The Van Buren press., 1898-02-26


abont 100 TALES from Duluth. and fhen
STRUCK suso the forrest fof 3 thort dis
faDee Is avoid . great mass Of haaali
rock. too hard 10 tunnel through. tie
tracks eoaning close 70 fhe waters edge
again about fife OF AK miles FROM where
LEY lefi r. just where The resa faas
farabesf from fbe lake. al Tie most
nurtbeasfsflg poiut q he detouf tie
ffsia slowed up moment 70 At Of any
passenger for me place win me long
name The hamlet Daasfed 10 station.
enlY q platform d rough. unhenu legs-
Ff0ta fhle point fhers wound up
through tbe thick forest { narrow. tor
tuous rosd. rough aud stony. and DARK
even IL ths daYtime. from the orerareb-
ing trees. up 70 she houses On The hill-
SIDE. Only one train 3 dag stopped
there. e. ts3Q. and they always drove
frufg lie boarding house 10 meet 81
81 AZ anfiqaafed- n0adeseript vehicle
that might have come ouf Of The ark.
Tins was q tM0-a heeled rig tie wheels
thick rough slices cut from & hickory
log The horse usual ) attached 10 il
~ Asas the onl9 being attached ia any
saF 10 lie uniC3elg tbiBe-maE dig
nffed, conservative animal, full of
fears. aud which no amount q pefsaa-
sioa. either oral on fageIlafiae. had efef
been known 20 fnduae to accelerate Aie
progress 10 anything faster ihan
stately walk
4 had been an unuKaa ; bon Eutn=
nef e. the train swept Al oag tie lake
shore Noticed tie regetatzon appeared
rerF dry aud panehea. and that re.
LITTLE poals. Nhieh always flashed IKE
gains fHon ite rqefE suzil along HE 81 &c
If tire aate bad sapp.earacz Tie gelz
laN-fea swamp Lilies thar ffangsa tie
manshF gr6una 70 tie nagah margin e
ihs tHae6 seemed 10 Hterp q bern in
Tie aearet IL raF6 q lie afternoon
euu. aud the SPARKS from the engine
stack fsa aapieasautl1 near some dry
lam ack hrush that dged fhe lake
Uneonfof7z be thoughts q f9fest tnes
estue up 5u NJ ui1d. ANaF QH GO tie
Mess eoal5 see 6 wreath q thiH. bae6
saie6e easaing 5fsef lazii9 gpaand ]
WATCHED 4 sup@eut. ana IL seeme9 70
pet shiekef and blge6er.
- trapper cooking suppef. ]
thought. bas tie notiou of forrest cor
8sgfafiou si5ll fingered uuRleasaatly
~ m9 mipa.
A. the trails slowed up ! grabbed my
yalise and sprang % ONO The pat
form. TIE conductor IN lie eaboQhe
bebind-i5 Ma l0ng train u tive Pas-
senqer coaches. AID 70 or 81 freight
ears~Ma6ed bis arms. and The heavy
fraia once more Increased Is speed.
soon il bad vanished around fbe curve.
! walked up aud down he rough pat
form. waiting for ny stage. and NY
thoughts again returned 4 , the posi-
biiiiies Df . fire on the mountains
Nbat a terrible hing II would b..
Bat just linen I spled he sniedilu-
fian rlg winding IN and out among he
trees, about half a mile up. and iq1iek-
Is dismissed from my mind 81 thoughts
Of fire. Tess was driving he convey.
oaee. and she Bas alone. / Was delight
ed with the prospect Of Two hours
iete-a-tefe with her, but thought i
strange thai old Joe, the farm hand.
lad not come for me. as usual. Tess ex.
p.ained that The man WAS eff at Tour
eroia, o neiRhbqring town, helping
felt q forest fire. Great heafens.' /
exclaimed Suppose the fire should
come this way and oyertake u before
ae get homei"
Tess laughed. "No danger Of that.
guess" she said, as she turned the
borse's head back ia the direction be
had come.
1t WAS delightful afternoon. The
air was now cooling down and, under
the shade Of the trees that orerhung
our homensrd way, IT was very pleas
ant We chaited and laughed until We
quite forgot The existence Of any such
thing as fire or danger
II was o good eight miles from the
railroad TO the farmhouse, and we had
covered about quarter Of that dis
lance, when, on looking TO the south,
/ suddenly noticed dense black smoke
rising Ia large, thick masses three or
four miles or. 1t seemed 10 be rapid
~ approaching. Again that terrible
thought Of fire suggested Itself
I'VE bad better get home as quick
Is as possible! Tha, Is the forest on
fire. said Tess. wouldn't II be ter
rible thing II II should reach the road
before we do. 1t is certainly coming
toward u.s."
And coming toward NJ Il Was, at a
most alarming rate. Our octoRe marian
sieed would not move any faster and
The road seemed 10 cross the track Of
the fire some distance ahead Of as. Our
situation was becoming serious. The
road WAS not wide enough TO afford ny
an oasis in this approaching simeon,
aud II the flames got within half a
mile Of US, we could not escape, except
by o miracle. The fire came nearer There
was no miAlaking it now. The ever
greens aud Withered underbrush had
become leritable finder IN the lOng-c0n-
i.pued hot and dry spell, and before
the destroying flames they disappeared
~ snow before the sun. 1t Was only
about half an hour since first noticed
The smoke, and now we could hear dis
tinctiy the distant crack and roar Of
the irmes, and every now and then the
Lea,y, resonant swish aud boom as
some great king Of the forest fell,
crashing through the smaller growth
beneath A. The twilight was coming
swiftly on. We began 10 get thorough
81 frightened as the fire came nearer
and nearer.
A great cloud Of cinders aud smoke,
Ola. .d,4u,p ,,uard of q lr nll-dqVouriup