The herald., 1898-05-06
RACING WITH FIRE

was small lad. dressed in a coarse cotton
shirt. pair of well-worn overalls and
wide-brmmed straw hat.
| He stood gazing across the plains, intent
ly watching a party of horsemen who were
riding in a long gallop in his direction.
After a lapse of a few minutes the cow
boys dashed up to the little tent and stop
| ped. There was a short pause; then one
of the men spoke. kid" he said, "where's S
your pap?"
| The boy looked the man over carefully,
| then slowly replied:
Reckon he's in his skim
The cowboy who had spoken flashed out
a pistol and poured forth a perfect volley
of profanity, while his companions burst
into roar of laughter.
mo use gittin' riled, jake" one of the
boys said, addressing the man who had
drawn the revolver. "1t's hoss on you,
an you'd as well own up an let 1t go at
that"
Jake replaced his revolver, and In a little
while his anger cooled down.
Don't you like my style o. gab7" the boy
asked.
"No, 1 DON'T"
Reckon thar amt no law compellin' of
you to stay here, is there?"
mo"
"Then II you don't like to hear me chin,
you can go away"
Jake flushed slightly, but the laugh from
his companions warned him to keep his
temper, or at least to keep quiet. 1t was
almost minute before he spoke; then in a
respectful and even conciliatory tone he
said:
Look here, kid, we've got business with
your pap, an We want to see him if he's
about home"
well, he amt here" the boy replied.
''Where's he gone, then?"
Dunno"
(which direction did he go?'
''Went the way his nose was p'intin'."
Jake gave vent to smothered oath.
Then he returned I'd the attack.
See here" he said, Il want to know
what's the matter of you. that you can
give sich fool answers to my questions?"
Fool answers is the kind to give to fool
questions, reckon
"Well, we've had enough nonsense,
Jake announced, becoming thoroughly
nettled, II tell you, want to know whar
your pap is"
II hain't said you didn't want to know
that, have -"
mo, but you hain't told whar he isl
Reckon I hain't."
"Well, why don't you?"
Don't have to-
but you must. It's important for us to
know. We've got business with him that
has to be tended to-
"Reckon I know what sort O. business
you got with pap"
You're powerful peart, amt you?"
I'm peart enough to know that you
want to drive pap off O. this claim. But 1
low you amt goin' to do 1t, jest the same
an if you try 1t you're goin to find out
that you've bit off heap more than you
can chaw."
"Why, will you flght?"
"Ill drap a few chunks o. lead in some
Of you, or do my best tryin'; an you can
bet pap will make 1t hot for you"
"Well'' said Jake, you've guessed our
business exactly. We need this land for
grain purposes and we want your pap to
pack up an move off. We come to drive
him away, but as he amt here we'll give
him till noon tomorrow to be gone. If he
amt gone by that time we'll come back
here an start him out. You will tell him
what say when he gifts back"
Hell be here tomorrow at noon," the
boy replied, quietly; $50 you may as well
make your arrangements to drive us
away"
The day wore away and the night came
on. Joe was still alone in the tent, for his
father had not returned and he was not
expected before midnight. Joe did not go
to bed, but remained waiting up for his
father.
AS the little clock on the wall of the tent
struck II Joe got up and went outside to
listen if he could hear any evidence of his
fathers approach. He was standing lis
tening when he happened to turn his
glance to the west where the cattle ranch
lay.
Away to the west. beyond the ranch, a
line of flame reached for miles north, while
dense volumes of smoke rolled reaven-
ward, darkening the SLY.
Joe knew the meaning Of 1t all, for he had
seen prairie fires before, and he compre-
hended the terrible fate of every living
thing that happened to be in the line of the
advancing wall of fire.
1.-THE creek is between the fire and here"
he said, 80 we're safe enough"
He had taken a seat and picked up an
old newspaper and began reading, when
suddenly he thought of the ranch and the
cowboys. Throwing the paper down and
springing excitedly to his feet, he cried:
1.-THE ranch will burn shorern fate, for
it's right in the track of the fire, an I'm
glad of it,
Suddenly Joe stopped, and a startled
scared expression came to his face. my
gracious! he cried, with a gasp, "them
cowboys is asleep and don't know nothin'
bout the fire, an they'll be burned up!"
He ran out quickly to where one of his
fathers mules was staked out on the
prairie to Craze. Hastily bridling it, he
mounted to the animals back and set of
across the prairie in the direction of the
ranch, to try to warn the cowboys of
their danger.
"We'll have to get down an hustle" he
said, speaking to the mule, IAN we may
git ketched and burned to death ourselves,
but we got to try to save them sneakin'
cowboys. They're as mean as pizen, but
they're human beins.'
1t required a world Of courage to ride
right against that fast-advancing wall of
leaping tossing flame, and none but
brave person could have done It,
"An' If save 'em," he unused, they'll
try to drive us off tomorrow an steal our
claim, an maybe kill us. But" he con-
cluded, lit 'ud be terrible for 'em to burn
up"
When at last he drew up in front Of the
cowboys cabin the fire seemed not over a
fourth of mile distant He could plainly
bnov hn nolr1 1i,,rr cf <1,o Joo