The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1886-04-09

It, number OF men were endeavorng
to cut away the trees and gorse so as to
deprive the fre OF ITS fuel. Close behind
the hames' ana at the sides, Were men
with branches OF trees beating the fire
out as well as they could But more
than once they had TO retreat, as the
tongues OF fre darted suddenly at them,
and licked up the grass and gorse almost
under their feet. Three parties of men
were converging towards an old decayed
tree-a hollow dry trunk, as dry as touch
wood. In a few minutes that tree would
be in the very heart of the fire. nothing
could save it.
Then the wind suddenly changed, and
we saw the fire spread. We waited, and
watched the great towering flames. Mr..
Hemphill, the doctor, and other gentle
men came rushing up, darting hither
and thither beating, calling, directing.
Mr.. Cardewe, at the head of the laborers,
was equally active. The fire was increas-
ing. The old solitary oak was doomed
Nothing could save it. Poor old treel
Every one was sorry. 1t had been a
landmark for years and years. and was
called the Ladies Tree" There was
some tradition, some old prophecy,
about it, as it marked Mr.. Anderson's
property where it was divided from Mr..
Hemphilrs.
knew the legend well. 1t was to the
effect that when the tree was dead the
Hemphill's would be childless--
when passes away the Ladies' Tree,
. no Babes IN Hemphiils nall shall be-"
Inc verse came INTO my mhd' ana
said 10 ,he iaules naio' VINO hau run
OUT WIN 'iie rest 10 see the sight:
"A poor iook-ou' LOT MISS uiauys!
but we nau no time 10 talk much.
Inc men, "ne'her tney oeneVeu III tne
legehu OF not, were doihg all they couid
10 prevent tne hre from reachlng the
tree' lhey uiu hot succeed Inc names
seemed 10 r'sh rouhu, ana even 10 spring
rom the Tree ltseli. we crled out
save the iree' out no one couiu get
near IT, untli 'ne names hao uniteu round
the tr''iik ana utterly conceaieu IT, SO
herce was 'ris famous push-nre.
wy Snaclous =, me- riiIa' Wiia, Una.
LOOK! lhere iS So'i,eti'inS III 'iie Tree.
ekciaiiheo' ihere Is sohne.lihg ahVe!
.
hllza. see IL comes OUT Its a
woman!
a cry Vi aiariii anu iorior Ie'' I'll rhe
ara groah oi aHguis. from all Inc
hS'ire was now PLAINLY seeh--tne
woman was s'ahoiii9 upon one Oh uhe
lower orlhcneS' waving her ''ahu Wiioiy'
II was Miss Aiioeinoii iierseii. one
was Gaining ior heiP' Iieip' niueeu' Du1
~ lookeu us !, no heip couio ever reach
her' l hearo her voice piaihiy now ana
you Will scarceiy oe,ie'e i,'e-sne WAS
iaug'iihg, queer WIN laugh
save her' save her' screamed men
anu Woiheh'
But no one wouiu venture Inc names
formed barrier i1npassaoie' Death-a
cruel death-awaitea any one VINO
crossed tne terrible oeit OF lire' "mcn
roared ana cracked IKE the furnace OF
NeDuchadnezzar.
Mr.. Anderson spurred MS morse reck-
lessly toward the belt OF hre. The AMI
mai reared ana nearly Threw nm. MISS
Anderson had, as we supposed got INTO
the Tree thinking herself safe, put sud-
den shlft OF wind had carried the names
toward iier' anu she seeiiieo uooiiieu'
flve hundred pounds 10 the man VINO
Will make the enort! rive h''hureda apiece
10 any OF you!
one man haa not waited "A man win
ms nose ana ihouth tieo up III "e'teu
hahuKerchiei rushe.i tiirough the SMOKE
II was MI r1enphiii' true 10 'iie last
bue ms courage was Vi no avail ne
nearly reached .he ioot ol the Tree ou'
ieil' ihree men lusileu H. p',l oiliy 'wo
reacneu liii'' ''ie 'hiru' piach anu
scorcheu; came ~ ou' agaih staggering,
pl'iiieu' purh.' me o'iieiS u,a s,,o1eeu .,'I
lives dragged Mr.. Hemphill 70 the wind
ward side of the flames which were still
roaring To leeward as Charley said.
We were ALI silent and Mortified when
suddenly n loud shout came over the
fields. A man. riding A beautiful black
horse. leaned the hedge and dashed.
squirting hard, across the common land.
The horse was blindfolded and rushed
recklessly on. The rider scattered the
workers and spectators. They paused
for a moment, and then. with a cheer,
the horseman plunped into the flame and
smoke. which were passing away from
the tree now at the base. but the tree it.
self was burning. In another moment
the rider was off his horse. which rushed
away blindly by itself. The gentleman
swung himself into the smouldering tree
with desperate courage. tore Miss Ander.
son from her place between the branches,
where she sat. half-insensible, and low
cred her to the ground. She fell in a
heap, apparently dead.
The gentleman dropped down and
lifted her up. BY this time some labor.
ers had summoned up courage too, and
~, La p..,,,,.
.t iuo,eo ., N - ns ~ narn;aa ~ Ms,
',.i'l iy 'ney niteu nv. ali ~ o'',. i;ttIo
'o; tI,,'a VIA. ;.e.r';tIo h,,rriad afta,
o"' 80 ~ - ,nt tIa,,, o. +ha ,ioor Tharo
Ial'o l.ll ''sin ta ~ taaa ,'';,L Cant uart,,,,
IT., III Va baJ saved NiSI ApJsrson
NJ - uI';n,
81, en-, ,a'n;,aI ;,l,a,iihIa s,r so,o Tina
i'. h,' lo,,o'' a''d i,
g.. e., -,
u' oI i.Du9e ;I s'iu o. na,t'h M % T TneAa' ,no
,hn,, ,' l, n,nl da" and a. ,a"t & uas - nar.
'';tt,J Az w 90, '', ho, Sha a s;ttin
thnn a a,lJ W % '.a,a M lin, har band vs. oai, ~
;,aa;"n ,' e. ~. h,t sLa ,,,as ,,ar,
n,'ipt al searooI'' - A. Iarotl,
T. T. Ill ", "h,, so;J IT board haS.
aa''Il',,t I hai,, H. - woe ;n tho nax-
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