The Press., 1894-02-01


 the base, red above and blue with the writhing, curling vapor that swirled and spread above till it was absorbed in the atmosphere.
 Perhaps the Indians have gone to the ravine for protection" she thought; "if so, it is well we did not try it."
 The air was growing hotter; the wind, fed by the combustion of the advancing flames, was blowing the fire in the yard closer every minute. There was dull roaring beyond, where the high wall of fire rolled like fiery breakers, gathering force with each breath of wind. Clearly she could delay no longer.
 "Help me pull up the ladder, Beulah, |" and this removed, she sat down with her feet over the edge of the cistern and dropped into the strong arms held up to catch her.
 Don't pull me down; must pull the board over," she gasped. And this task accomplished, she sank down exhausted beside her brothers.
 Harvey had been reciting to little Bruce the most blood curdling tales of Indian atrocities, and, frightened at the pictures he himself had conjured up to frighten his brother, sat with his head bent forward upon his knees, sobbing floudly.
 Bruce threw his arms around Rather ines neck, too frightened to speak or ut ter a cry.
 Katy" he whispered, his breath com ing in quick gasps, "are they coming, and will Little Crow scalp us and burn us at the stake, with little burning splinters stuck all over our bodiesF'
 Harvey, brought face to face, as it were, with the realization of his own bloodthirsty fancies, gave an agonizing howl.
 "Hear 'em roar!' he cried. "O-o-h, why don't papa come? What did he go and leave us for?'
 ''It is the roar of the fire," his sister answered, with white lips; ''it is coming 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 suffocating; they could hear the crackle of the lurid flames, and spark or two fell upon them through the crack over- head. But this fire was slight compared with the flaming wall, 12 or 15 feet high, which roared louder and still louder as it came leaping, cracking on.
 This large fire. finding nothing to con- sume, thanks to Katherine's foresight in ''back firing" divided, when it came to the spot already burned over, and swept each side of the cabin.
 But the air was full of flying cinders; 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 extinguished by Beulah, who had slowly recovered her wits.
 claws, chile, dem chunks boun ter burn de house plum down eff dey shin roun dat way. Neber seen sech befo', and Tse jes' clar riled at 'em, honey" "You must hold me up, Beulah, and let me take a look out," said Katherine.
 What sight met her eyesl To the right, to the left, as far as she could see, 8 black ashen plain extended. Gone were the goldenrod and the prairie grass, with it's heavy heads of seed holding in the wind. On every side only ashes, that rose in dense clouds with every passing gust, except here and there dimpled hollow where the fire still smoked and ) smoldered.
 But the house was still standing With a glad cry she called out, "Beulah, the house and stable are saved! Now we will get out of this hot place." "But where are the IndiansT' howled Harvey. Guess we don't want to get scalped, do wei"
 Sure enough, where were they? In her exultation at escape from nearer dan ger, Katherine had almost forgotten the greater one. She swept the horizon with her keenest glance. In that murky at mosphere the view, usually an extensive one, narrowed itself 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 defense had been provided by the government 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 occa- sional detours from the main route of re- treat about the less thickly settled parts of the country, stealing, murdering and kidnapping, and that less than 8 mile away band of these murderous wretches were hidden in a prairie slough or ravine, which they had made safe retreat by ''back firing" waiting for night to fall before they descended upon the little cab in to wreak their bloodthirsty instincts upon it's inhabitants.
 Beulah now proposed that Katherine should go up and put down the ladder able quarters.
 "seems like done beat out by all dis yer catwampin, an Fse jes' a-pining fer a cup O tea, honey. De waters yere all handy, an I'll jes' take few cobs from de stable fer a fire, an it'll be ready quick'n ye can bat yer eye."
 But, alas! in the first movement that she made Beulah overturned the pail, and once on terra firma the difficulty grew more pressing. They must have something to eat, for it was past mid afternoon and they had had nothing since breakfast.
 "I'm not afraid. Give me the pail," said Katherine boldly. and started on a swift run toward the spring.
 At the top of the ridge she paused a moment, and seeing nothing ran on. But the moment she took another step she knew by the light covering of ashes that the heaviest of the fire had not passed over the ground, and it must have been backhred. While she paused, uncertain what to do, a fearful yell 1 Sounded close to her ear. and a burly In dian, hideous in warpaint and feathers, ~(N1RSoJ Jom m=