Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1894-02-22
20 and leave Us for2'

II Is tue roar Ol JIe HIe, HL9 eA9'S4
answered, with white lips; "it Is COM
ing nearer; but don't be afraid and
don't cry, for it cannot touch us here.
The tide of living FIRE swept over
them; the air, almost excluded from
their cramped quarters, grew hot and
sufocating they could hear the
-crackle of the lurid fame, and a spark
or two fell upon them through the
crack overhead. But this fire was
slight compared with the flaming wall,
u or Is feet high, which roared loud
er and still louder as it came leaping,
cracking on.
This large fire, finding nothing to
consume, thanks to Katherine's fore
sight in back firing divided, when
it came to the spot already burned
over, and swept each side ofthe cabin
But the air was full of flying Gin
ders great clumps of grass were taken
up by the wind and blown in every
direction, sometimes falling down
through the opening, where they
were promptly caught and extinguish-
ed by Beulah, who had slowly recov-
cred her wits
Laws, chile, dem chunks boun ter
burn de house plum down eff dey shin
roun dat way. Neber seen sech befo'
and Tse les clar riled at EN-, honey.
you must hold me up, Beulah, and
let me take look out, said Rather
Inc.
What a sight met her eyes, To the
right. to the left, as far as she could
see, black ashen plain extended,
Gone were the goldenrod and the
prairie grass, with its heavy heads Of
seed nodding in the wind. On every
side only ashes, that rose with every
passing breeze, except here and there
dimpled hollow where the fire still
smoked and smouldered.
But the house was still standing
With a glad cry she called out.
"Beulah, the house and stable are
savedl Now we will get out of this
hot place"
But where are the Indians?
howled Harvey. Guess we don't
want to get scalped, do we?"
Sure enough, where were they? In
her exultation at escape from nearer
danger, Katherine had almost forgot
ten the greater one. She swept the
horizon with her keenest glance. In
that murky atmosphere the view, US
ually an extensive one, narrowed IT.
self to closer boundaries. But so far
as she could see no moving object met
her view.
They must have been driven west
of this point by the FIRE, argued
Katherine, shading her eyes with her
hand.
Katherine knew that military de-
tense had been provided by the gov
ernment after sickening loss Of life
among the settlers, and that Little
| Crow and his followers had thus been
driven over the Dakota borders. But
she did not know that predatory
bands were making occasional detours
from the main route of retreat about
the less thickly settled parts OF the
country, stealing, numbering and kid
mapping, and that less than a mile
away a band of these murderous
wretches were hidden in a prairie
slough or ravine, which they had
made a safe retreat by "back firing,
waiting for night to fall before they
descended upon the little cabin tc
wreak their bloodthirsty instincts up
on its inhabitants.
Beulah now proposed that Rather
Inc should 90 up and put down the
ladder for her to climb out into more
comfortable quarters.
Seems like I done beat out by al
dis yer catwampin, an Tse jes' a-pin'
ing fer a cup o'tea honey. De water
we're all handy, an I'll jes' take few
cobs from de stable fer fire, an til
be ready quick'n ye can bat yer eye
But, alas in the first movemen
that she made Beulah overturned tn
pail, and once on terra frma the dif
fculty grew more pressing The,
must have something to eat, for it wa
past middle afternoon and they ha'
nothing since breakfast.
I'm not afraid. Give me the pail,
said Katherine boldly, and started ol
a swift run toward the spring.
At the top of the ridge she pause
a moment, and seeing nothing ran OF
, But the moment she took anothe
stir she knew by the light GOVERN
of ashes that the heaviest Of the fl