The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1904-07-20

thicket n piece of brush struck him
across the face, making n long, ugly
cut, from which the blood ran freely.
He was tired and heated and the pain
made him angry. He put his hand up
to his bleeding cheek and looked up
the mountain at the thick purple
tangle lying in the hot sun.
"Blast your he said; you'll tear me,
will youT
Taking a match from his pocket, he
struck it on the side of his trousers,
and before any one could see or i'm
agine what he was going TO do he had
lighted branch of greasewood on the
edge of the thicket. The flame shot
into the air and leaped from branch
to branch and from tree to tree. Turn
ing round, with loud laugh, he called
out to the other men:
There's bit of bonfire for the
Fourth of Julyr'
The next instant his arm shrank in
n grasp so fierce that the bone seemed
to break. He turned his eyes up to find
Cady towering over him.
Denis face grey gray and flabby in
a moment and his lower jaw dropped.
"Merciful heavensr' he muttered.
"The Ladv'
Charley Cady had been rather glad
than otherwise to turn back for the
theodolite.
Under the influence of the scene
Charley's eyes grew soft and tender
with emotion. He drew from the inner
pocket of his blazer letter, which he
read for the hundreth time. then fold
ing the blossom of yerba santa up in it.
put it back in his pocket and gave him.
self up to a deep reverie.
Suddenly he became aware that the
keynote was changed; it was no longer
soothing murmur, but an angry roar.
He looked behind him, down the noun
tain. Black smoke already filed the
valley, shutting out all view of the
camp and his companions. and out
from this pail darted red tongues of
! fame.
They ran along The tops of the
bushes; they leaped from one to
another Of the oily greasewood trees
in maddonlng riot. The whole noun
| tain was on fire. and he-where should
he go, what refuge could he hope to
find?
He looked about for one moment of
fearful hesitation. Hanging over his
head, hundred yards or so from
where he stood, was huge rock which
| looked as If it had been rent in twain
by some CONFUSION of nature. Quick
as lightning he decided that his only
| chance to escape the horrid death
which was rushing upon him was to
reach the shelter of this cleft, if cleft
it should prove to be.
Already he was climbing, hand over
hand; drawing himself up by bran
ches, tearing his face and hands as
he went; hearing behind him the hiss
ing of the fire and the cracking of the
burning twigs. Up, up he struggled;
now the smoke almost blinded him;
the tears We're in his eyes, which
nevertheless kept one spot of gray
rock before them.
The breath came in great sobs from
his painting lungs when, even as the
flames licked around the bushes at its
base, he staggered into the opening in
the rock and threw himself face down.
ward in the darkness within.
lie lay quite still for some time. The
terrible exertiOns which he had made
rendered him for the moment uncon-
scious of everything around him
After while he raised himself, in
tending to go further into the opening.
| Inn l.,
thing wet. In moment he saw that
he was in the entrance of a cave, and
that his hands and clothes We're COW
cred with fresh blood from the mang-
led remains of calf, over which he
had stumbled.
The blood was still flowing, and It
was evident that but a few minutes
should have elapsed since the calf had
been in the fierce claws of the inhab-
liant of the cave.
| With revulslon of sickening horror
he rushed out toward the open air. but
a wreath of flame that swlrled around.
singelng his hair and eyebrows, drove
him back.
Creeping close to the wall, he shrank
as far as possible from the ghastly re-
mains of the calf. He was trembling
now and icy cold; his teeth chattered,
and his wild eyes peered into the gloom
from which at every Instant he ex-
pected the form of mountain lion to
leap upon him.
AS his eyes became accustomed to the
darkness he found himself looking into
two balls of fame Low down, they
We're, as II the creature were crouch
ing on the ground.
How long he sat there facing those
hery eyes he did not know. but when