Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-22
THE HOUSE OF THE
BLACK RING.
BY FRED LEWIS PATTEE.
Copyright. 1905. by Henry Holt Coz

leave him and run for our lives Jump
No. sir Here. take the lap robe and
wind It round his head. She threw It to
him with def swing Quick He obeyed
automatically. In an instant she was be-
SIZE him, and she too had the horse by the
bit
Here. let me take him!" she ordered
sharply. Now lift the buggy round Sharp,
there"' 1t was turned IN an instant
Get in" she commanded. and he obeyed
Quick" She led the horse a few steps.
then bounded back and sprang into the
buggy like a cat.
Give EN- to me-"
Again they bumped and rolled and slowed
along the mad trail. She was driving now
for her life, and ii was sight to stir the
blood. Young Jim almost forgot the CHASTITY
death that was leaping after them as he
watched this woman in action. She had
grown cool and watchfu and every move
ment of muscle and tone of voice counted,
II is TO small thing to drive panic-stricken
horse with fire all about him. He was In
mad scurry, shying and rearing and
piunsfng and ready at every instant to
smash them into a wild heap but she held
him true. She talked steadly-soothing,
threatening, coaXng, urging, now in high
key, now in low and the horse seemed to
understand her They We're back now to
where she had met JIM. and now they were
crashing beyond. AS to what might be
at the end neither had thought Their
one impulse was to fly on and on like the
deer and the "a bbit
All at once the horse stopped short al
most pitching them over the dashboard.
great tree top, bristling with dead snags,
lay right across the trail.
IN Tx that he shouted leaping from
the buggy and laying hold of it nightly.
But the thing was braced and anchored.
For single moment he writhed with it,
then he leaped back and caught up his ak
from the buggy. a dozen swift strokes,
~ ftn -
and left. and he turned excftedy.
You can get over the log" he yelled
TN run ahead to see il there are
any more" An instant and she saw him
ran with frenzy upon another top. The
refer was only for a moment. Thicker
and thicker grew the tree tops across the
road until all at once they eliminated in
grand tangle that a days work would not
penetrate.
They had come to the end Of the trail;
there was no possibility Of advancing an
other foot
He ran hither and thither excltedly, but
there was no exit. Then he turned in des-
peration.
There's only one chance" he cried.
Leave the horse and try to get over the
ridge"
No. sir; we don't leave Pomp." she
shouted half angrily. Cant we build a
counter fire."
There's too much wood. Wed roast be-
tween two fires
II we take fOfnp out OF the buggy can't
we pull him up the rocks?'
It's too steep. Can't be done. I've been
there" Indeed it was impossible. 1t would
be AXE taking horse up the great pyra-
mid.
But Wen try It all the same There
was a snap to her words that made oppo-
sttion useless. Come, help me take him
out"
She was by the side of the horse now.
freeing him deity from the buggy. The
tal i.r,,
possible; the smoke was like a blanket:
their eyes, snarting and quiverlng in the
reeklng atmosphere, could scarcely distin-
guish the nearest objects Once a spark
tinguished 1t with the lap robe. Then he
threw the robe over her shoulders. and
she tied the ends under her chin.
Come one. Follow me-" he shouted.
He fell upon the underbrush for dear life,
The one cry of his heart, frantic and wild
was to save her-at any cost. She mustn't
burn! My God! She mustn't burn!' pour
ed from his heart like a mad PRAYER ~
The girl, her hand linked into the bride
of the horse, staggered on in the path he
was crashing down. few steps and he
stopped abruptly; They were walking d.
rectly into the fire. They had struck for
the more exposed side of the valley. and
the wind had driven the flames ahead of
them The other side was their last hope.
Quick! Turn back!" he yelled. IT'S our
only chance" They wheeled about like
frantic creatures into the opposte brush
lie was slashing at the tangle like a giant
Right and left flew the ak shifting and
crashing and lopping-the very embodi-
ment of destruction. Once he glanced back
and saw the slim figure of the girl wrest-
ing with the horse and the thickets He
caught a glimpse of her face smoke-stain-
ed and eager. her glossy hair torn and
streaming about it, and his whole soul
sent up the mad cry: "She shan't burn.
My God! she shan't burnt But the flames
were racing before a wild hurricane.
There seemed not one chance In a thou
sand for the fugtives
Go be continued tomorrow