Iron County register., 1904-09-01

Because the wind is with u.s." Muir
ply answered, as faint roar was
heard in the distance, and the faint
glow became a ruddy light.
Hawkins clearing is only a few
miles away" Murphy went on, keep
ing his eye on the advancing light as
he spoke; well have TO make for
that"
The teams were quickly hustled rf,
gether, the snorting, rearing horses
backed into their shafts, while men
swore and women tainted, and the far
away roaring came nearer.
Murphy waited until the last panic
stricken man was slowed into a vehi4
Gle, and the terrified horse lashed into
run; then vaulting onto his balky
little cayuse, he dashed back to the
bend to gauge the time between Haw-
kins' and destruction. The wind, now
due north and rising with the advanc-
ing night, was whirling firebrands into
the canyon. "God!" the man breathed,
deeply, God Almighty" but the tones
were not irreverent. "It's all right,
boys" he called when he again over
took the fleeing party. Don't hurry,
the aint no danger I ALL" But reach
ing the side of the foremost driver he
leaned out of his saddle to say into his
ear, Run 'em, Dick; run 'em for all
you're worth"
The flames now reached the bend,
leaped from tree to tree, catching the
giant pines and flinging it's flames
aloft, cracking, roaring, kissing, surg.
ing. Now a towering mast crashed in
to the canyon. Murphy saw it. A mo-
ment its light was lost in the black
depths below. A moment only. Sparks
flew upward and outward as twigs
along the side ignited, resinous
branches fed the fame, and fierce,
forked little tongues of fire licked out
and lashed the rising trunks.
The moon that, like a pillar of fire
by night, had been guiding their
flight, was soon lost in the rolling
clouds of smoke. Hawkins clearing,
Murphy knew, was on the river, but in
his murky chaos, where?
Keep it up, boys. You're winners.
We're almost there" He spurred his
horse to shout, You're almost there;
keep it up!"
Has the fire reached the canyon?''
the "cruiser" called, feeling the heat
increasing.
mo, ye fool, it's miles from it. Ye
aint skeered, are ye?" Murphy taunted
in disgust at his want of consideration
for the women.
The horses, maddened by the instinct
of the wild, wheeled and plunged at
every crash, while Murphy pulled
alongside and cut them into blind fury.
The roar was too loud for the occu-
pants of the wagons to hear his reas-
suring Don't git skeered," but his
commanding tones kept them at least
from jumping out. Impeded by fallen
tree-trunks, tangles Of deer-brush and
chaparral, their progress was slow.
covered heads as fresher gusts of wind
arose, tlinging firebrands after them,
While every soul cried "God Almighty"
and every heart beat Hawkins" No
body swore now, and nobody tainted.
White, pinched faces stared vacantly
before them, or hid their eyes from the
horror of it all.
Hold 'em! Don't jump, blame you!"
roared Murphy; "cut 'em! Hold 'em!'
And his tones, ringing out of the dark
ness, still firm, still commanding, still
reassuring, fell like the voice of a de-
livering angel. Then, almost like an
other comet, a black figure whizzed
past them, and again the firebrand
barely lodged, was hurled through the
air and stamped out, and again the
frantic horses were lashed forward
Lashed until the whip fell from the
burned and blistered hands that held
1t. But the voice still rang the as
suring Here we are right at Hawkins
Just a. few more steps," And the
panic-stricken people were too dazeG
to wonder that half an hour later il
was still "just a few more steps" in
the same cheerful, encouraging tones
But the sitting heart between breaths
pumped God, we're lost!"
Still the blind leading the blind
rushed madly on anywhere, for no one
thought of questioning Murphy's gen.
eralship.
Gradually, however, the jolts and jars
seemed to grow fewer, and looking ur
through rift in the clouds of smoke
and ashes, the Sky seemed open.
Here We are at Hawkins'!" Var
Horn shouted. "Are we really there?'
the Cruiser" shouted to their deliverer
Hanged if I know!" Murphy
groaned, inwardly; but to the "cruis.
er" shouted back, '"Course, whar dye
think we've been headin' fer?"
His right arm, he noticed, didn't
seem to work, but all the time he was
getting so easy and comfortable as the
numbness grew upon him, that he
did not care what happened. At least
he thought he didn't care until hi
opened his eyes and saw Juliet tearing
up her classic draperies in order tc
bandage his arm. Others seemed te
be bothering around, too, saying things
SIS he dead?" he heard them ask
and felt big tears falling on his face
So, considering how much pleasantel
1t was to lie with his head on Louis
lap, with LOUIS arms around him and
LOUIS tears falling on his face, Murphy
stayed dead. But when the cold lips
Of the erstwhile tragedy queen bent
down and kissed his freckled forehead
the time seemed ripe for him to re.
viye. And when he looked up into
the smoke-begrimmed face above him
and saw that it, too, was scratched and
bleeding, he forgot his own disabili-
ties. But it was not the tragedy
~ A