Elmore bulletin. [volume] (Rocky Bar, Idaho) 1889-1906, 1892-10-09

Z
II like q duh red ball. while tie smell Of
burning leaves and wool over,awered
the faint mar,hand forest perfumes. The
''opcnineS' fires were spreading rapidly.
~ that timc there were miles and miles
Of unsettled land alternate ridges COW
cred with naA and underhrush, and
marshes whore thr dry rra~, and weeds
"rrc ike tinder Every year a few fires
wrr" expected but there had been -.
we're druuth this season, aud already the
men in the various settlements had or.
sanizcd into companies to fight fires. and
sNs homes and property. From the
"Clcavcr district n the place was
called. the men had been out nll night.
and at noon none had returned.
The sChoolhouse stood on the rise OF
ground that. in any other part of the
country. would have been called the
bank of the stream; but here. where
streams were only heightened mud
holes. and the grass tangled bottom rose
imperceptihly into oak.covered ridges.
one scarcely knew when lie was we'll ont
of a river bed; in the spring this same
school house had stood foot under
water. Now il was directly in the path
OF a huge natural fuse. and the lire creep.
ing along IL not more than mile away.
Through sheer abstinence and pettish-
ness Julia refused to dismiss her school
until the scholars. alarmed at the great
columns OF smoke that the rising wind
swept over them, declared their inten-
tion Of going home. whether or no.
Some ran ont into the middle OF "thc
erik, ;" and from there faucied they could
see red flames cleaning feroeiously; in
stantly the children were panic stricken.
and ran about crying, in aimiess con-
fusion.
Then Julia's real womanliness and
strength rose To the surface. while
the petty willfulness disappeared. She
brought order into the childish ranks,
hale them secure their books and prop
| critics and file ont quietly leading them
herself through the woods. where the
winding footpath led most of them To
their homes. She saw that every one
was safe in the care of parents. then
composedlv. but quickly, made her way
10 the Cleayer homestead, where she
/ boarded.
I fN'tt l'ldltd tNfiN uthff biH-H anu ttDl
soul ia sight. Looking out from the
back porch, she could see on the right
/ the big barn full Of hay, the sheds
wagons and farm machinery clustered
near; on the left. the schoolhouse. still
safe; before her and across the plowed
/ fields, an arm of the woods, through
which the clear space of the creek could
be disccrn"d, and a little more to the
right, and farther away, the sweeping
clouds OF smoke pouring up and onward
with hurrying density.
Voices in quick. broken shouts fell on
her ear, and graSping her straw hat she
FASTENED out IN that direction. She
found mother. sister, daughter and
younger children eagerly flingng down
the fences, scattering the rails widely
over the bare ground
I'VE must get the fences down before
the fire comes cried Mary Cieaver, the
eldest daughter, aS she saw Julia APP
preaching. I'm glad you've come. and
/ it's lucky your dress is woolen. The fire
is raging 50 that the little space of
burned ground around the fences won't
stay it at all. an il il once gets to run
/ >
home and everything must go"
where are the mem"
cover at Juhnson's settlement, fight
ing like beavers and dead tired out. Three
houses and barns have gone up Already. !"
The hearty, rosy checked girl, in short
werstrd skirts and "a mans coat and hat,
tossed huge kuotty rall over her shout
der and looked AT the little schoolma am
with superior air. Are you equal 10
that sort uf thing for an hour or twoy'
Julia fancIrd she could hear the roar Of
.he ON coming flames, and already the
air was stitling. but, for answer, grasped
a rail in her 1.-THE young arms, and flung
il out rs lightly as the stoutcr girl had
| done.
How she worked! Her sleeves were
soon torn from the round, white arms.
and they were quickly rasped and
scratchgd until tiny red streams ran down
to her wrists. In her excitement she
flung rails about that she could not have
/ lifted in ordinary moments; even the
/ Cleaver girl looked at her admiringly. and
suggested that "shc take it easier" But
there was little time for rest. A red
flame leapcd over the tops of the trees,
here and there. and burning cindcrs were
falling around them; one more line of
fence must he. at least, partly scattered
before there was safety. Ii was farther
out and directly in the way of the thick
est rain Of flying cinders. But the two
girls, one 10 slender, willowy and quick.
the other strong and steady. attacked it
with uudaunted spirit. and Just as tie
hot breath Of the devouring monster
stirred the hair "a their brows the fire
bait was rendered harmless.
Julia was painting with exhaustion and
wondering if she was going to faint,
when Mrs. Cleaver came up with the
frantic cry Of:
Where is little jeanette? Where in
the world is the girl: Have you seen
herf'
jake. the slow. old fashioned la.year-
old. made his mother understand after
while that Jeanne had gone ia the di-
rection Of the fire, cause she wanted
TO see it burn"
That DARN child! She amt afraid Of
nothin She'll be burned aliveg And
the woman tried To run and find her
youngest born; but weariness and emo
ton oyercanne her cagerness and she fell
helpless u the ground.
Mary haStened 10 her mothers side,
aud no other woman or Child dared ven-
ture nearer toward the surging storm of
flames anu smoke that was bearing down