Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1893-03-11

yard the famcs were only q few
miles away and coming at lightning
speed.
While Tom and Roy saddled their
ponies and rounded up the live stock
Mr.. Benedict and the three elder
boys and Bessie, in an incredibly
short space Of time, put into the two
wagons everything that 1t was posi-
BILE to save, after which Hal and
George saddled their ponies, Joined
Tom and Roy with the herd, and the
whole procession, headed by the two
wagons, driven by Mort and his ia
ther, moved off at a rapid pace to-
ward the river.
Then, and only then, did Mort no
tice that there was no sign of human
life about the Walker place. His
heart gave leap.
"Bessl" he said sharply, 'did-did
they git awayi Did ye notice 'em
movin roundf'
The girls eyes opened wide. "Oh,
Mortl / haven't heard or seen q sign
of 'em all dayi"
Take them reins. I'm goin back
an see."
He leaped from the wagon and ran
back, noting as he did so how hot
the air had become and how near the
big wave Of smoke was.
Mrs. Walker, singing softly as she
hustled about the kitchen, was bit
startled to see who her unannounced
visitor was.
"Mis' Walker, where's all your men
folks2 No, I didn't come fer trouble
only this prairie fire only little
ways off, an comm down like mad ~
Mrs. Walker sank into a chair.
"Oh, heavensl An father sick abed
an all tn boys over t. Berry's on
breakin beer
"Good Lordl Amt I glad come
backi Where's tn hossesf"
"Oh, Mortl They're all loose in
the paster"
"Git what things ye wantuh save
t'gether real quickl They amt no
spare time" And Mort tore out of
the house like mailman, and down
to the pasture, not noticing that Mel
lie had entered the kitchen and was
staring at him, open eyed.
Both Mr.. Walkers wagon teams
were composed of animals usually as
docile as lambs, but today, punched
together in corner Of the pasture,
they shifted the coming flames, and
it seemed to put wild imps into their
numbering carcasses, and 1t was a
long, trying time before Mort could
catch two Of them, swear, pray, try
as he might-and the great fire rolled
swiftly nearer. The wind had shifted
from northeast to northwest. Mort
saw, with a sinking at his heart that
there was an even chance of getting
cut off from the river.
|
Mr.. Walker was on feather bed
on the floor of the wagon, and Mrs.
Walker crouched beside him. Nellie
ran back into the house for the fam
lily Bible, then climbed up beside
Mort.
"Git upl elk" The heavy whip
came down hard on the horses
flanks, and the race was begun.
Faster came the flames. The bill
low of smoke rolled over them, now
and then dropping feathery grass
cinders as it passed. They could
hear the roar Of the fire and feel its
hot breath whenever the wind In
creased in velocity-and Jim river
so far away
Nearer came the great wave Of
fame; the air was dense and suffo-
eating. Mort, in his frenzy, lashed
the now running horses necessarily,
cursing, praying, saying he knew not
what. Mrs Walker wept and prayed
Mr.. Walker now and then gave q
feeble moan; Nellie, on the seat be-
side Mort, kept her lips tightly closed
and said nothing, only clinging to
the seat more desperately as the wag-
on bounced and lurched.
Mort looked at her; her silence an
gered him. "Git off'n tn seat p he
roared. "How dye think / en- drive
with you sittin tharf'
The girl obeyed, and fell, rather
than climbed, back into the box.
Mort Benedict's recollections of
what occurred after that are very
dim. He remembers driving deeper
and deeper into the terrible heat and
smoke, of tearing through a volume
of fame that seemed endless-fame
that burned his eyes, his nostrils, his
throat, and scorched his hair and eye
brows-then, with a final leap, the
horses dashed down the slope into
the shallow river, and he knew no
more.
When Mort awoke he could not for
some time realize where he was, and
lay for some minutes trying to re-
member. Oh, yes; he was in Will