ht itself.

"But I fled from that building as from a falling wall. I could not
believe that it could endure such a shock and still stand.

"The next I remember I was standing in the street laughing at the
unholy appearance of half a hundred men clad in pajamas--and less.

"The women were in their night robes; they made a better appearance
than the men.

"The street was a rainbow of colors in the early morning light. There
was every stripe and hue of raiment never intended to be seen outside
the boudoir.

"I looked at a man at my side; he was laughing at me. Then for the
first time I became aware that I was in pajamas myself. I turned and
fled back to my room.

"There I dressed, packed my grip, and hastened back to the street. All
the big buildings on Market street toward the ferry were standing, but
I marked four separate fires. The fronts of the small buildings had
fallen out into the streets and at some places the debris had broken
through the sidewalk into cellars.

"I noticed two women near me. They were apparently without escort. One
said to the other, 'What wouldn't I give to be back in Los Angeles
again.'

"That awakened a kindred feeling and I proffered my assistance. I put
my overcoat on the stone steps of a building and told them to sit
there.

"In less than two minutes those steps appeared to pitch everything
forward, to be flying at me. The groaning and writhing started afresh.

"But I was just stunned. I stood there in the street with debris
falling about me. It seemed the natural thing for the tops of
buildings to careen over and for fronts to fall out. I do not even
recall that the women screamed.

"The street gave a convulsive shudder and the buildings somehow
righted themselves again. I thought they had crashed together above my
head.

"The air was filled with the roar of explosions. They were dynamiting
great blocks. Sailors were training guns to rake rows of residences.

"All the while we were moving onward with the crowd. Cinders were
falling about us. At times our clothing caught fire, just little
embers that smoked and went out. The sting burned our faces and we
used our handkerchiefs for veils.

"Everybody around us was using some kind of cloth to shield their
eyes. It looked curious to see expressmen and teamsters wearing those
veils.

"Quite naturally we seemed to come to Golden Gate Park. It seemed as
if we had started for there. By this time the darkness was settling.
But