In the end, what saved the city was a shift in the wind and the waters of San Francisco Bay. As the flames were blown toward the waterfront, the area available for burning was gradually pinched down, and at the suggestion of some unknown fireman, water from the bay was used to fill the pumpers so that eventually they were able to bring the various blazes under control. Several times during the three days following the earthquake, the authorities announced confidently that the crisis was over, only to be proven wrong as the conflagrations began to rage once more. By Saturday morning, however, the fires really were under control.
Fire Chief Dennis Sullivan, much beloved by not only the men in his department but by the population at large, was trapped in the collapse of one of the firehouses, in which he had been sleeping at the time of the earthquake. Severely injured, he was finally pulled out of the wreckage, but he never regained consciousness and died shortly after one o'clock on Sunday morning, never knowing what had happened to San Francisco. Sullivan, a canny man when it came to fighting fires, might have stopped the army from using dynamite and making the situation worse, but there is no way of knowing that.
Mellisande Dupree also died, though whether in the earthquake itself or in the fire that ravaged the downtown area afterward, no one was ever able to determine. Her funeral was held on Monday, one of hundreds, perhaps even thousands, that took place on that grim day. Cole Brady and Annabel Lowell were in attendance.
Garrett Ingersoll was never seen again, although whether he died in the natural disaster or met some other fate could not be determined. However, a few weeks later, a known arsonist confessed to starting the warehouse fires along the waterfront and told police that he had been hired by Ingersoll in an attempt to damage his competitors and frame Cole Brady for the crimes.
Much of the civilian population of. San Francisco was evacuated during the fires that raged for three days, but when the blazes were finally put out, people began to drift back into the city. Annabel's prediction proved to be true: While some people gave up and never returned, most San Franciscans soon rolled up their sleeves and went to work rebuilding their homes and businesses. The smell of smoke was replaced by the scent of raw, freshly cut lumber as new buildings began to rise.
Most important, the city learned from the cataclysm that befell it. The new buildings were stronger, designed to better withstand the shock of an earthquake. The water system was repaired and improved, as was the fire department's alarm system, which had proven to be sadly inadequate during the crisis.
For his service during the fire, Cole Brady was awarded a commendation by the fire department. He was one of many to win such an honor, and as the ribbon was being pinned on his uniform by the new chief, Patrick Shaughnessy, in a large ceremony several weeks later, Shaughnessy looked with interest at a small pin attached to Cole's lapel.
"An eagle, eh?" Shaughnessy grunted. "I like that. May have to give some thought to redesigning our insignia. Where'd you get that pin, lad?"
Cole was standing at attention. He said, "My wife gave it to me, sir."
"Wife, eh? Be sure and give my compliments to the lady."
Cole smiled. "You can give them to her yourself, sir, along with her commendation. You're about to give her an award for meritorious service."
Shaughnessy's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the fireman standing next to Cole. Sure enough, he—she!— wasn't a fireman at all, even though she wore the uniform and The round black cap with the badge from Engine Company Twenty-one on it.
"A . . . a lady fireman!" Shaughnessy sputtered. "Why wasn't I told about this?"
"If I were you, sir," Cole ventured, "I'd get used to it. After the way she performed during the fire, we couldn't refuse her a place in the department." He cast a meaningful glance at Annabel, who continued to stare straight ahead— though with a sparkle in her eyes. "But she's agreed that she'll retire when it comes time to start our family."
Chief Shaughnessy drew a deep breath. "Yes, well, you'd better get to work on that, son. Yes, indeed." He stepped over in front of Annabel and lifted the ribbon he held in his hand. "In the meantime, I'm proud to present this commendation for meritorious service . . ." Then he hesitated, unsure where to pin the ribbon.
Cole saved him any further embarrassment by taking the ribbon from him and pinning it on the breast of Annabel's uniform jacket.
Then, in front of the whole crowd, he leaned over and kissed her.
Patsy O'Flaherty, on Annabel's other side, put his fingers in his mouth and let out a whistle of approval, then began to applaud. Soon, everyone else in the crowd was doing the same.
****
Summer in the Diablos was beautiful, Annabel thought. As Cole handled the reins of the team and guided the wagon along the trail, Annabel cradled little Michael in her arms and pointed out the tall pine trees and the snowcapped mountains and the colorful birds that flitted through the blue sky. Of course, at only two months old, he wasn't very interested in such things.