The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-12-14

I
Here she found the instinctively frie h.
ened animals huddled close in fence
corner. Letting down the bars ans
slipping the bride on one of the horses
the practiced girl sprang to his back
and, after some trouble, succeeded i,
driving the whole herd down to tn,
Pine river, lying somewhat south O
east and nearly mile away.
| Then. through binding smoke. sh,
rode at full speed back to the house
intending to carry the children also t.
the river. But by this time the from
Of the forest was a roaring sea of FIRE
The boundary fence had caught, ant
great masses of burning leaves were
whirling over into the fields, kindline
fresh fires wherever they fell The
heat was sitting; in few short min
utes more tho dwelling would be
wrapped in flames, yet the good horse
might yet save the three young lives
Sliding to the ground. Marie thsew
the reins over post. dashed into the
house, jerked pair of blankets from
her own bod. soused them in q tub OF
water, folded them saddlewise on old
Dicks back. snatched up the children,
set them astride the horses shoulders,
and mounting behind them turned to
| fly
Too late! On glancing toward the
way whence she had just come, she
saw, to her dismay, that escape in that
| direction was cut off, an advanced
tongue of overwhelming fame having
already crept across the path, while on,
and fearfully close now, came leaping
waves of fire, projected from the for
! est
What was to be done? The hest was
becoming intolerable and the horse
frantic. She could no longer hold the
boys to their seat; she and they would
be thrown and, perhaps, killed on the
spot.
'Oh." moaned the brave girl, ''why
| did not save the children at once and
| let the poor cattle go?"
will us be burnt up, auntie?" pitt.
fully asked little Pete, as she scram-
bled off the plunging horse with her
precious charges.
mo, no, my pets, you shall not be
~ there had flashed across her mind
possible means of salvation.
Dragging tho blankets to the ground
and freeing Dick frousthe bride, she
struck him sharply across the quarters
with it. when the intelligent beast
wheeled about and galloped away, for
tunately due north, now the only safe
point; for, though he might run before,
and at first outstrip the pursuing
flames. they would quickly cross the
intervening space and catch the un-
broken forest to the northeast of the
farms.
Connecting Moreaus with Wilson's
house was a lane, sixty feet wide,
bounded on either side by rail fence
and a little way beyond Wilson's there
was. as our heroine now recollected, a
milkhouse, chambered deep in the slope
of solid clay mound Could the three
absolutely impervious to fire, and by
the time both houses and barns were
consumed, the grass and rallied flames
would die out and leave the fields pas
sable for further fight if necessary.
Raising Pete in her arms, the girl
wrapped him and herself in one of the
wet blankets, enveloped Sammy in the
other and, bidding him hold tight to
her, set off down the lane.
But before they had gone one-half its
three hundred yards of length, the
fence on the left caught fire. driving
them over to that on the right.
A little way farther they struggled
on; aud then poor Sammy, not having
wit enough to keep the protecting
blanket properly before his mouth in
hailed the pungent smoke and sank
senseless to the ground.
Marie uttered despairing cry. The
place of refuge was yet fully one hun
dred and sixty yards away. She could
not shield and carry both children at
once. Must she abandon the uncon-
scious boy? No, thousand times no,
though fractions of seconds were pre-
cious and the danger appalling.
Bravely she rallied her senses; and,
knowing that quite close to the earth's
surface the air was comparatively free
of smoke, she laid herself fat down.
Sammy over and over, mummy-like, in
his blanket, secured it about him with
half a dozen wire pins, snatched from |
her hair, and in an incredible short
time was again on her feet
Now she told the trembling Pete to |
clasp his arms about her neck, while |
with one hand she held the blanket be- |
fore his and her own face and with the |
other dragged Sammy, like a wool |
sack, along the ground
Twas desperate work for young |
girl, rs the dry grass on the left side of |
the lane had taken fire and the heat |
and smoke had so greatly increased |
that only by drawing every breath |
the saturated cloth could life
be sustained. But Marie never faltered.
Nerved to unwonted strength by the
heroic resolve of her own undaunted
soul, she managed, despite her double
burden, not only to keep moving but
to quicken he- pace TO a run!
Just as the flames took possession of
the whole lane ana oeat fiercely against
the house she passed beyond the latter
into a small plowed field leading to the
barely eighty yaros away.
There was no Ere under foot here. but
he heat was greater than ever, and
he alnos. exhausted girl found it we'll
1igh impossible to draw Sanny's club
oy weight over the turned-up soil
a. last. however. after much painful
ugging. she arrived at the door Of the
nilkhouse. but only-oh, horror.-to
ind it securely fastened with pad
ock and hssp affixed 10 the outside