The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-12-14
A GIRL HERO,
The Story Of q Great Michigan
Forest Fire.

| Forest Fire.
At the time of the great bush fires
which, with disastrous results to human
and animal life as well as property,
swept over a vast extent of the western
states in October, 1871, there were liv.
ing ON adjoining farms in Isabella
county, Mich, two families, names, re-
spectiveiy. Wilson and Moreau.
The aforementioned consisted OF
father, mother and their fve-year-old
twin boys, Samuel and Peter; while
| Narcisse and Mrs. MORGAN had but one
child, girl Of fifteen, called Marie
Marie Moreau-a name almost aspretty
as was its American French-descended
owner.
In addition to remarkable beauty,
Marie possessed the still more precious
| gift of sweet, unselfsh disposition.
and was, moreover, the foremost among
all the scholars attending the some
what distant country school. But, for
a girl brought up in the woods, she was
neither very large nor strong for her
| age, and the performance of specially
daring deed was the last thing of which
| anyone could have supposed her cspa-
| BILE
The two log houses of these families
stood three hundred yards apart, in
the midst of cleared fields, and consid.
erably moro than that distance from
any standing timber, the nearest piece
of woods being tract Of primeval
forest lying over quarter-mile south.
west of and facing both, 50 that it
seemed hardly possible for either to be
endangered
Up to the 10th of the month, though
the surrounding atmosphere was then
somewhat darkened by smoke waited
from the great confagration at Chica-
go, no fires had b roken out in the VIII
son-Moreau neighborhood. On that
day. in accordance with a previously
made appointment, the heads of both
families drove away to Farwel village,
sixteen miles distant, to make the final
payments on and receive deeds of their
respective farms, Mrs. Wilson leaving
the twins in charge of Marie, not an
other person living within two miles of
her house.
The party set out in Moreau's farm
wagon at ten o'clock in the forenoon.
promising to return not later than nine
that same night.
Marie, well pleased at the prospect of
having curly-headed Sammy" and
pete" all to herself for whole day,
spent delightful forenoon playing
with and amusing the little fellows,
and in due time prepared in their honor
"A regular holiday feast, while discuss
ing which Sammy ingeniously re-
marked:
"Me likes fnudder to 60 way in big
wagon"
80 does me-" chined in Pete.
"'cause US gets lots o. pies an cakes
den"
I'm rather afraid" merrily said
Marie, that I'm giving you little
rogues too many sweet things; but you
can run outdoors now and scamper
round while wash up the dishes"
us couldn't have too much honey
and jam, could us, Peter" sagely OBJ
served Master Sammy.
"Dess not; they's awful good" re-
joined Pete, and the pair rushed glee-
fully out
But the next moment, though fol-
lowed by cloud of dust and smoke,
they rushed still more gleefully in
again, shouting: "Oh, auutier'-as the
youngsters always called Marie
there's a b'u'ful big fire out in the
woods. Mebbe We'll have 'nudder
Fourth july
Much to the twins surprise, Marie re-
ceived their joyful tidings with an
alarmed cry, and. hurrying to the door,
she saw that, just beginning to show
the trees, great fire was rag
ing in the heart Of the forest, and. |
driven by the southeast gale. was rap
idly approaching the clearings.
On the instant the clear-headed girl |
realized the danger, for. parched by a |
six weeks drought. not only the grass |
and stubble but also the upper soil itself |
was as dry as gUnpowder, and, helped /
on By numerous rail fences. the flames 1
would be sure 20 sweep across the fields /
and destroy both houses, as well as /
every living thing lying in their path
" But" she reasoned, the very violence /
Of the wind viii keep the fire TO
northeast course. and, though wide
enough on leaving the woods 20 face
the whole OF cur clearings, it viii prob
ably not extend To any great distance
either due east or due north
The children. quick to catch the in
lection Of fear. had become gravely ST.
ent. and Marie, lifting the .rap-ooor
IF the cellar, cheerfully said;
Now. little men, you must be brave
md DO Just as auntie says The smoke
S SO bad that you'll almost smother up |
here Come down 10 the cellar, and
stay there till get back I'll be gone
only little while
With the implicit confidence begos.
ZEN of love Sammy replied:
yes auntie: rs II be weai good. az
rot cwy any more when Us gets way
from the nasty smoke. II hurts cur
eyes awful
In an inclosed field back OF the house
were Wilson'S two farm-horses. .og-th-
er with four COWS and six young cattle
belonging To both families. who had
lately begun 10 use this the least shriv-
= led of the pastures In common Marie
had determined 20 savz the Dur, n -rea-