St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1904-10-08

phy answered, as q faint roar wa!
heard in the distance, and the fain
glow became e ruddy light.
Hawkins clearing is only a few
miles away" Murphy went on, keep
ing his eye on the advancing light a,
he spoke; well have to make fol
that"
The teams were quickly hustled to
gether, the snorting, rearing horses
backed into their shafts, while mer
swore and women tainted, and the far
away roaring came nearer.
Murphy waited until the last panic.
stricken man was slowed into vehi.
Gle, and the terrified horse dashed into
a 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. Cod" the man breathed
deeply, God A'Mighty!" but the tone.
were not irreverent. TITS all right
boys" he called when he again over
took the fleeing party. Don't hurry,
the amt no danger t 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 towering mast crashed in
to the canyon. Murphy saw it. A mo-
ment it's 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 flame, and fierce.
forked little tongues of fire licked out
and dashed the rising trunks.
The moon that, like pillar of fire
by night, had been guiding their
flight, was soon lost in the rolling
clouds of smoke. Hawkins clearing,
knew, was on the river, but in
this 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
mo, We fool, it's miles from it. Ye
amt skeered, are yep Murphy tainted
in disgust at his want of consideration
for the women.
The horses, maddened by the instinct
If 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-
surfing Don't git skeered," but his
commanding tones kept them at least
rom jumping out. Impeded by fallen
tangles of deer-brush and
'haparral, their progress was slow.
Ashes rained thick upon their I'M
covered heads as fresher gusts of wind
rose, f1inging firebrands after them,
while every soul cried God Almighty"
md every heart beat "Hawkins!" No.
'ody swore now, and nobody tainted.
White, pinched faces stared vacantly
'efore them, or hid their eyes from the
lorror of it all.
Hold 'em! Don't jump, blame you!"
cared Murphy; "cut EN-! Hold 'em!"
md his tones, ringing out of the dark
less. still firm. still commanding, still
eassuring, fell like the voice of de-
lvering angel. Then, almost like an
ther comet, black figure whizzed
asst them, and again the frebrand.
arely lodged, was hurled through the
If and stamped out, and again the
rantic horses were dashed forward. |
'ashed until the whip fell from the |
urned and blistered hands that held |
:. But the voice still rang the as
lring Here we are right at Hawkins.
ust a few more steps, And the
anic-stricken people were too dazed
} wonder that half an hour later it
as still "just a few more steps" in
10 same cheerful, encouraging tones.
ut the sitting heart between breaths
Jumped God, we're lost"
Still the blind leading the blind
lshed madly on anywhere, for no one
fought Of questioning Murphy's gen.
'alship.
Gradually, however, the jolts and jars
'emed to grow fewer, and looking up
trough rift in the clouds of smoke
I'd ashes, the sky seemed open.
Here we are at Hawkins'!" Van
ORE shouted. "Are we really there?"
e Cruiser" shouted to their deliverer.
Hanged If know" Murphy
'oaned, inwardly; but to the "cruis-
" shouted back, "Course, whar dye
ink we've been headin' fer?"
His right arm, he noticed, didn't
EN- to work, but all the time he was
tttng SO easy and comfortable as the
I'm bness grew upon him, that he
d not care what happened. At least
thought he didn't care until he
ened his eyes and saw Juliet tearing
her classic draperies in order to
ndage his arm. Others seemed to
botherfng around. too, saying things.
us he dead?" he heard them ask,
d felt big tears falling on his face.
}, considering how much pleasanter
was to lie with his head on Louis
,, with Louis arms around him and
'u's tears falling on his face, Murphy
Eyed dead. But when the cold lips
the erstwhile tragedy queen bent
wn and kissed his freckled forehead,
9 time seemed ripe for him to re-
re-. And when he looked up into
3 moke-begrimmed face above him,
d saw that it, too, was scratched and
seding, he forgot his own disabili-
s. But it was not the tragedy +
cen, nor Eloise Adelaide Smythe, t