Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-10-23

I
to what that powder'l do when 1t goei
off. It'll blow everything sky high"
30 goodness! The oxen will be
| killed and the wagon blown to pieces!'
Since the explosion Lep and Coaly
were running faster, and the flaming
load of straw was bouncing and sway
ing down the road. We ran after it,
| keeping as close behind the dangerous
thing as we dared. The prairie around
was brightly lighted. Wisps of blaz-
ing straw had begun to fly off behind.
Sinclair's two dogs were racing along
by the wagon.
The powder horn had been pretty
deeply buried in the straw. The oxen
| must have run nearly mile and Sin
clair and were both painting loudly,
and I was beginning to hope that in
some way there might not be an eX-
| plosion, when the flames, which had
been leaping high, shot far higher,
| spreading out as they rose. An instant
later we heard terrific report The
air far above the wagon was full Of
fire and blazing straw.
| Fortunately the powder, being high
up in the load and confined only in the
| thin horn, had exerted its force up
| ward. Aside from scattering the sur
face straw and making a loud noise
and a big flash 1t did nothing at all.
Poor Lep and Coaly! They had been
| panic-stricken before, but now they
| left the road and broke into mad flight
across the prairie. The wagon load of
fire bounding along behind them
seemed no encumbrance.
mo danger now" cried Sinclair,
breathlessly. "Let's catch emf we
canw
We increased our speed. The blaz-
ing straw scattered by the wagon was
setting fire to the prairie, and we had
to keep on one side. Soon the oxen
circled to the right, making straight
for the ridge. We cut across the
prairie saving q few hundred yards,
and were again near the wagon.
"If we can-only-only over-over-
take 'emw I gasped, as we ran.
"Wagon's gone-I guess-but we can
we must-must save-the oxen!
Won't do to to let 'em - bur to
deathw
"No-that it-won'tr' painted Sin
clair "And If we can-only get-get
her out-before she's-she's burnt too
much-I can-trade her-for-for "a"
He did not say what he wanted to
trade the musket for.
Soon the wagon passed over the
ridge and started down the sloping
prairie beyond. On reaching the high
est ground we stopped, putting loudly.
As we stood resting, with gasping
lungs and pounding hearts, we
watched the wagon rush down the
slope. 1t certainly made brilliant
spectacle. The rope which had cut so
deep into the straw that the fire could
not get, to it at first, had by this time
burnt in two, so that the straw had
jolted loose and blazed fiercely. The
rocking and plunging wagon threat
ened every moment to turn over, but
always righted itself. The dogs still
kept near it. Fire enveloped the whole
load now and the flames were leaping
many feet skyward. A rain of blazing
straws fell from the wagon upon the
dry grass, which quickly famed up,
making n fiery trail behind that OK
drawn comet.
At that time / was afraid that Lep
| and Coaly were scorched, but as after
ward appeared they were only panic
stricken. Even the hair on their tails
| was scarcely singed. The upright
| pieces in front prevented any Of the
straw from falling forward, and SO
fast did the wagon keep going that the
| flying wisps and the heat too, must
have been swept backward by the
| rushing air.
Presently Lep and Coaly swung to
| one side. The wagon was running too
| fast to turn short. Up rose the hind
end in the air, and over it went, hurl-
ing fire many yards beyond! The
frame stopped on its side, leaning
against the straw, and the wagon
| rested on the frame.
| The oxen had been nearly jerked off
their feet. They struggled wildly,
| tearing the wagon loose from the
frame and dragged 1t on Its side till it
turned entirely over. They might
have dragged it to pieces, Lut the
twisting broke the tongue loose from
the yoke. Once free they plunged
away across the prairie at brcaknecll
| speed.
| Sinclair and 1 were already running
down the slope. We did not bother
about the oxen; they could take care
of themselves now. The prairie grass
was burning all around the straw in 4
widening circle, so that he could rot
get near the straw and frame, but wo
righted the overturned wagon and kept
drawing it back till the circle was
large enough. Then we gave it {
push through the blazing grass ard
left 1t standing on the burnt ground.
We then took running start, jump
ed over the prairie fire into the black
ened circle and drew near to the burn
ing straw and the hay frame. Sinclair
gazed sorrowfully into the FIRE and
thought of his loss.