pig, pushed its way in, turned and re-closed the door with a bang. "Don't be frightened, Missie, I'm only a fireman," camo the muffled tones again. "Is it a fire?" she asked tremulously. "No, Missie. Worse," answered tho fireman. "Anybody else here?" "Yes, five of Mrs. Stretton's children with ehiekenpox," she replied. The man groaned. "Six children! he repeated. Then he put his hand on Jessica's shoulder. "Little girl, I am sure you are brave. Can yon help mo to get them out quickly?" lie asked. "Yes, of course," she answered, though her voice shook a little, "but the children will be awfully frightened of you." "Tell them I won't hurt them. You must. Quickly, too," demanded tho max urgently. "Oh! I know. I will tell them yon are one of the Three Little Pigs," she cried, and ran on ahead into the bedroom. "Elsie, Kenny, Daisy, all of you, hero is one of the Little Pigs from the pictures to play with us." Th6re was a shout of delight "Come along, we will play 'Follow' my leader,' " said Jessica, picking up

the baby from the cot. "March. . . . left, left," she ordered. leading the way to the bedroom door. But the fireman had opened the window wide, and with several blows from his axe had smashed down the protecting bars.

"Oooh, you'll catch it," remarked Kenny with awo.

"Quickly, follow quickly," gasped tho man nearly beside himself with anxiety. "Hold hands." commanded Jessica, bringing up the rear with the sobbing baby Tim. The fireman turned to relieve her of her burden, but the littlo one clung tenaciously, burying his head into her thin shoulder. ""I'm all right. You go first." she whispered. They climbed out of the window, and hand in hand, the little procession

crept cautiously along the narrow fire escape. Then tlio iron stairway, step by step, was carefully descended, but before they reached the lowest, willing hands grasped them, and carried them swiftly away. « *<»»■»*

That evening the fireman came to see Jessica's mother. " —But there wasn't a fire at all, was there?" broke in the little girl. "No, dear," answered her mother. "It was a bad escape of gas, and if it had exploded, there would have beep a dreadful fire, and —" "And would we all have been burnt? ' interrupted Jessica. "There would not havo been much chance for any of us in the flats," answered the fireman gravely. "That was why I was in such a hurry to get you out, and if you had not been so clever in making it into a sort of game for those children, I would have had to carry you all down separately." Jessica stared at him. It had not been as exciting: as stopping trains, or running after lions. The fireman was still speaking. "A plucky little girl you were, my dear.... a real heroine."