San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-12-10

"What can the boy mean" exclaimed
Mrs. Willard cXCitcdly- On, Silas, ST
Lass
Come on shouted Jess, pulling the
ladder toward the half dug well on the
prairie beyond the kitchen door
Excitement supplied the place of
strength, HOY did nc p1use until, rearing
it on end, l' dropped it down into the cav
ity, q feat he could hardly have accom-
plisEgd uUaidcd unGor ordinary circum-
stances. But Mrs. willard stir stood in
apparent hclplcSsueSs befOre,the house
Amt you comin'?" shrieked jess,
running back. bis black eyes almost start
ing from his h,:.d. It'll he here in less IN
no time
He caught hold of the children and
again FASTENED TO the well. Mrs. Willard
followed, .rHrccly knowing what she did.
"You lmu,, climb down first and take
Nelly and George" said he. ooh, ma'amI
I've in Il hurry! We hain't a minute to
spare.'
The b2wildcrrd wC";nH ct upon the lad
der, the top OF which, fortunately, reached
hearty IL the surface OF the ground. jess
thrust Nelly under her mothers arm and
again urged both care and haste.
"NOw, George" said he to the boy,
down you go. Mall help you fore you
strike the bottom. Quick nowp'
The little fellow did his part bravely,
buE WAS met half way down the ladder by
his mother, who was suddenly smitten By
an apnalIing thought.
My Oaby! my baby!'' she cried; ''let me
up again"
Il hain't forgot him." shouted Jess.
showing his face for an instant over ths
brink. "IOu stay where You are"
Two minutes Of awful mental anguish
followed, then the mothers heart was
lightened as 10y a mountains weight, when
Jess Clamhpred down with a crying baby
under his ARIA. Her th"rks as he handed
it to her were cut short by seeing him turn
and run rapidly up the ladder, rs if he had
forgotten something of importance.
"GoU've done enough, she called but
he went on, shouting back words she did
not understand, for the roar of the APP
proack!EE conhagratiOn WAS drowning out
I, all other sounds.
ohc gave the baby to George md spisDg
up the ladder; but one of the half decayed
rounds gave way and in falling several
others were broken by her weight, thus
imprisouing them within the well. She
croI!chcd down. claspiug her little ones,
sJuug, amid her fears, by the thought that
she had always been too hard upon Jess.
Then she remembered the open chest.
"Ourmoncy will be burned, a." she groaned.
"We'll never get out of debt now"
But while she trembied and waited, the
wind above increased TO a hurricane A
billOw Of flame rolled above them, accom-
panied by Il sullrn roar as of monsters
rage at the partial escape of its prey. De
scending whiiis Of smoke and ashes nearly
sufTOCatCd them. md the children began TO
cry. Mrs. willard. thinking of Jess could
only murmur over and over again:
Poor bOy-poor bOy-poor boy"
Meanwhile the lad, measuring with his
eye the nearing line of fire, ran into the
house, reappearing directly with some
thing which he thrust under his coat. He
started back to the well, but another in
slant convinced him that he could not
reach that haven in time. The fire was
nearly there It's power and fury were
simply terrible. Great areas Of tall grass
were whirled upward into an endless crest
of rolling flames that seemed to lap up the
very earth beneath.
He turned with half sob, and ran back
to the house 1t was built Of dry nine upon
wooden blocks and covered with tempo
rary roof of thatch. There was absolutely
no safety there
Hardly conscious of aught now but =
frantic fear, he hurried down by the COW
pen where several head of cattle were
plunging about. lie threw down the bars
to give them u chance, though it seemed as
if none but winged creatures could escape
the devOuring monster behind. The cattle
made for the creek bottom. Jess thought
of the shallow well there. Could he reach
It, there was yet bare chance TO save him
self by plunging into the water But,
looking back as he ran, he saw that he
would be overtaken. The house and hay
stack were already swallowed up behind
that moving wall Of flame and smoke.
What could he do? 1t was terrible TO
have TO face, in utter helple5sness, such =
death lie stumbled over something and
fell It was the hide Of the steer slaught-
cred by Mr.. Willard, and which Jess, be
fore this, should have stretched ont to dry.
There was a small bare space of trampled
earth around the hide was still wet and
might not burn He shook il out and
crawlCd under, nervously tucking the
edges about his eXtremities as he lay with
his face 10 the ground.
While be worked the heat suddenly grew
sitting. Then the awful roar swept down
upon him and he could not breathe. The
sizzling hide appeared to shrivel, and the
scorching sense of su.iOCatiOn became in
tolerable. Then he remembered no more.
Half an hour later Mr. Willard, accom-
panied by his ncighbOr Scott, galloped
upon the scene, The poor man was half
Crazed with anxiety, but soon they heard
Mrs. Willard calling from the dry well. A
few minutes later he was embracing his
wife and children as they stood upon the