Evening journal., 1899-09-11
How the SigSbeeS We're SaYed
By James Raymond Perry.

THE sigsbees lived on Wisconsin
farm five miles from the nearest
village. The family consisted of Mr..
and Mrs. Sigsbee and three children
Frank. a lad of 10, and Ruth and Mary,
aged respectively eleven and nine.
For several days smoke had hung
over the landscape, and the forest fires
of 10 the northwest were the topic OF
conversation at the farm. On Saturday
Mr.. Sigsbee went TO the village, and
when he returned Saturday evening
with the county paper it contained sew
eral columns about the havoc that had
been wrought. Mr.. Sigsbee had learned
at the village that the fires had eaten
their way down to within eight miles
Of the town.
The Siesbee farm was northeast OF
the village, so the line of fire at the
northwest was about the same distance
from the farm that it was from the vil-
lage. During the last day or two the
smoke had become thicker, and when
darkness fell Saturday night the Sigs'
bees for the first time caught sight Of
the flames, dull red through the smoke,
as they worked their way along the
crest OF low elevation six or seven
miles away.
II wish Il would rain" Mr.. Sigsbeo
said. as he stood watching the flames
creeping through the darkness. He was
growing very anxious over the prox-
unity OF the fire.
During the night the wind shifted
from the northwest to the south and
blew the smoke away some; it also
checked the southwark progress of the
fire. But before nine o'clock the wind
was back in the northwest again, and
the thick smoke was being blown down
over the farm lands.
"1f the wind keeps up the fire will be
! down on lS before night" said Mr.. Sigs-
bee. 81 think I'd better go to the vii
lage and see if can get help. The north
lots ought TO be plowed up"
So the farmer hitched up one Of his
horses and drove away through the
thickening smoke. When he reaches
the village he found every one there in
O state Of great excitement and alarm
Since the change of wind the village
vas IN imminent peril.
The men were all working with IN,
desperation of despair to save theii
o-vn homes and not one could be spared
10 so back with Mr.. Sigsbee.
i The wind blew stronger and stronger
and he knew the fire must be advancing
rapidly towards the farm. The smok,
Obscured everything, however, and il
was impossible to tell how near tn,
Games had approached. lie wished now
that he had not left his family. lie haC
thought it was for the best, but now
n- he started back, it seemed to him al
\ - he had deserted them in their need.
BE Erged the horse on as fast as pos
siblc, hoping to get back before the fir
| reached the farm. Soon he began 10 SCI
tho small denizens of the fores
{. scampering across the road toward thl
south. They were fleeing from the Gre
., Occasionally a larger animal wouI,
break from the brush and clear the roa,
with one or two bounds.
The farmer could feel the air gettin.
hotter, and the finer fakes of ashes be
gan 10 fall upon him. He knew tn
burning brands would soon begin Il
fall and realized that it would be al
most impossible to get back to IN
farm. Not far back he had passed
cross road leading south, and tn
= thought that he might seek safety il
that direction came to him. But he dii
not do it. Somehow the thought that h
/. had deserted his family in a time of nee
= persisted in coming back, and h
I doggedly determined TO keep on.
If they must perish, then he would
D Besides, there was one chance in a thou
sand, perhaps, that he might yet reacl
them.
Suddenly he thought of the Wido'
, Stearns, who lived three miles out fror
4 thr village toward the farm. Wha
e 'Fovld she do7 Perhaps she mad gone I
+ ihe village That would be the natuTa
hing for her 70 do. He was gettin
+ near the place, snd soon recognized tn
little driveway hat turned up towsT
I the house. gSs SNAKE was 30 dens
u that The ho,,as Aself Ssp hidden. PC
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