The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1895-06-13

house, ierked pair of blankets from
her own bed, soused them in tub O
water, folded them saddlewise on ole
Dicks back, snatched up the children
set them astride the horses shoulders
and mounting behind them turEed tx
dy.
Too late! On glancing toward ths
way whence she had just come, she
saw, to her dismay, that escape in tha
direction was cut off, an advanced
tongue of overwhelming flame having
already crept across the path, while
on, and fearfully close now, came leap
ing waves of fire, projected from th'
forest.
What was to be done? The heat wa:
becoming intolerable and the horse
frantic. She could no longer hold the
boys to their seat; she and they woulG
be thrown and, perhaps, killed on th'
,pot.
"Oh," moaned the brave girl, "why
did not save the children at once ant
let the poor cattle go?"
evil us be burnt up auntie?" pitt
fully asked little Pete, as she scrambled
of the plunging horse with her preciou'
charges.
"No, no, my pets, you shall not be
burned!" exclaimed Marie; for sud
denly there had flashed across he1
mind possible means of salvation.
Dragging the blankets to the ground
and freeing Dick from the 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 be-
fore, 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 Moreau's with Wilson's
house was a lane, sixty feet wide,
bounded on either side by rail fence,
and little way beyond Wilson's there
was, as our heroine now recollected, q
milk-house, chambered deep in the
slone of solid clav mound, Could
the three reach this all would be well,
as it was absolutely impervious to fire,
and by the time both houses and barns
were consumed, the grass and rallied
flames would die out and leave Tho
fields passable for further flight j
necessary.
Raising Pete in her arms, the girl
wrapped him and herself in one of ths
wet blankets, enveloped Sammy in the
other and, bidding him hold tight tt
her, set off down the lane.
But before they had gone one-hal
of its three hundred yards of length,
the fence on the left caught fire, driv'
ing them over to that on the right.
A little way farther they struggled
on; and then poor Sammy, not having
wit enough to keep the protecting
blanket properly before his mouth, in
hailed the pungent smoke and san]
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 al
once. Must she abandon the uncon-
scious boy? No, thousand times no:
though fractions of seconds were pre-
,ious and the danger appalling.
Bravely she rallied her senses; and,
knowing that quite close to the earth't
surface the air was comparatively free
of smoke, she laid herself fiat down,
with little Pete in her arms, rolled
Sammy over and over, mummy-hke.
in his blanket, secured it about hin
with half dozen wire pins, snatchee
from her hair, and in an incredibly
short time was again on her feet.
Now she told the trembling Pete tt
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
,ack, along the ground.
Twas desperate work for a young
girl, as the dry grass on the left side
Of the lane had taken fire and tho neat
and smoke had so greatly increased
that only by drawing every breath
through the saturated cloth could life
be sustained. But Marie never fall
tered. Nerved to unwonted strength
by the heroic resolve of her own un-
daunted soul, she managed, despite
her double burden, not only to keep
moving but actually to quicken he'
pace to run.
Just as the flames took possession
of the whole lane and beat tiercely
against the house, she passed beyond
the latter into small ploughed field
leading to a mound, barely eighty
yards away. There was no fire under
foot here, but the heat was greater
than ever, and the almost exhausted
girl found it well nigh impossible to
lraw Sammy's chubby weight over the
surned up soil.
At last, however, sitter much pain
nj tugging, she arrived at the door
If the milk house, but only--oh, hor-
cor Ito find 1t securely fastened by
paddock and hasp affixed to the out
side. The key, of course, was at the
now blazing dwelling. It might as
welI have been thousand miles away.
Clouds of steam were now rlsiIg
rom Marie's blanket. Not for three
minutes longer could she or the boys
i've in the furnace-like air. Quite
ignoring her own peril, she sobbingly
vailed:
"Dear, Merciful Father, must these
innocent lambs perish? Oh, if l could
only find a stone or an AK
Then, from beneath the hot
,lanket-folds, observant little Peter
!isped:
"Daddy did have an az here for to