The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1906-06-08
BY. H. WALTER BURR.

we come ter the Burnin' Hills. Peers as
though | could feel the heat right now.
There! Look yonder"'
They were now on an eminence command
Ing good view OF the lower hills, and as
they looked down into the darkness they
could see distinctly long lines of glowing
red, streaking the earth like the trails of
fiery. serpents. The redness pulsated like
thing Of life, and as it did so the, very
ground about seemed to heave up and down.
Then suddenly all was darkness again.
Yer see,' she continued, II may be a
coward, an all tibet. Mebbe so. 1t may a
bin all ghost story, too. But there it is,
an we got ter cross tibet place.
The brave young man was getting really
scared. He had never before been out in
the mountains in the night time, and the
awful stiffness, broken now and then by
unpleasant sounds peculiar to the mountain
country, awed and frightened him. His
teeth were fairly chattering.
"l-l-wish we had started back sooner"
ne managed to say. "I-I-had no idea
1t was so bad"
Eyer might had purity good idea," she
answered ans but It amt a-goin' to dc. no
faster"
By, this. time they were nearing the
dreaded place. Suddenly. as she reached
forward her foot to take STEP she realized
instinctively that it was not finding solid
roofing as soon as 1t should. A sudden and
uncommon warmth came upward, and in
another instant the faint glow was seen,
showing her, chasm with the further
brink some three feet away. Leaping across
she called to her companion, mind yer
eye" They had changed places-she was
now the master and he the slave
What is it?' he asked, as he neared the
place. Just then he took the fatal step,
and felt himself falling. But the girl was
grasped him by the hand and fairly drag
ged him across the chasm.
''Well, never"' he exclaimed in fright.
"Thats something awful, don't you know
say are there many more like that?'
~C0me on an quit yer takin'," was the
But say, 1wo-bits, 1t isn't safe, is itT'
he called after her.
81 alnt s afeard h she answered. IF you,
an find the highest peak" " o.
Blast the little imp he muttered. II
wonder If she's going to go away 'and
leave me out here all alone. Perhaps 1t
would serve me right, for l suppose it's all
n.y. own WI fault n But really, had no idea
Hello, Two,bits! Don't run away and
his throat something very like sob.
Look out there!' he heard her call; and
In the darkness he saw her some five feet
yerl! fall In, sure It's wide, tell yer,
well, what will dor he asked,
can stay here all night
"Mebbe yer could jump across. did
but I'm only a coward" She was becoming
sarcastic but not without purpose The
child was beginning to see that the young
man would need every incentive she could
OFFER to get him to put forth his best eff
forts. She had no doubt of her own ability
to clear all the chasms, but she was quite
sure that her companion was not accus-
toned to such tricks Now, he stood like
a scared child on the opposite side of the
ditch. If the situation had not been so
serious. 1t would have been cOmical.
well, yer comin'?' she asked i'm
patiently.
He stepped back for run, but when he
and looked ruefully at the red glow beneath
him. He held out his hand and drew it
back suddenly, as he felt the intense heat.
Then what little courage he possessed for
sock him, and he began to whmper.
II just can't make it. Two-bits. Whatever
shall l do?''
WALL" drawled the matter-of fact girl,
Il s'pose I could go ahead an git some of
the fellers from town ter come out an help
yer across. They'll make no end of fun of
yer, though"
"Biast the funr he cried. Hurry up
and get me out of this. most anyway"
"All right Stay where you are, and I'll
be back after a while" and she bounded
away like deer, leaving George Casey
sitting there in the night alone.
Minutes dragged like hours, and the dark
ness seemed to grow thicker every moment,
except when it was penetrated by that I'M
canny glow from down below. Then, as he