River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1898-03-03

S'hNNi1 NHtNs
1t had been an unusually hot sum
mer. As the train swept along the lake
shore noticed the vegetation appeared
very dry and parched, and that the
! little pools, which always flashed like
gems from the rocky soil along the edge
OF the lake, had disappeared. The yell
| lcw-red swamp lilies that fringed the
| marshy ground to the north margin of
| the track seemed 10 literally burn in
the scorching rays of the afternoon
sun, and the sparks from the engine
stack fell unpleasantly near some dry
hcmlock brush that edged the lake.
Uncomfortable thoughts of forest fires
came up in my mind. Away off to the
west could see a wreath of thin, black
smoke curling itself lazily upward. |
watched it moment, and it seemed to
/ get thicker and blacker.
"A trapper cooking supper"
/ thought, but the notion of forest con-
! hagration still fingered unpleasanuy
/ in my mind
AS the train slowed up grabbed my
valse and sprang off onto the plat
! FORM The conductor in the caboose
behind-it was long train of two pas
senger coaches, and 20 or so freight
cars-wayed his arms, and the heavy
! train once more increased its speed.
! Soon it had vanished around the curve.
! walked up and down the rough plat
form, waiting for my stage, and my
| thoughts again returned to the posi-
1 bilities of a fire on the mountains.
! What a terrible thing it would be!
But just then | spied the antedilu-
Wan rig winding in and out among the
trees, about half mile up, and Iquick-
ly dismissed from my mind all thoughts
| Of fire. Tess was driving the convey
ance, and she was alone. | was delight
ed with the prospect of two hours
| tete-a-tete with her, but thought it
/ strange that old Joe, the farm hand,
/ had not come for me, as usual. Tess eX-
| planned that the man was off at Tour
/ Croix, a neighboring town, helping
4 fight a forest fire. Great heavens!"
exclaimed. suppose the fire should
come this way and overtake us before
we get home!"
Tess laughed. mo danger of that,
guess" she said, as she turned the
horses head back in the direction he
! had come.
/ 1t was a delightful afternoon. The
I air was now cooling down and, under
/ the shade of the trees that oyerhung
our homeward way, it was very pleas
ant We chatted and laughed until we
4 quite forgot the existence of any such
thing as fire or danger.
I -. ha
railroad to the farmhouse, and we had
covered about a quarter of that dis
! lance, when, on looking to the south,
| | suddenly noticed a dense black smoke
rising in large, thick masses three or
/ four miles off. 1t seemed to be rapid
/ ly approaching. Again that terrible
/ thought of fire suggested itself.
I'VE had better get home as quick
/ " as possible That is the forest on
| fret" said Tess. "Wouldn't it be a ter
rible thing if it should reach the road
before we do. 1t is certainly coming
! toward us!'
! And coming toward us it was, at
most alarming rate. Our octogenaran
steed would not move any faster and
/ the road seemed to cross the track of
/ the fire some distance ahead of US. Our
/ situation was becoming serious. The
road was not wide enough to afford US
an oasis in this approaching simeon,
and if the flames got within half
mile of us, we could not escape, except
! by miracle The fire came nearer. There
was no mistaking it now. The ever
greens and withered underbrush had
! become yeritable finder in the long-con-
tnued hot and dry spell, and before
! the destroying flames they disappeared
as snow before the sun. 1t was only
| about half an hour since | first noticed
! the smoke, and now we could hear dis
/ t:nctly the distant crack and roar of
the flames, and every now and then the
/ heavy, resonant swish and boom as
/ some great king of the forest fell,
crashing through the smaller growth
beneath it. The twilight was coming
swiftly on. We began to get thorough
/ Is frightened as the fire came nearer
and nearer.
! A great cloud Of cinders and smoke,
the advance guard of the ali-devouring
enemy, began to blow in our faces and
| fire the dry underbrush at our feet.
breeze had sprung up. We might have
/ died for it two hours before and not re-
ceiyed it, but now, when its presence
was most deadly, it appeared to give
/ greater velocity to the already furious
pace of our destroying enemy.
applied the whip vigorously to the
old horse, and he seemed TO put forth
/ his best energies, but the crazy wagon
was SO heavy that we did not get along
any faster than a good trot.
The girl beside me was pale, but her
! lips were firmly set and her eyes burned
/ with a lustrous, determined light. She
would not finch, | saw. She came of
! stern stuff, this tender young girl, and
the fierce, stubborn spirit of her Dutch
/ ancestry was standing her now in good
stead. | knew Tess would not faint or
scream or do anything foolish or wild,
/ but would be a comrade to me in dan
ger, with courage equal, if not SUI
| perior, to my own.
! On came the fire. 1t was now within
/ half a mile of us and roaring like
| Wild beast in sight of his prey. A great
/ cloud Of smoke and cinders preceded
/ the flames and blew right in our faces,
! making our eyes smart so that we could
scarcely see. and griming and pepper
! ing our flesh till il felt raw A flock of
teal-great big. beautiful fellows
swept over us. flying toward the lake,
uttering loud, discordant cries. Now
and then one of the number would fall
to the ground, its wings, perhaps,
| singed by the flames over which it had
/ passed. -Four beautiful deer, massive
| stag with magnificent antlers and three
/ soft-eyed does. came at full bound from
/ the covert to the left of the road, the
buck leading in a frightened run and
the females following with that star
| tied, almost human, look in their large
/ eyes that one notices in animals al bay.
| \ long glossy black snake writhed its
swift way through the underbrush,
! across the road and was lost TO view in
an instant. l scarcely know how man
| aged TO see all these minor features in
1 the play which afterwards came SO near
being a tragedy, but every little thing
is indeliby impressed upon my mind,
even to this hour.
! Our old horse was now fully alive to
1 the danger we were in, He trembled