The weekly true Democrat. (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1905-1912, 1905-09-22

Il h Tnrklo bottom until It
. o reached Johns waist as lie
- rode through It on the
SgO( buckskin pony. On the
slopes II was thick md
tall. md in the hOllOws between the
hills It was crisp and high. As fur
as tho eye could reach from the home
farm II stretched away, n brown sea,
and over II the broad-wlnged hawks
Circled.
Unclo Tom looked at 1t apprchcn.
biyoly.
wed better run a few burrows
round the fences tomorrow" he said.
"Fnct, l ought 10 have II done before"
Tho fences were fire O7es. without
barbs, and stretched on line OF
posts set firmly in the soil. The near
est farm was HHrdAwny's, and the
rond in front OF the farm, together
with n field where Ewes" IInrdawny
had PIT In n crop OF "Sod-corn." or
corn put In on the first "breaklng" OF
the prairie, cffectunlly protected
everything TO the cnst. TO the south
She grass was high. but the only
thing fire could do in that direction
would be 10 burn the fence. posts.
70 the west and north the TarkIo
bottoms lay, aud from the north, par.
ticularly, there wns the greatest dan
ger. For there the farm machinery
had been placed under strAw.shcd
npnr the north fence. mad" OF the
straw from tn" August thrcshiuG
Filed up and over n rude scafroldlug
OF Embarked lOgs.
a little way from the straw,shcd
was the stable. II homemade Struc.
turc thatchcd with heavy coat OF
"sluc grass" md with q number Of
poles j. ing on the grass 90 Keep thC
roof from blowing away In the stable
were tn mules nnd the ponies, ana
noXt 10 the stable was large corn.
crib and n modest lhtlc grauHry,
whore the oats, wheat AMI farm tools
were Eopt
n the straw she'd caught fire, with
. forth wind blowing, there was dan.
ger that everything except the house
1would 20. This being several hun.
drcd yards TO the south, aud protected
by a thick grove OF young walnut
trees. was comparatively safe. But
Uncle Tom had prcmonitlon.
"HclIoVc III Just get some burrows
along tho, north fence, nnywA-." he
Enld. TO think with him WINS TO act
lie and John got the teams hltChcd
ana the plows out OF the straw.shed.
and together thoy sailed forth 10 tho
pinirl". They cut along tho edge Of
the north. Hnd then lifted the pillow n
fort or so and gNshcd another croov"
along beyond the first. and then nm.
other. nnd before loag they lad quito
swnth OF frcsh-turncd earth between
tho straw shed aud tho tall grass 10
the UTth. Then Uncle Tom lifted the
plow from ita furrow ana lot the team
take IL sliding sidcwisr back to the
Sasd,
The wind. which I'll day had been
blowing steadily, shifted I'm an hour tn
tho north, ana AFTER supper John. who
hal wandered down 10 the stable,
saw, looking toward tho river Il red
Splotch hanging low on the horizon.
lie did not pause un instant, but raced
10 tho house, and throwing tho door
open quicSly. shouted to hls uncle,
"Prlaric'S nhrC. Uncle Tom"
His uncle. dnshing down tho county
Hnpcr followed him swiftly toward the
stable; and tho first thing they did
was 10 gct tho stock out aud run II to
the south side OF tho walnut grove.
They next got ont oil the lighter
pieces OF the farm machinery and put
them In an open space round the pumT
at the hogpcn. The fire ut this time
was apparently coming lclsurcly along
but Uncle Tom knew we'll enough tlHI
there Is nothing OF the lnggnrd about
n prInrlc fire, lie silently Congratu
lated himself on having put the fur