The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1900-07-27

"a 6OAu6 OA a. OIASSp AASAOO8A ANdSu04AASi
offered to go for the doctor while hia
father returned.
Nay. not so,' said Abner. do thee
two go on and surprise thy mother and
tell her to have plenty of hot water
against I get back to attend to the
sick beast. I shall not be gone long
and he trudged on.
The veterinarian was eating his sup
per when Abner reached his house, and
it took him few minutes to get ready
to go. Abner waiting for him. Then 1t
was discovered that a certain drug was
missing in the medicine case and .
visit to the drug store followed, and
before they got started back almost
half an hour had passed.
AS they started toward Abner's home
a red glare shot UP into the sky and
grew brighter by seconds. until the
tongues OF o great fire were plainly
seen.
There's a big fire out your way
said the doctor. Cant be your place.
can it?"
= ASoA ~ To- 6eAi0 <A0uSA Sh 0A o6A-
tated tone. hurrying forward. 1t was
not long until they could assure them
selves that Abner's barn was on fire
and they fastened on as fast as they
could go. younger men from the village
passing them as the alarm spread.
The wind had been Increasing as the
night deepened. and by the time Abner
got home his barn was a ruin and his
house, which stood to the leeward of
the born. was mass of roaring flame.
Nothing could be done to save the
buildings, and as he saw them burning
he reflected that his insurance was am
pie and the loss would not be great. He
regretted the loss Of his live stock and
the suffering the animals must have
endured. He wondered how the fire
originated. and then like flash came
the remembrance that he had left his
lantern standing Just behind the sick
horse. 1t was plain to him that the
horse in its struggles had kicked over
the lantern and fired the barn, and the
loss was in a measure due to himself.
He had never in all his life allowed that
a man Is not responsible for the mis-
takes he makes, and now mistake OF
his own had brought dire disaster. In
the excitement Of the moment his
thoughts revolved around the great
central fact of the fire; they got no
further until a neighbor came to him
and said:
"Abner. where Is Bethia?"
He looked at his neighbor without
understanding the import OF the ques-
ton. He was stunned until he could
not reason. One fact was scared into
his brain. and that was that his wife
and children must be in the house. and
with this in his mind he began to wan
der around the burning building. peer
ing into the shadows behind the OUT
buildings and trees. while the crowd
began to buzz with excitement AZ the
report spread that all had probably per-
ished in the FIRE. A young man volun-
teered the information that Nathaniel
and Charity had arrived on the evening
train and started home. and 4 dreadful
silence. broken only by the roar Of the
fire. fell on the scene. Then interest
centered in Abner. who was still
watching. daxed and speeches.. about
the ruins. A new thought came to him.
las man falleth so must he lie." kept
ringing in his brain. His own stern doc
trine was brought home to him as II
never before had been. That we are re-
sponsible for our mistakes had been
his doctrine these many years: the man
who had stumbled and fallen should
have looked better to his steps. he had
asserted time and again. He who falls
deserves not sympathy. had been his
belief, and now through little mistake
he had lost home and family.
HE was always a hard-hearted old
fellow" he heard one young man say
to another. "but pity him." and
Abner stopped and looked into the
raging mass Of flames that filled the
burning house. Could this be true7
Had he been unsympathetic because he
had tried to be strictly just7 Might It
not be possible that Joseph Martin
had unwittingly made q mistake and
brought trouble to himself? II the little
mistake he had made had wrought such
ruin, was 1t not possible that the one
Joseph made was 20 small that 1t
should not be counted? Abner's mind
was getting back to the place where
reasoning begins and ideas are COM
nected. Just then the walls Of the
house collapsed and a pyramid Of IRE
and sparks leaped to the heavens.
Throwing up his arms with . groan Of
despair Abner Hollingsworth sank to
the ground.
"Abner, what does all thee7 Il the
having At or did thee indulge In too
much mince pie for dinner7''
The placid voice Of Bethia sounded
faint and far-on ut FIRST. but by the
time she was through speaking Abner
had opened his eyes and was looking
about him in establishment. The IRE
burned low in the fireplace. the clock
still licked so1emnly on the mantel.
Wasn't the barn burned7 Are Ma
thaniel and Charity safe? How aid
thee escape?" he asked. stra!ghtenina
up in his chair and rubbing his eyes.