Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1894-02-22
|. The Indians are coming.

UredI udy III ue MdNHIA GA
claimed Beulah, turning a sickly gray
and sinking, a mass of quivering flesh,
to the ground.
Get up; they Il catch you, screamed
Katherine in Beulah's ear, but she
might have talked to stone as well, so
stupefed was the poor creature with
fright
I'm going to leave you here, added
katherine in the hope of rousing her
and started for the house, when Beu-
lah, out Of sheer terror, gathered her
wits together and ran clumsily after.
The cistern had been newly plas-
tered and was yet little damp, but
no water had been conducted into 1t.
"Go down that ladder commanded
katherine, pointing to the ladder that
had been left in the cistern by the
workmen, and Beulah, not without
danger, since it had been constructed
for no such weight as hers, obeyed.
Katherine dared not take time to run
to the top of the knoll for further
observation. Every moment was pre-
cious.
a blanket and pillow, tin pail
containing bread and cold meat, pail
of water that her father had brought
from the distant spring that morning,
were hastily let down to Beulah, and,
last of all, the boys were helped down,
and Katherine herself was about to
descend, when breath of hot wind
swept across her face.
She recognized now what the keener
instincts of the colt had told before
The prairie was on fire
In that moment intense mental ag-
ony took possession Of the brave girl
The fire was coming straight toward
them; Of that there was no doubt
What could she do? She climbed
swiftly up the ladder and looked
around
A large zinc covered board, former
" used to put under the kitchen
stove, was standing near, leaning
against the house. This she dragged
to the mouth of the cistern and pulled
it nearly over the opening, and was
reioiced to see that it was large enough
to cover the entire space except a few
inches on each side.
Then she ran to the kitchen and
got some matches.
Il must try back firing" she said.
ut is our only chance either to save
the house or ourselves, but can do
this before the Indians get here?'
Fear nerved her trembling hand as
she scratched a match and, STOPPING
down, applied it to the grass few
rods away from the house.
A puff of wind e1tinguished it be-
fore the grass caught fire. Another
and vet another shared the same fate,
her hands shaking so that she Won
dered how she held the light. An
other attempt was successful, and she
saw a feeble blaze run along the
ground at her feet. Again and again
she applied the fire, until light, thin
flame extended for about twenty yards
each side of the house. This she knew
would soon burn over and give the
coming flames nothing to feed upon,
while the light fire she started would
not be sufficient to burn the house OF
stable. She glanced around before
again descending into the cistern
Nothing was in sight except a wall Of
smoke, black at 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 tc
the ravine for protection, she thought
III so, it is well we did not try it. "
The air was growing hotter; the
wind, fed by the combustion of the ad
vancing flames, was blowing the fire
in the yard closer every minute
There was a dull roaring beyond
where the high wall of fire rolled hk'
fiery breakers, gathering force witt
each breath of wind. Clearly sh
could delay no longer.
Help me pull up the ladder, Beu
lah, and this removed, she sat dow
with her feet over the edge of the els
tern and dropped into the strong arm
held up to catch her.
Don't pull me down; l must pul
the board over" she gasped. An
this task accomplished, she sank dow
exhausted beside her brothers.
Harvey had been reciting to httl
Bruce the most blood curdling tale
of Indian atrocities, aud, frightene
at the pictures he himself had con