The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1892-08-25

down, around this way and back that
under the coppery sky the ladies rode.
then paused The judges were unde-
cided, SO they went through the pnces
again. No decision. The ladies
would please change horses.
Cap was off Rondo in an instant,
but many of the ladies demurred.
Miss Oates positively refused to mount
anything but her own thoroughly
trained animal The contest narrowed
to Cap and two other plains bred girls
but even they dared not mount Rondo.
Cap rode each Of the six horses in
turn, AS she changed the seventh
and last time to Rondo she rode to
| me.
Uncle, don't you smell the prairie
fire?' she asked uneasily.
! Yes" | replied. "but it's across
the creek; it can't reach us"
Il was thinking of the school
house" she replied hurriedly as the
judges called. "School began in
Henry's district yesterday. and his
sister let her little daughter go with
Rose Williams to-day and then she
rode into the ring.
l looked at my watch S:S0-then
over to the north. The smoke was
rolling up black and thick. lcould
see an eating line of red.
l heard a shout OF pleasure and
TUNED to see the judge hand a silver
mounted whip, to Cap. She turned
her head to look at me. and over be-
yond mo saw the clouds of smoke.
She brought the whip down on the
TANKS of the mare. and quivering
with fright Rondo reached mo in two
leaps.
The Gill schoolhouse. gasped
Cap as she pointed with her whip.
10 that moment the prairie fire. so
common Il thing had not been noticed.
In a moment all was confusion. Miss
Oates screamed. Mrs Merriam, Henry's
sister, tainted and his mother turned
white. In an instant Henry was out
of the buggy with his hand on Rondo 8
neck.
May take her, Cappie? Nellie is
over there's
flung Off, and cutting the mare with
the silver mounted handle of the whip
Cap thrust in his hand Harry was off,
followed by half a dozen mounted
men.
just then Cap heard a WINNER,
and a cold nose was thrust against
her face.
With a scream of Joy she threw her
arms about Bret neck. The faithful
little mustang had broken it's lariat
rope and followed it's mistress
Catching the trailing rope Cap tied
it bride fashion in the halter, then,
slipping out Of her velvet rid ne skirt
and tearing off her gantlets she
said to me as she jumped on Bret:
Il know short cut below the ford;
maybe can help" and was of.
followed in buggy.
Cap reached the schoolhouse. The
fire guards were forty feet wide and
the teacher and his pupils had burned
the grass about the building and felt
safe in the schoolhouse. The teacher
said he would not let the children 60
till all danger was passed.
Cap asked for Nellie Merriam.
she cried to- go home, so 1 per-
mitted her to do so about 3 O'clock"
The teacher told me afterwards
that he thought he had been struck
by lightning when Cap got her breath.
Idiot? she blazed, to let a city,
bred six-years old child go half
a mile across the prairie by herself!
Why, she isn't tall enough to see over
the blue stem in the butfalos' wallow,"
and she dashed away.
At the ranch only the frightened
housekeeper appeared. Nellie had
not come! Cap rushed in the house
and grabbed a handful of matches
and blanket from pile that was
airing on the porch. This she dipped
in the watering trough as she flew by;
then she jumped on Bret again, with
the dripping blanket before her. -.
The little mischief has gone down
in that ravine where we found the
rabbits nest and if the wind chan res
one atom to the northwest we are
doomed. was her one thought as she
dug her heels in Brets steaming
sides.
Sure enough, as she neared the
bank OF the ravine, she saw head of
damp, dark curls. and little girl
came clam bering and crying up the
steep banks. Cap slid to the ground
and gathered the frightened wait in
her arms. It was too late to ride
from the fire. With all the strength,
left her she struck Bret singing
blow. Go home. if you can, she
cried, and the snorting mustang fled
before the flames. now hot upon them.
Cap struck matches and threw into
the ravine, The fire leaped up and
ran over the bank toward the creek.
Down over the hot en- bers. hands and
feet blistefing and the child in her
arms screaming in pain, Cap crept,
bragg ng the wet blanket with her.
The oncoming flames swept to the
edge of the ravine. and hungrily lick
ed up the bits OF dry grass left They
singed Caps hair. and nearly cooked
her face She could barely keep the
frantic child under the blanket and
could not save herself.
e, The roar and crackle died away to-
ward the creek, the air cooled a little,
and then cama ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS