Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1900-05-28
: IN A SURREY fire !


ri mind was troubled and restless,
her body i'll at case. A strong and
healthy girl at the age of is does not
often lie sleepless, but Joan was in
love, and the course thereof was not
running as smoothly as she had every
reason to believe and expect that it
would.
Joan and Will Larkins, the game
keeper. had had words-altogether UNI
necessary words-about an imagin-'
airy grievance. There were petty jeai-
ousy on his side and wounded pride
on hers. The result was that he was
sulky and disagreeable, and she
piqucd and resentful of his humors.
And now, when by chance they met,
he thrust his hands in his pockets
with an offhand "Mornin', Miss West"
On which she tossed her head and re-
piled: Good day, Mr.. Larkins."
The July night had been hot and
sitting TO lie and sleep in comfort
was an impossibility; so. when she
heard the kitchen clock strike three,
she resolved to quit her bedroom, and,
without disturbing anyone, to 60
down and do bit of churning in the
cool dairy.
There is very little darkness on
| he night in the height of summer;
! still, the sun does not rise so early
as three o'clock, neither does he ap-
pear first in the northwest, which was
the direction toward which the dairy
| fhon
that glow which was reflected upon
the white walls, dancing weirdN and
Enthusiastically? And what was that
rushing kissing, cracking noise?
The girl looked forth upon the hill
side, wondering. 1t was on fire! That
had been the reason of the glow out
spread upon the white walls; and the
kissing, cracking sound was the rush
of the flames along the ground, as
they swept upward, consuming the
Towering gorse bushes and dwarfed
growth of oak scrub.
She gazed moment upon the sight
with sort of spellbound fascination;
and then the thought struck her, how
perilously near those flames were to
the cottages nesting halfway up the
hill! Their inmates, doubtless, were
all asleep. Even as the thought
flashed through her mind, her feet
were carrying her nimbly up the hill
Breathlessly, Joan hammered at
doors, shouting the alarm.
Fire! FIRE."
Windows were thrown open and
startled voices exclaimed: "Wtere
Where?"
"Close by, on the hillside" an
swerd Joan, and she hurried away to
give the alarm elsewhere. She knew
we'll that to extinguish flames which
had once obtained mastery over the
vegetation, which was now dry as tin
der through long-continued drought
would be no child's play.
The scene-made SO fantastic b!
the fierce element against which, al
vet none had come forth to mattel
their strength-was, ere long. all aliv'
with, the forms of men vigorousl.
. striving to beat out and arrest tn
. rapid onrush of flames.
As if by magic, dark figures hur
y ried up the hillside in quick success
). ion, each one armed with some weap
on of attack wherewith to match him
self against the fiery foe.
A gentle breeze sprang up, an
famed the flames into quicker life
} Whence came it? From the south
west. So there was no longer an
}, fear for the cottages. The fire wa
climbing the hill, leaving black an
desolated track in it's rear. More tina
one woman-Joan West among thei
number-as they stood looking OF
breathed fervent Thanksgiving fo
this deliverance.
"Will they beat it out afore it gel
among the trees, think ye?" aske
one of the neighbors.
A doubtful shake of the head frol
the other woman.
a cts got a powerful hold" said sh
"and must ha' bin burnin' long afol
Joan reused the men. Lor! Joan gin
twas a providence as ye had wax
full night. He'll be out with the otl
ers. surely; he's ever first at fire.
Joan wondered also; she had Mt
seen him when the men gathert
from all around.
GLOW come the scrub alight?" ask
another. zone 'ud say as twas dol
O. purpose; for droughty as It's, tt
] furze don't set itself alight."
\ "Him as done it knew what All w
/ about. settin' of it afire so near Il
J houses All reckoned as suspici'
might fall on them as lived in EN-"
m This was a daring whisper to 6
abroad; but one of greater impo
still was that which mentioned t.
re name of tipsy old charcoal burn
E., who had been working in the pi
. woods for the last three weeks, d,
IS. ing which time small fires, soon
Called, had given rise to sever
G. lived excitements in the neighbt
k. hood
! How the present fire had originate
III however, was of minor importan
Is lust then. The one thing to be do
was to limit it's extent and to ext
cuish it as speedily as possible. Jut
Y. ing by appearances, this seemed
likely to happen, for the gen
breeze grew and grew till it "
ruftled into small gale and sent
flames flying before it in a mad care
Thick volumes of gray smoke began
q. ascend from the other side of the hi
moreover, these smoke columns
peared to rise from various points
This was startling sign. and
watching women understood its s
n;fcnnce, Joan West was watcl