The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1876-04-06
Nar puu,1g Readers.
SORREL'S TWO BONFIRES.

SOkREL'S IMO BUNFlRES.
"THIs is Ruby, and this my little
Sorrel-top,'" said Farmer Field, taking
his two little girls in his arms, after intro
ducing them to his guests.
"They don't look at all alike; should
never imagine them to be sisters" said
Mrs. Patten, looking kindly at the two.
And nobody would have thought it: Ruby
was slender, with straight, dark hair, and
| eyes like two black beans" her father
said while Sorrel-top was little dump
ling of thing, with great blue eyes, and
the curliest and reddest of curly red hair.
Its the only bit of sorrel on all the
PRAIRIE" continued Farmer Field, strok-
ing the fiery curls and laughing.
Sorrel-top, whose real name was Flor
ence, slipped quietly away from her
fathers arm, and, going to the door
step, sat down and talked softly TO her
self
Il wish l was pretty, like Ruby. Ev
erybody always says, What beautiful
girl-such hairr-and mines just like
hazel brush all on fire. If | can't have
anything but red hair, won't have any,
so there!'
Leaving the doorstep suddenly, she
went to her mothers work basket; then,
scissors in hand, went back to her favorite
seat. Presently there appeared pile of
hazel brush all on fire, besidea singularly
shorn and forlorn- looking maiden.
What-why-w IN creation are you
up tor and there stood brother Burt.
Making bonfire, Ell? And-gracous,
how you look! Why, Sorrel, your head
is all humps and hollows; looks just like
stubble-all but the color, you know"
The scissors fell from Sorrel's hands,
and her head went down on her knees for
a second, then came up with a jerk.
"Oh, Burt, l hate red hair-hatc it, hate
| itw
Burt was great tease; but underneath
the blue denim blouse beat warm heart
that Just now was full of tender pity for
poor little Sorrel.
So, presently he was sitting beside her
right on the bonfire, though he didn't
know it-and had the remarkable looking
head on his knee.
"Mhy, Sorrcl, didn't know you cared
so. l wouldn't mind. Perhaps your
hair isn't right red, is it?-and if Ills,
you're just as good as if twas black AS
as mud. And see here, let's make a bar
gain: if you'll wipe up now, won't call
you Sorrel any more. | didn't know it
made you feel bad. Come, now, forget
all about your hair-I declare you haven't
much left to forget about"
Burt stood manfully by his promise, and
many a time shielded her from uncom
Portable remarks.
Later on that same day, Farmer Field
had harnessed Major and Birdie to the We
hcle that served as double buggy, and had
taken his wife and two visitors for ride
across the prairie TO Mantokee, the coun-
ty seat. As he gather ed the rcins in his
hands he turned to the children with the
last careful directions:
Now, don't 60 off anywhere, girls, nor
build any bonflres, for the prairie grass
is very dry now, and the fire might spread
too fast for you and-Oh, Burt, think
you better take Clip and ride over to
Rolfe's, to see about the threshing. Good
by; l may not get back before night; but
there's good moon for company, and you
needn't be worried"
The girls stood in the doorway and
watched the wagon till it disappeared for
a time behind the ridge to the eastward.
Then Burt, who had caught Clip and
strapped bit of old carpet over his back
for saddle, trottcd by.
Don't stay pery long, will you, Eurt?
It's lonesome"
"No."
Then all was still, with the stiffness of
the prairie on late October day. Ruby
betook herself to her book, and was soon
lost in the adventures Of Sinbad the
Sailor; while Florry, with Liss, the little
white kitten, mounted the straw stable and
strained her eyes over the prairie till the
wagon melted out of sight in the haze
that veiled the horizon. Then she turned
1
MIR. Rolfe, the nearest neighbor, lived
three miles away, but she could see the
house and straw stables, and count the
hay and grain stacks. Soon tired with
looking, and drowsy in the quietness,
Florry and the kitten went fast asleep.
1t was an unheard of thing for her to fall
asleep in the daytime, and, to this day,
she wonders how it happened. The sud,
den and alarmed whinnying of Ruby
colt, Selim, woke the slcepers with a
start.
"Why, collie, how you scared usn'
And Florry slid down from her perch
But Selim took no notice of her out
stretched hands. His ears were erect, his
head up, and his nostrils trembling, as ht
drew in deep breaths of the westerly
breeze.
What is the matter? What do yor
see ?" said Florry, laying her hand on hi:
neck, as she, too, looked toward thu
west As she looked, the color left hel
round cheeks and great fear came ovel
her. Wasn't that prairie fire, and didn'
she remember how the house had burned
down only two years ago, when the las
fire had run through the rank prairi
grass?
Oh, if the creek were only between tn
house and that fiery surf! Somethin!
must be done right speedily. She ant
Ruby would save the house and grain
Only few days before, Burt had newl.
turned up the furrows that served as
safeguard against the prairie fires. Thi
was done by plowing several burrows en-
tirely around the farm buildings ant
stacks, at some little distance from them
and then, leaving space, blowing anoth
er turrow outside. The grass in the spac
between the plowed land was then to b
burned off, and thus the on-coming flames
finding nothing to feed upon, must die.
A very few seconds it took Florry
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