The Ely miner., 1900-08-10
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"PHEME." !"
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(Erom the Pacific Monthly. Portland. Reprinted by
Special Permission)

IN the mluSG OI Ine TolHHS prdi-
ries of southwest Kansas when they
are covered with the verdure of the
early spring? No? Then you have
missed a scene than which there are
few more beautiful this side of the
Pearly Gates. But you have doubtless
stood on the seashore and watched the
pillows stretch away endlessly into the
horizon, and if you have, think I can
picture to you the beautiful scene that
memory holds up to me. Suppose that
away back in the chaotic time when
"'the morning stars sang together
that these pillows had been running
high and broad and that He who
silenced the waves of Gallilee had said
to them peace, be still" and that in
stantly all motion had ceased, and in
stead of foaming water there was dry
land covered with varied verdnre-pic-
ture all this if you can, and you have
the prairies as they are.
Flowers? Yes, it is one of Gods
flower gardens in the early spring be-
fore the hot winds come. You will
find the bright orange of the wild
the wild verbena; the delicate, sensi-
tive rose trailing it's tender shoots
among the brilliant clusters of the
wild morning glory; blue hyacinths
and wild onions nodding their blooms
toward each other; the buffalo bean
and the Indian pea shaking their long
spikes of brightness on the prairie
winds-aH these on the uplands where
the soil is rich and dark.
Where the red and yellow sands
sparkle in long stretches, there you
will find cacti in abundance. Then in
. the buffalo wallows are tangles of
marsh marigolds and gay-colored
xenias, while down in the deep can
yons dandelions and daisies nestle in
the shade of the plump grass that
grows tall and rank-fit abode for
prairie chicken and rabbit and terra
pin and all the other shy denizens of
the prairie.
But if you will look on the same
scene a few months later in the sea-
son, you will find weird and wonder
full change. Instead of the bright
green that was fiecked with the Grim
sons and puppies and blues of the
early spring, you will see only the
somber and dismal brown-brown-
brown; all the grass and flowers and
waving grain literally scorche6 and
burned and withered! Here and there
the sand showing through bright yell
low and red and sending up little quiv-
81 ~
wards the sky from whose cloudless
eNpanse the sun shines down with the
heat of a furnace; nothing to relieve
the monotony of the scene that
stretches out before the weary eye
only long, brown waves of land that
meet the arching sky. No sounds
through the MONDAY but the unceas-
ing swish and rustic of the withered
foliage as the winds surge over it.
In the midst of such scene as this
stood little pine hut with straw
thatched roof. 1t held but three in
mates, young girl of about 20 years
of age whom everybody called
''Pheme," her older married sister and
little babe. The older sister, Maggie,
udth DCCh lOI SOIuC
with typhoid fever, and was now SO
weak that she could not raise her
head or lift her hand.
The babe was sleeping in it's crib
and Pheme was ironing. Outside the
wind was blowing gale.
Far off to the northwest, about 100
miles away, passenger train was
sweeping along. The travellers looked
out on the dreary scene and wondered
how anyone could want to live in
such place; the fireman threw the
ashes from his locomotive into the
grass and the train went swirling
on. But among the ashes there was
matter a little fire kindleth!") Once
out in the wind, it began to glow and
sparkle. Soon the one beside it was
glowing and sparkling too. Then, by
and by, between them, they sent up a
tiny tongue of flame to the nearest
shoot of grass. The little flame
climbed to the top of the grass blade
and then leaped to the next, and the
next, and other little columns of red
leaped UP through the grass and
danced high up in the air until by and
by there was sweeping along that
terror of the inhabitants of the prai-
rie-a fire!
Pheme looked out of her low win
dow, and seeing a cloud of smoke
away off to the northwest gave a lit
tie cry of horror. She knew too well
what this meant. The wind was just
in the direction to bring the fire down
upon her. All the other members of
the household had gone to town
some IA miles away and would not be
home until nightfall. There was no
time for delay, for these prairie fires
travel with terrible rapidity. With
out waking her sister or the baby,
she hastened out to the barn and
hitched the two horses there to the
plow, to plow an additional fire
guard.
Pheme knew that with such a high
wind as to-day, their narrow fire
guard would be of little use, for the
burning tumble weeds will travel a
long distance. Her intention now was