Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1894-01-24


sides, but there WIS Beulah.
''If papa were cnly here" she thought,
and with the thought came, like an in
spiration, a suggestion of a hiding place.
She turned to Beulah, who had just
waddled up to the stable. Unite tho
colt and turn him loose, Beulah'-she
spoke rapidly and with authority land
then hurry back to the house and help
me put the children and some things we
shall need down in the cistern. The In
dams are coming"
Great day in de mawninr' exclaimed
Beulah. turning sickly gray and sink
ing, mass of quivering flesh, to the
ground.
"Get up; they'll catch you," screamed
Katherine il Beulahs ear. but she
might have talked to stone IS 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 Beulah,
out of sheer terror, gathered her wits to-
gether and ran clumsily after.
The cistern had been newly plastered
and was yet little damp, but no water
had been conducted into it.
$50 down that ladder" commanded
Katherine, pointing to the ladder that
had been left in the cistern by the work
men, and Beulah, not without difficulty,
and indeed not without danger, since it
had been constructed for 10 such weight
as hers, obeyed. Katherine dared not
take time to run to the top of the knoll
for further observation. Every moment
was precious.
A blanket and pillow, a tin pail con-
tanning bread and cold meat, a 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 agony
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 lad
der and looked around.
A large zinc covered board, formerly
used to put under the kitchen stove, was
standing near, leaning against the houses
This she dragged to the mouth of the
cistern and pulled it nearly over the
opening, and was rejoiced 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.
81 must try back firing" she said. ''It
is our only chance either to save the
house or ourselves, but can do this be-
fore the Indians get here?"
Fear nerved her trembling hand as she
scratched q match and, STOPPING down,
applied it to the grass few rods away
from the house.
A puff of wind extinguished it before
the grass caught fire. Another and yet
another shared the same fate, her hands
shaking so that she wondered how she
held the light. Another attempt was
successful, and she saw feeble blaze
run along the ground at her feet. Again
and again she applied the fire, until
light, thin fame extended for about 20
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 de-
scending into the cistern. Nothing was
in sight except 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.
s'Perhaps the Indians have gone to the
ravine for protection" she thought; eff
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.
"Dont 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
f,,,c r1,+o OF fLr
pictures he himself had conjured up to
frighten his brother, sat with his head
bent forward upon his knees, sobbing
loudly.
Bruce threw his arms around RATHER
ines neck, too frightened to speak or ut
ter cry.
'Katy," he whispered, his breath COM
ing in quick gasps, ''are they coming, and
will Little Crow scalp us and burn us ct
the stake, with little burning splinters
stuck all over our bodies?"
Harvey, brought face to face, as it
were, with the realization of his own
bloodthirsty fancies, gave an agonizing
howl.
CLEAR '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; sit 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
I 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.
Laws, chile, dem chunks boun ter