The men below holding the life net
under the window, saw him totter and changed their position as fast as
possible in order to get under him. But he fell so suddenly that they
hardly had time to shift. They had scarcely got into position, when down
he came into the net, before it had tightened up. The fall was
considerably broken, but he landed hard enough to make the thud
distinctly heard. And there he lay in a heap, limp. He was unconscious.
They lifted him out, carried him over to the Club room, and sent for a
doctor.

Meanwhile, Father Boone, who had been the first to reach him, hastily
anointed him and gave him conditional absolution. He was about to return
to the fire to be on hand in case others were injured, but one of the
firemen came in just then and said that the woman and child were
rescued, and that the fire was under control.

So the priest sat beside Bill, holding his hand, and patting his
forehead. Instead of a doctor, an ambulance arrived. Bill was carried on
a stretcher into the wagon, and with a warning clang, it was off for the
hospital. The doctor was on one side of him, the priest on the other.
Neither spoke. Both kept their eyes on the patient. The doctor held his
pulse, and moved his eyelids to observe the extent of the danger. A
hasty examination at the hospital emergency room showed a badly injured
arm and side, and a bruised, but not fractured, skull.

(VII)

Having been assured that the case was not fatal, Father Boone boarded a
trolley and soon found himself near the Daly tenement. He was used to
errands like this. And yet this had something different about it. Often
had he carried sad news to wives and mothers and fathers. But there was
an element of tragedy in this case. Only the day before, he had left the
Dalys starting out on a new way, father, mother and son. And now the
link that bound father and mother, if not broken, was very close to it.
Would the news start Mike Daly drinking? Would it harden him, or would
he see in it the hand of God?

With these thoughts in his mind, he rapped gently at the door. Mrs. Daly
met him all radiant. A wonderful change had occurred. The room was neat
and clean, she herself was as tidy as a pin and in walked Daly himself,
greatly improved by a clean shave and a clean collar. "I want to see
both of you together," he said. "I have a bit of good news for you."

They walked into the front room. It was really decent now. The home as
well as the occ