The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1905-09-14

log took shapes less horrifying.
Twas Dicks voice, coming, as l
seemed, from a mighty distance, tina
broke the spell and brought me back t,
quickened agonies. He spoke in pant
ing gasps, as the smoke would let him
One word, Jack, before we go-go t.
our own place. He aid-he said SHE
would be free toto marry him. Tel
me o, God in Heaven!"
His agony was a lash to cut me deep
er than any Ticking demon whip o.
flame, yet l must needs add to 1t.
Aye, Richard, 1 have wronged you
wronsed you desperately; can you heal
me yet? 1 say I have wronged you
and l shall die the easier if you viii
forgive"
Once more the smoke, rising agar
In denser clouds, cut me off, anG
through the binding blu haze of it
saw the Indians running up with greer
branches to beat it down lest it should
spoil their sport oversoon by smoth
ering us out of hand.
With the chance to gasp and breathe
again, 1 would ave confessed in full to
Richard Jennifer and had him shrive
me if he would. But when l called, he
did not answer. His head was rolling
from side to side, and his handsome
young face was all drawn and distorted
as in the awful grimaces Of the death
throe.
You will not wonder that I could not
look at him; that l looked away for
very PHYS sake, praying that / might
quickly breathe the flames, as L made
sure he had, and so be the sooner past
the anguish crisis.
There was good hope that the praye
would have a speedy answer The fires
were. burning clearer now, leaping up in
broad dragons tongues of flame from
the outer edges of the fagot piles to
curtain off all hat lay beyond. Through
the luminous tlame-veil the capering
savages took on shapes the most weird
and grotesque; and when | had a
glimpse of the dead mems row, each
hideous face in it seemed to wear a,
grin of leering triumph.
Thus far there.had been never a puff
of wind to fan the breeze. But now
above the shrllling of the Indian chant
and the cracking of the flames a low
growl Of thunder trembled in the upper
air, and a gentle breeze swept through
the tree tops.
So now l would commend my soul to
God, making sure that the breath He
gave would go out on the wings Of the
first gust hat hould come to drive the
fiery veil inward. But when the gust
came it was from behind; a sweep
ing bosom to bea down the
leaping dragons tongues: a pouring
lloCu VI olCooCu ~ 1 lllC
ebbing life tide and to set the dulled
senses once more keenly alert.
With the Wind came the rain, a pass
ing summer nights shower of great
drops scattering on the leaves above
and dripping thence to fall kissing in
the fires. Then the thunder growled
again; and into the monotonous dron-
ing Of the Indian chant, or rather ris-
ing sharp and clear above it, came a
sudden rafting fire of musketry from
the camp in the s~avanna-this, and the
sharp skirling of the troop captains
whistle shrilling the assembly.
While. yet the flames lay flattened in
the wind, 1 saw the Indians wheel and
bound away to the rescue Of their camp
like a pack Of hounds in full cry. In
a trice they We're %wallowing through
the stream ct the foot Of the powder
boulder; and then, as the flames leaped
up again, a lark form burst through
the fiery barrier, my bonds We're cut,
and q strong hand plucked me cut Of
the scorching hell pit.
II l did aught to help it was all me-
chanical. I do remember dimly some
fierce struggle to free my legs from the
blazing tangle; this, and the swelling
sob OF joy at the sight of the faithful
Catawba hacking at Dicks lashings
n dragging him also free of the fire.
And you may believe the welcome tears
came to ease the pain of my scared
when my poor lad-I had thought
him gone past human help-took two
staggering steps and flung his arms
about my neck.
Uncanoola gave us no time to come
by easy stages to full-wit sanity. In a
twinkling he had bounced upon us to
crush us n upon the other behind the
tree. And now I come upon an
other Of those fitting instants so
crowded with happenings hat the
pen must seem to make them
lag. Twas all in a heart beat, as it
were; the C~atawba's freeing Of us; his
flinging us to earth behind the tree; a
squirt of binding yellow flame from the
shock like that Of an earth
quake.
The momentary glare Of the yellow
flash lit up a scene most a~we-inspiring.
The spouting fountain of fire at the
base of the great powder rock was
thick with flying missiles; and on high
the very cliff itself was tottering and
crumbling. So much I saw; then the
Catawba sprang up to haul us afoot by
main strength, and to rush us, with an
arm for each, headlong through the
wood toward the valley head.
But Dick hung back, and when the
dull thunder Of the falling rocks, the
crash Of the tumbling cliff and the shrill
death yells of the doomed ones came to
our ears, ne fought loose from the In
dian and flung himself down. crying as
If his heart would break.
20 God! she's lost, she's lost!-and
have missed the chance to die with her
or for her!"
CHAPTER Xxx.
HOW EPHRAIM YEATES PRAYED