Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1883-01-10


roar. Hugh volumes OF smoke arose aud
drfted aw ay,to lie I'm dun-colored bars against
the mountaln-side, and still he fire rushed on,
licking up the dry leaves among the powders,
shriveling the tall 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 10 the Inountain-top
Janey Delmar stood In 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 madn
A great cloud OF smoke rolled up and shut
out the sun. The girls irresolute face quick
ened with sudden terrifying thought:
"He hain't come out! ] been watchin'. l
git out; father pulled the ladder up after 'im
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
"The fires goin' fast Father sad-but he
didn't know it'll can't do It'll can't have him
stay up there"
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 hocks 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,
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 tall dry stalks of
sage, breathless 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 a
hA(yl a1 "a "a thaN
| remembered always.
| She lifted one end of the ladder, and dragged
| 1t through the lodges. Was it strange that
even then the sight of II brought sickening
| memories OF her fathers threatl She had
helped him make 1t, one day, and he had cursed
The prisoner turned his smitten face toward
her. Poor Janey! No man before or ever
since thought her an angel She thrust the
ladder through the gap in the rocks and stead
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 OH her again.
II 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-cven to the pattern of the ring on
his finger.
"Won't you let me thank you, my good
| girli Won't you tell me your ma nei Doyou
know what you have dones"
She shivered and drew herself away ner-
vously.
"rm Janey Delmar. We won't tell fatheri
| He said mustn't speak to you. He didn't
know how 1t 'u'd be. Ell you go down by the
| path, We won't see 'im
| toward the rude house on the clearing. Then
| he came back TO where she stood.
"Do you know who ams'
| She raised her dull, patient eyes.
81 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-
| ton below them; on up the canon he could
hear the roar Of the fire and the crash of fall
ing timber: mn
springs are his. am going away now; good
bye"
She put out her hand, CHANGING 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,
| listless 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, aud
went rapidly down the walk and out q 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 IL
| now. Perhaps he had forgotten 1t.
She wondered 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 a faint whtish
green sprang up under the scared stalks in the
! canon. The soft, loose soil on the mess broke
into tiny hillocks with the struggling growth {;
Janev pushed them aside with her foot andle
| the little bowed prisoners out into the sun
| light The California spring was in the air.
| The girl wondered II the canon would ever be
green again. She went down there one day,
and gathered handful OF microphylla, CLEAN
| ing In spots Of vivid red among the scorched
underbrush. They were lying on the table
back, and then stride across the room to where
Where ye beenl Where did We git them ~
he said, hoarsely, with low, fearful oath.
She shrank back in her old stupefied terror.
"Down In the canon-theyre thick down
| there, along the rocks, like-like drops OF
| blood"
He sprang towards her, with fierce ques-
| tioning stare.
-, What dye meant Answer mel Curse We,
| I'll"
She could feel his hot breath on her face.
She shut her eyes, and waited for him to strike
| her. When she opened them he staggered
back to the door, white and trembling, and
was holding on by the easement.
| "Did scare We, simpletonl Throw 'em out
| n winnar. / n
He turned with coarse, unmeaning laugh,
and sat down GA the doorstep, wiping the
heavy drops from his forehead.
The girl was vaguely conscious that some
new misery had settled down upon her
| life. Perhaps It was the trouble about the
little while, hopelessly, and then let 1t lapse
\ into the inevitable Very likely, with her dim
| intelligence she could have comprehendcd
even II she had known the nameless horror
that logged her fathers footsteps, that sat
| with him at meat, and stared at him from
every clump OF sage on the mountain side
the dread, overshadowing terror that invested
| the canon with a loathesome fascination and
made him leave the sunlight, and grow weak
and terror-stricken as night came on. Janey
| knew that he was changed; that he did not
work and wandered aimcssy in the mountains
with his dog and gun. She heard him start
and mutter In his sleep, and learned'to dread
the eager restlessness OF his eyes even more
than his curses. lie had never been kind. but
he used to jest with her roughly sometimes
and smoke his pipe at the kitchen door in a
sort Of rugged comfort while she went about
| her evening work. There was little to do
now. The store Of provisions In the rude cup
board was growing very small. She met him
at the door one night, with blank, helpless
! face.
~ can't make any bread; there amt no more
| -four"
Her voice had borrowed more helpless
monotone from uncertainty. She never knew
now whether he would turn upon her in sud
den outburst OF rage, or listen In sullen, angry
silence. She watched him anxiously as he
walked across the floor to a box In the cor
| ner.
"If you want anything at the store why
don't you go an git itp' he said sullenly,
| keeping his back toward her; "therc amt
nothing TO kcader; We kin GO tomorrow"
He laid some money on the table and went
out. Janey gazed after him in half stupor
OF amazement.
Could he mean for her to go down and face
the people in the valley alone! She had been
there sometimes, sitting In the wagon while
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