The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1882-07-08

the lush, green moss beside the spring, lett no
such bitterness. The little cavern was cool
and shadowy, even in MONDAY. Hlgh apoSe
the line of verdure, on either side the noun
tain rose bare and sunburned in the white,
Transparent air. He stood still, and listened
TO the drip of the water into the brown pool.
=" A man must have a stratum of granite in
him to talk of a submerged dam here, he SAID
to himself '<aud yet this must be the place;
I'll send Pemberton up next week. III ike TO
have him spared this
The day wore drowsily on. Great, scar spots
thickened on the mesta, and The afternoon
breeze blew the ashes in little clouds toward
the canon.
" He hain't come out yit," said Luke, nurs-
ing brand behind his hard, blackened hand.
" reckon he's fell asleep, up by the fails; it's
thieves as sleep while honest mems at work" "
He laughed sneeringly, and knelt down,
guarding the pale, mounting flame. The
greasewood cracked, and gave out its sweet,
oily smell. A burning leaf, wavered to the
ground, and a tongue of yellow fame shot
through the dry grass, leaving its ashen trail.
Luke stamped it out with his feet.
:" 1t 'u'd be bad job If the fire 'u'd git into
the canon, in this breeze; the underbrushs
drier IN timber; it wouldn't stop short O. the
falls, am
He startled suddenly, and looked over his
shoulder. The flames mirrored itself IN his
eyes, and gave them dull red glare. All the
sullep rage that was in him surged to his face
and hardened there. The brute grappled with
the human. and prevailed.
The fire crept steadily along the bridge of
withered leaves, and caught the grasses that
whispered on the canon's edge. Pale autumn
flowers nodded and beckoned to their new low
er, and withered under his fervent kiss. The
tuft elematis wreathed its graceful arms about
him, and died in his embrace A thousand
mad spirits danced under the stunted elders,
and shot over the tangled blackberry vines
Wild creatures looked about with started eyes
and then fed in dismay before the hot on
coming blast The cracking deepened to
roar. Hugh volumes of smoke arose and
drifted away, to lie in dun-colored bars against
the mountain-sde, and still the fire rushed on,
licking up the dry leaves among the powders,
shriveling the tail ferns in its hot, exultant
breath, leaping in delirious frenzy to the top
most boughs of the sycamores, and holding out
Its hot, clamorous hands to the mountain-top
Janey Delmar stood ia the door and shaded
her eyes with her hand.
''The fires got into the canon, an the tim
ber's burnin' up; father'n be mad.''
great cloud of smoke rolled up and shut
out the sun. The girls irresolute face quick
ened with a sudden terrifying thought.
HE hain't come out | been watchin'. l
hain't seen him! Eff he's up at the falls he can't
git out; father pulled the ladder up after i'm,
Sunday"
She ran across the clearing and looked down
into the black, smoking ravine. Even at that
height she could feel the scorching heat The
soft, gray ashes settled in her hair and chung
to her coarse dress.
1.-THE fires goin' fast Father said-but he
didn't know it'll can't do i'll can't have him
stay up therel"
The fire in the canon below painted and ragged
and ran its mad race with her. The narrow
path along which she flew was strewn with
smoking cinders. Half burt twigs fell hiss
ing into the fame beside her, and flocks of lin
nets darted hither and thither in the smoky
air. Rabbits sprang from the sage, half dazed
with fright and stared at her with their soft,
expressionless eyes, On she went, swifter than
the flame itself Leaving the path, at last, and
clinging to the rough mountain side, swinging
from gnarled roots that loosened under her
weight, bruising her arms against the sharp
bayonets of the yucca; down, down, through
banks OF dead leaves, and tan dry stalks of
sage, breathess with haste and terror, until
her feet touched the ferns growing in the
little stream above the falls She could look
below her now and see him standing there,
walled in by the pitiless rocks; man with
white, hopeless, baff1ed face-a face that she
always.
She lifted one end Of the ladder, and dragged
it through the lodges. Was it strange that
even then the sight of it brought sickenng
of her fathers threats She had
helped him make it, one day, and he had cursed
her for being slow.
The prisoner turned his smitten face toward
her. Poor Janeyl No man before or ever
since thought her an angel. She thrust the
ladder through the gap in the rocks and stead
led it against the slippery ledge. Neither of
them spoke. She only knew that he stood
beside her, with strangely TRANSPORTED face;
that strong hand had put away the brambles
and helped her up the steep ascent. She could
hear his firm step behind her as she hurried
along the narrow path beside the ditch. Out
on the clearing the numb agony of fear settled
down on her again.
81 reckon you kin find the way now; down
there's the road"
She turned away awkwardly conscious all
at once, of something new and strange. He
seized both her hands eagerly. How white
and shapely his own were! Janey remembered
that too-even to the pattern of the ring on
his finger.
won't you let me thank you, my good
girl! Won't you tell me your name? Do you
know what you have done!"
She shivered and drew herself away ner-
vously.
ppm Janey Delmar. Ye won't tell fathera
He said l mustn't speak to you. He didn't
know how it 'u'd be. Eff you go down by the
path, We won't see i'm
The man walked away little, CHANGING
toward the rude house on the clearing. Then
he came back to where she stood.
'Do you know who / am!''
She raised her dull, patient eyes.
" dunno yer name. Father, said yeu was
comm He thinks the spring is his'n. Maybe
they ANTI dunno"
The man looked down at the black desola-
tion below them; on up the canon he could
hear the roar of the fire and the crash of fall
ing timber.
'Your father is right" he said, "the
springs are his. / am going away now good
bye"
She put out her hand, glancing anxiously
toward the house. Then she stood still, watch
ing him as he went down the path. Once he
turned, and looked curiously at the strange,
lstless figure standing motionless where he had
left her. There was some hing uncanny in the
brown, smoky light. Down in the valley the
sun was shining. He lifted his hat to her, and
vent rapidly down the walk, and out Of sight;
The canon was full of gaunt, blackened
stems. Luke Delmar glanced at them some
times with a look of sudden, restless terror;
but he had not crossed the ravine since the day
of the fire. Janey waited in mute agony of
dread for him to question her about her visi-
tor, but she had almost ceased to expect it
now. Perhaps he had forgotten it. ......
She wondered a little that he did not go
down into the village. He was out of tobacco,
she knew. 1t might be that that made him
start and tremble, and then turn upon her with
terrible oaths.
An early rain came on and faint Whitish
green sprang up under the scared stalks in the
canon. The soft, loose sod on the mess broke
into tiny hillocks with the struggling growth;
Janev pushed them aside with her foot, and let
the little bowed prisoners out into the SIM