The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1898-02-10

passenger for the place with the long
name. The hamlet boac ed no Station,
only platform of rough, unhewn logs.
From this point there wound up
| through the thick forest narrow, tor
tuous road, rough and stony, and dark
even in the daytime, from the overarch-
ing trees, up to the houses on the hill
side. Only one train a day stopped
there, at $50, and they always drove
from the clearinghouse to meet it
in an Anticipated, nondescript vehicle
that might have come out of the ark.
This was two-wheeled rig, the wheels
thick, rough slices cut from a hickory
log The horse usually attached to it
he was the only being attached in any
way to the unlovely thing-was a dig
nified, conservative animal, full OF
years, and which no amount of persua-
sion, either oral or f1agellativc, had ever
been known to induce to accelerate his
progress to anything faster than a
stately walk.
1t had been an unusually hot sum-
mer. AS the train swept along the lake
shore l 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 vel
low-red swamp lilies that fringed the
marshy ground to the north margin of
the track seemed to 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
come up in my mind. Away off to the
west | could see wreath of thin, black
smoke curling itself lazily upward. l
watched it a moment, and it seemed TO
get thicker and blacker.
"A trapper cooking supper"
thought, but the notion of a forest con-
fagration still fingered unpleasantly
in my mind.
As the train slowed up rabbed my
vaiise and sprang off onto the plat
form. The conductor, in the caboose
behind-it was a long train of two pas
senger coaches, and 20 or so freight
cars-waved 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-
bilities of a fire on the mountains.
What a terrible thing it would be-
But just then l spied the antedilu-
Wan rig winding in and out among the
trees, about half a mile up, and quick
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 a 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-
piained that the man was off at Tour
CroiX, a neighboring town, helping
fight forest fire Great heavens!" |
exclaimed. suppose the fire should
come this way and overtake us before
we get home!"
Tess laughed. "No danger of that, l
guess" she said, as she turned the
horses head back in the direction he
had come.
1t was a delightful afternoon. The
air was now cooling down and, under
the shade of the trees that overhung
our homeward way, it was very pleas
ant. We chatted and laughed until we
thing as fire or danger.
1t was a good eight miles from the
railroad to the farmhouse, and we had
covered about a quarter of that dis
lance, when, on looking to the south,
| suddenly noticed dense black smoke
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
fire." said Tess. Wouldn't it be 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 octogenarian
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 a miracle. The fire came nearer. There
was no installing it now. The ever
greens and withered underbrush had
become veritable finder in the long-con-
tinued 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
tinctly the distant crack and roar of
the flames, and every now and then the
teavy, 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
~ frightened as the fire came nearer
and nearer.
A great cloud of cinders and smoke.
the advance guard of the all-devouring
enemy, began to blow in our faces and
fire the dry underbrush at our feet. A