Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-05-25

any need of my going down." said We'll
! 1ington, Out
Before he could finish the sentence
Judith had sprung down over the edge Of
the cliff, and, catching hold of the
bushes to steady her weight, was deftly
climbing toward the flower. She picked
it and climbed nimbly back to the high
way, fastening the flower in her belt
with emile.
81 wonder how your folks happened to
name you Wellington" she said, little
later, as they were going through the
wood.
az don IT know. Probably they liked
the name. Why, what is there strange
about lt?" asked Wellington.
80, Wellington was great general,
you know-a brave man. said Judith,
provokingly. ''somehow the name
dosen't seem to suit you very WELL.
wellington flushed with resentment.
"I know what you mean Judith Has
kell, - said he, Sand you ought to be
ashamed of yourself. Just because 1
don It want to splash through the mud
and get as dirty as pig and won t break
my neck for nothing but flowers you we
no business to say I'm q coward. "
81 didn't say so, - retorted Judith.
"Well, you came pretty near it. You
might as well have said it. You're al
ways limiting such things because 1 won t
do foolish tricks that there's no use in.
But don t cRre.'
''I should think you'd want to be
more plucky,'' said Judith. "Boys
ought to be brave. My brothers weren It
afraid of anything when they were as
old as you are, and they'd be ashamed
to care for q little dirt or hurt
"Maybe you think want to be as
rough as they are, but 1 DON'T re-
tortsd wellington. I'm glad I WASH t
brought up that way. My father is
gentleman, and I'd rather be white
man than an Indian.
This was the beginning of the first seri-
Gus quarrel that had ever occurred be-
tween tho two. Judith was provoking :,
and both were angry. Some bitter and
cutting things were said by both, and
when the village was reached they were
wrought to q state of high anger with
each other.
A school girl friend was to be home
with Judith to spend the night, and
when school was out Wellington started
quickly along the road without waiting
for the girls, as he would usually have
done. Judith purposely kept back, and
Wellington was out of sight in the woods
before the two girls started on q 1eis1rely
walk from the sohoolhouse. Judith had
not told her companion of the morning
quarrel She, as well as wellington,
was O little. ashamed and sorry, but
neither of them was willing to speak the
first works of reconciliation.
The sun was still warm as wellington
Al AAa
having fingered well into October, and
he took off his hat to cool his head as he
plunged into the shadows. Instead of
the refreshing GOODNESS that he had ex-
peoted, the air in the woods seemed even
more warm than the outside. 1t was
close and dense, and the perspiration
started from his forehead.
"Whewl" he exclaimed, wiping it
away with his handkerchief and tanning
himself with his hat. "This is as bad
as JULY
Half way through the wood Wellington
sat down upon beach log to rest. 1t
was long and lonely road; he almost
hoped the girls would appear. ''I'm
sorry twitted her about the Indian, -
he thought. He and Judith had always
been such good friends before. But he
was unwilling to have it appear that he
was waiting for reconciliation, and he
soon rose and began to climb the hill
that led out through the wood to the u p
land.
A fresh breeze struck his face as he
climbed out of the trees shadow. 1t
was singular that the woods, usually
cool and refreshing, should be 20 warm
and oppressive on this October day. He
turned as he reached the hill summit
above the tree line, and looked around
over the hiIltops and across the valley.
And then he saw something which
startled him.
1t was line of fire. Beginning at the
edge of cleared spot In the midst of the
Lane woods, it was spreading across the
strip and sweeping steadily and surely
straight toward the road that led down
the hill and across the hollow-the high
way where Judith and Ellen were no
doubt ieisurely walking.
''They won't see the fre-the woods
are so thick on that side-thsy won't
know where the heat comes from till it is
right upon them, thought Wellington.
He slipped his book-strap from his
shoulder, pulled off his jacket and laid
it carefully with his books beside the
highway. ana LleQ WITHOUT mo-
ment's hesitation he dashed down
the hill straight into the burning
wood.
wellington had one advantage in the
plays among his school mates; he was
a splendid runner. 1t Offset his lack OF
muscular strength in their outdoor
games, aud gave him the lead wherever
a feet foot required. And never did a
school boy make a swifter pace than he
took through the now scorohing air of the
Lane woods.
The fire was making greater Roadway
among the dry pines on the hillside
than on the lower ground. Already he
bould hear them cracking behind him.
Escape to the upland by the road would
soon be out of. But he had no thought
of turning back. The boy who disliked
to wet his feet, the boy whom his school
mates had called a dandy, kept on
straight toward the heart of the flaming
woodland.
f'The girls must have come so far that
they can It get back to the village" he
reflected as he ran. 'sWe shall have to
strike off from the road and run through
the woods shsad Of the fire round the
foot of the bluff TO the ravfne."
The air was like furnace when the
children met, midway of the woodland
strip. Judith and Ellen were hurrying
end nautin0 fha