house on fire?

Subject: house on fire?
From: hillbilly
Date: 18 Nov 02 - 12:47 PM

if your house catcha a fire ain't no water round.-what the hell do you do?

Subject: RE: house on fire?
From: Sorcha
Date: 18 Nov 02 - 12:59 PM

Pack up the babies, grab the old ladies, and run like hell!
(don't forget the instruments)

Subject: RE: house on fire?
From: Declan
Date: 18 Nov 02 - 01:02 PM

That's easy. Use the fire extinguisher or if this is unsafe break the glass and wait for the Fire Brigade.

Subject: RE: house on fire?
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 18 Nov 02 - 01:09 PM

Turn your computer on. Go online. Go to the Mudact Cafe. Start a thread asking what to do if your house catches fire and there's no water around. It won't help, but you'll have fun reading the smart-assed answers while your house burns down.

Bruce

Subject: RE: house on fire?
From: Charley Noble
Date: 18 Nov 02 - 01:22 PM

I don't know. That's not my responsibility.

But thanks for asking!

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: house on fire?
From: Schantieman
Date: 18 Nov 02 - 01:25 PM

Richard Sheridan sat and drank across the street while his theatre in Drury Lane burned down. When someone asked him whether he shouldn't be doing something about it, he replied,"May not a man be permitted to take a glass of wine by his own fireside?"

That's what I call sang froid!

Subject: RE: house on fire?
From: John Routledge
Date: 18 Nov 02 - 01:26 PM

One of the real delights of Mudcat.

Replies that give every assistance short of actual help. :0)

Subject: RE: house on fire?
From: Gareth
Date: 18 Nov 02 - 02:34 PM

Play the fiddle ?????

Gareth

Subject: RE: house on fire?
From: 53
Date: 18 Nov 02 - 02:38 PM

(;)

Subject: RE: house on fire?
From: Schantieman
Date: 18 Nov 02 - 02:39 PM

OK. Grab the kids and the insurance documents and run like hell! Hope the Green Goddess gets there in time.

S

Subject: RE: house on fire?
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Nov 02 - 03:09 PM

Get out the marshmallows and have a roast!

Subject: RE: house on fire?
From: Bardford
Date: 18 Nov 02 - 03:16 PM

Well, if you need to extract a damsel from the inferno, go thusly:                                                                     

Mark Twain- From an unfinished burlesque on books of etiquette
                  


                                     At a Fire

                                     Form of Tender of Rescue from Strange Young Gentleman to Strange
                                     Young Lady at a Fire.

                                     Although through the fiat of a cruel fate, I have been debarred the gracious
                                     privilege of your acquaintance, permit me, Miss [here insert name if known],
                                     the inestimable honor of offering you the aid of a true and loyal arm against
                                     the fiery doom which now o'ershadows you with its crimson wing [this form
                                     to be memorized, and practiced in private]

                                     Should she accept, the young gentleman would offer his arm--bowing, and
                                     observing "Permit me"--and so escort her to the fire escape and deposit her
                                     in it (being careful, if she have no clothes but her night dress, not to seem to
                                     notice the irregularity). No form of leave-taking is permissible, further than a
                                     formal bow, accompanied by a barely perceptible smile of deferential
                                     gratitude for the favor which the young lady has accorded--this smile to be
                                     completed at the moment the fire escape starts to slide down, then the
                                     features to be recomposed instantly.


                   A compulsory introduction at a fire is not binding upon the young lady. The young gentleman cannot
                   require recognition at her hands when he next meets her, but must leave her unembarrassed to decide
                   for herself whether she will continue the acquaintanceship or ignore it.

                   To return to the fire. If the boarding house is not provided with a fire escape, the young gentleman will
                   use such other means of rescue as circumstances will afford. But he will not need to change the form
                   of his proffer of assistance; for the speech has been purposely formed in such a way as to apply with
                   equal felicity to all methods of rescue from fire. If egress may be had to the street by the stairway, the
                   young gentleman will offer his arm and escort the young lady down; if retreat in that direction is cut off
                   by fire, he will escort her to the floor above and lower her to the street by a rope, fastening it by slip
                   noose under her armpits, with the knot behind (at the same time bowing and saying "Permit me"); or if
                   no rope be procurable, he will drop her from the balcony upon soft substances provided by the
                   populace below--always observing "Permit me", and accompanying the remark with a slight
                   inclination of the head. In either ascending or descending the stairs, the young gentleman shall walk
                   beside the young lady, if the stairs are wide enough to allow it; otherwise he must precede her. In no
                   case must he follow her. This is de rigueur.

                   Mem. In rescuing the chambermaid, presentation of a card is not necessary, neither should one say
                   "Permit me". The form of tender of service should also be changed. Example:

                   Form of Tender of Rescue from Young Gentleman to Chambermaid at a Fire

                   There is no occasion for alarm, Mary [insertion of surname not permissible]; keep cool, do everything
                   just as I tell you, and, D.V., I will save you.

                   Anything more elaborate than this, as to diction and sentiment, would be in exceedingly bad taste, in
                   the case of a chambermaid. Yet at the same time, brusqueries are to be avoided. Such expressions as
                   "Come, git!" should never fall from the lips of a true gentleman at a fire. No, not even addressed to
                   the humblest domestic. Brevity is well; but even brevity cannot justify vulgarity.

                   In assisting at a fire in a boarding house, the true gentleman will always save the young ladies
                   first--making no distinction in favor of personal attractions, or social eminence, or pecuniary
                   prominence--but taking them as they come, and firing them out with as much celerity as shall be
                   consistent with decorum. There are exceptions, of course, to all rules; the exceptions to this one are:

                   Partiality, in the matter of rescue, to be shown to:

                   1. Fiancees.
                   2. Persons toward whom the operator feels a tender sentiment, but has not yet declared himself.
                   3. Sisters
                   4. Stepsisters
                   5. Nieces
                   6. First Cousins
                   7. Cripples
                   8. Second Cousins
                   9. Invalids
                   10. Young lady relations by marriage
                   11. Third cousins, and young lady friends of the family
                   12. The unclassified

                   Parties belonging to these twelve divisions should be saved in the order in which they are named.

                   The operator must keep himself utterly calm, and his line of procedure constantly in mind; otherwise
                   the confusion around him will be almost sure to betray him to very embarrassing breaches of etiquette.
                   Where this is much smoke, it is often quite difficult to distinguish between new Relatives by Marriage
                   and Unclassified Young Ladies; wherefore it is provided that if the operator, in cases of this sort, shall
                   rescue a No. 12 when he should have rescued a No. 10, it is not requisite that he carry the No. 12
                   back again, but that he leave her where she is without remark, and go and fetch out No. 10. An
                   apology to No 10 is not imperative; still it is good form to offer it. It my be deferred, however, one
                   day--but no longer.[In a case of this nature which occurred during the first day of the Chicago fire,
                   where the operator saved a No.7, when a No. 6 was present but overlooked in the smoke, it was
                   held by competent authorities, that the postponement of the apology for the extraordinary term of
                   three days was justified, it being considered that the one day term during which the apology must be
                   offered means the day after the fire, and therefore does not begin until the fire is out. This decision
                   was sustained by several Illinois courts though which it was carried; and experts are confident that it
                   will also be sustained, eventually, in the Supreme Court of the United States--where it still lingers].

                   To return to the fire.

                   Observe: 1's, 3's, 4's and 5's may be carried out of the burning house, in the operator's
                   arms--permission being first asked, and granted; 7's and 9's may be carried out without the formality
                   of asking permission; the other grades may not be carried out, except they themselves take the
                   initiative, and signify, by word or manner, the desire to partake of this attention.

                   Form for Requesting Permission to Carry a No. 1, 3, 4 or 5, out of a Boarding House Which is
                   On Fire.

                   The bonds of [here insert "tenderness" in the case of a No. 1; or "blood" in other cases] which enfold
                   us in their silken tie, warrant me, my dear [here insert given name, in all cases; and without prefix], in
                   offering to you the refuge of my arms in fleeing the fiery doom which now, with crimson wing,
                   o'ershadows us.

                   In cases where a member of one of the prohibited grades signifies a desire to be carried out of the
                   fire, response should be made in the following form--accompanied by a peculiarly profound
                   obeisance:

                   Form of Response to Indication on the part of a 2, 6, 8, 10, 11 or 12 that she Desires to be Carried
                   Out of a Fire in the Arms of Young Gentleman.

                   In view of the circumstances, Madmosselle [insert name only in cases where the party is a 6 or an
                   8--be careful about this], that but fragile and conventional [here-in case of a No. 2--insert "Alas!"]
                   are the bonds which enfold us in their silken tie, it is with deepest sense of the signal distinction which
                   your condescension has conferred upon me, that I convey to you the refuge of my arms in fleeing the
                   fiery doom which now, with crimson wing, o'ershadows us.

                   Other material in the boarding house is to be rescued in the following order:

                   13. Babies
                   14. Children under 10 years of age.
                   15. Young widows
                   16. Young married females
                   17. Elderly married ditto.
                   18. Elderly widows.
                   19. Clergymen.
                   20. Boarders in general.
                   21. Female domestics.
                   22. Male ditto.
                   23. Landlady.
                   24. Landlord.
                   25. Firemen.
                   26. Furniture.
                   27. Mothers in law.

                   Arbitrary introductions, made under fire, to 12s through the necessity of carrying them out of the
                   conflagration, are not binding. It rests with the young lady to renew the acquaintanceship or let it
                   drop. If she shall desire the renewal, she may so signify by postal card; by intimation conveyed
                   through a friend or family; or by simple recognition of operator, by smile and slight inclination of head,
                   the first time she meets him after the fire. In the resulting conversation the young gentleman must
                   strictly refrain from introducing the subject of fire, or indeed of combustibles of any kind, lest he may
                   seem to conceive and remember that he has lately done a heroic action, or at least an action meriting
                   complementary acknowledgment; whereas, on the contrary, he should studiedly seem to have
                   forgotten the circumstance, until the young lady shall herself--if she so please--refer to it; in which
                   case he will bow repeatedly, smiling continuously, and accompanying each bow with the observation
                   (uttered in a soft, apparently embarrassed, yet gratified voice) "'m very glad, 'm sure, 'm very glad, 'm
                   sure".

                   Offers of marriage to parties who are being carried out from a boarding house on fire are considered
                   to be in questionable taste, for the reason that the subject of the proposition is not likely to mistress of
                   her best judgment at so alarming and confusing a time, and therefore it may chance that she is taken at
                   a disadvantage. Indeed, the most authoritative canons of high breeding limit such offers inflexibly to
                   cases where the respondent is a No. 2. In these instances, the following form should be observed:

                   Form of Offer of Marriage from Young Gentleman to a No. 2, during Process of Extracting Her from
                   Boarding House on Fire, and Conveying Her out of Same in His Arms.

                   Ah, I supplicate, I beseech, I implore thee, dearest [here insert given name of party only], to have
                   compassion upon thy poor kneeling henchman [do not attempt to kneel--this is but a figure of speech]
                   and deign to be his! Deign to engender into bonds of tenderness those bonds of chill conventionality
                   which enfold us in their silken tie, and he will ever bless the day thou didst accept the refuge of his
                   arms in fleeing the fiery doom which now, with crimson wing, o'ershadows us.

                   Enough has been said, now, as to the conduct which a young gentleman of culture and breeding
                   should observe in the case of a boarding house on fire. The same rules apply, with but slight variations
                   (which will suggest themselves to the operator), to fire in a church, private house, hotel, railway train,
                   or on shipboard--indeed to all fires in the ordinary walks of life.

                   The speeches to be used at a fire may also, with but slight alteration, be wielded with effect upon
                   disastrous occasions of other sorts. For instance, in tendering rescue from destruction by hurricane, or
                   earthquake, or runaway team, or railway collision (where no conflagration ensues), the operator
                   should merely substitute "fatal doom" for "fiery doom"; and in cases of ordinary shipwreck or other
                   methods of drowning, he should say "watery doom". No other alterations are necessary, for the
                   "crimson wing" applies to all calamities of a majestic sort, and is a phrase of exceeding finish and
                   felicity.

                   Observe, in conclusion: Offers of marriage, during episode of runaway team, are to be avoided. A
                   lady is sufficiently embarrassed at such a time; any act tending to add to this embarrassment is
                   opposed to good taste, and therefore reprehensible.

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Subject: RE: house on fire?
From: Gareth
Date: 18 Nov 02 - 03:27 PM

On the other hand perhaps it would have been wiser not to buy a holiday home in Wales.

Gareth

Subject: RE: house on fire?
From: boab d
Date: 18 Nov 02 - 08:11 PM

Get a video camera, a crate of beer and the contents of your freeze and get ootside the hoose
set up the video camera
open the beer
stick the frozen goods on the fire
record, drink ,eat and say "well it could have been worse the mother in law might have gotten out had you not had the forward to lock her in the bed room
hehe

Subject: RE: house on fire?
From: GUEST
Date: 18 Nov 02 - 11:23 PM

Subject: RE: house on fire?
From: delphinium
Date: 18 Nov 02 - 11:24 PM

Southern Blues:
House catch on fire and ain't no water 'round
If your house catch on fire, ain't no water 'round
Throw your trunk out the window, building, burn on down

or

Muleskinner Blues:
If your house catches fire
And there ain't no water 'round
If your house catches fire
And there ain't no water 'round
Just throw your good gal out the window
Let your house just burn on down

Subject: RE: house on fire?
From: GUEST,hillbilly
Date: 18 Nov 02 - 11:26 PM

throw your jelly out the window let the dog gone shack burn down,leadbelly

Subject: RE: house on fire?
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 19 Nov 02 - 06:58 AM

Well if you've got plenty of beer, you could always drink it then piss on the fire.

Subject: RE: house on fire?
From: KingBrilliant
Date: 19 Nov 02 - 07:09 AM

throw jelly out the window????
I suppose its better than a chamber pot.

Subject: RE: house on fire?
From: delphinium
Date: 19 Nov 02 - 10:22 AM

hillbilly,

Is that how Leadbelly sings it? Your jelly means your woman (or your good gal), right?

Subject: RE: house on fire?
From: Schantieman
Date: 19 Nov 02 - 01:15 PM

Bardford - LOL!!!

Steve

Subject: RE: house on fire?
From: GUEST,fat B****rd
Date: 20 Nov 02 - 04:53 AM

Pray the fire doesn't spread to the toilet.

Subject: RE: house on fire?
From: allanwill
Date: 20 Nov 02 - 09:11 AM

"Piss on the fire, call in the dogs and head on back to Bowlegs"

NGDB

Allan

Subject: RE: house on fire?
From: Neighmond
Date: 20 Nov 02 - 09:59 PM

t'row my trunk out the winda.....let the house burn on down!