Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1898-07-06

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The stiffness as
Jim and she drove along over the 81
lent plain was broken now and then by
a sharp, startling rattle, q sound once
heard never to be forgotten, the danger
signal of the deadly rattlesnake coiled
up in the long, brown grass.
"Hit appears to me" Jim was say
ing, s'that that air wind don't bode
any good to the settlers round
about.these here parts.
ssWhy so, Jim?"
..sGuess you hain't ever ben on one
of our Dakoty peraries afore, Miss
Waring, or you wouldn't have asked
such question. There's two things
out hyar that's more feared than the
Old Nick himself-one on ems o
perarie fire aud another's O perarie fire
with the wind a-blowin' forty-mile-
an-hour gale
They rode on again in silence.
Agnes Waring had come from the far
great city to visit her brother on his
Western ranch. jim, the man-of-all-
work, was driving her out from the
station, fifteen miles from the ranch.
- .ssII3y the long-horned spoons! said
Jim suddenly, rising in his seat and
stopping the horses with a tremendous
jerk: "look over there, will you2
Thar's bizness for us, sure's you're q
foot high! Git up therel'' he yelled
to the horses and, giving one them a
singing blow with his whip, they
sprang into run. Across the level
plain shone light, the light at the
ranch headquarters nearly mile eaway.
To the left OF it dull, reddish glow
had come up and, now and then, at the
horizon line, where the darker part of
the sky was lost in the prairie, sharp
flames were darting up.
''Don't you be skeered," Jim ejacu-
lated, as he whipped the horses into q
yet more furious pace; "there amt any
danger-leastwise for u.s."
Alice was self-possessed city girl
with o generous stock of old-fashioned
common sense; but she was startled at
Jims actions and her face had grown
pale.
"Everythins's all right" said Jim,
as reassuringly as he could under the
circumstances; ''don't You be
skeered." He had seized the reins
between his firm, strong teeth and
now with one hand, now with the
other, now with both, he was whip
ping the horses into still greater
speed. "Hafe-ter-lick a team
like this"-as the wagon bounced and
tnmbled and ratified along; shate ter
do hit-but hit-can't be helped
when there's hfe-depends-on it. ~
A few moments more. and the horses
dashed up to the big ranch headquar=
ters house.. Jim threw the lines to
the ground, and, seizlng Alice by the
waist, jumped out with her.
'sSorry to be so unperlite, but
there amt any time to wait-kin you
ride hossback?"
Barely waiting for an affirmative
answer from the girl, who was pas
sionately fond of riding and who
modestly owned the gold medal for
superior horsewomanship in her city
riding club, Jim ran to the barn, flung
mans saddle on beautiful horse
and before Alice had time to recover
from her surprise at this novel intro
ductiou to her brothers establishment,
the horse was before her.
"You say you kin ride; wa'al, here's
the best chance to show hit you ever
had in your life. Thar's the best
hoss in Mcleod County-racin' blood
for fve ginerations; there ain't nothin'
but perarie fire kin ketch him.
Jump him, Miss Waring, ride straight
toward the fire yonder; thar amt no
danger now till you git ter Mule
Crick. Jest over the crick quarter
of mile or so thar's Russian woman
an her six weeks old baby. She's
all alone, fer L saw her husband in
town when we left. They hain't back
fred an inch, and you've got to git the
woman and her baby over the crick.
See? I'd go myself, but the wind is
shifted and this hull ranch'll be in
danger afore long. You'll pass your
brother, aud a parcel O. men backfrin'
along the line: don't stop fer any ex-
plantations, but. ride fer the crick an
ride as if the Old Harry was on yer
track! You been't afeered, be you?"
The blood had come back to the pale
cheeks.
:>"You say there'sl little danger of my
losing my life,. Jim?"
t'Not a bit--ef you only git the
woman across the crick in time; but
don't wait-iump quick, fer the Lords
sake, or you'll be too late"
With rude toss he threw her into
the saddle as if she had been child,
aud handed her the reins. AS he did
so he thrust o short, cruel rawhide into
her hand.
.sDon't hit him with that unless you
have to-he's never bin licked in his
life; but ek!n outruna cyclone. u