Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1906-11-08
The Manager
OF the B. e. A.
By VAUGHAN HESTER
Copyright, 1901. by Harper e. Brother -
CONTINUED
By VAUGHAN HESTER

ut was cut off yesterday morning.
The last word l got was that No. : was
on a siding there and that No. 9. which
started at SIS for Antioch. had had to
push back. The fire was in between
Antioch and Harrison. on both sides of
the track and blazing"
where's the f~reishti' questioned
Oakley.
"The last l heard it was trying to
make Parker's Run
when was that"
THAT was yesterday morning too. IT
had come up that far from Antioch the
day before to haul out four carloads Of
ueS. Holt gave the order. 1t is still
there, for all l know-that is. if it amt
burned or ditched. l sent down the ex-
ira men from the yards here TO help
finish loading the cars. l had Hollis
order for it, and supposed he knew
what was wanted. They amt come
back, but they got there ahead of the
freight all right"
Oakley felt this care for a few hun
dred dollars worth of property to have
been unnecessary in view of the graver
peril that threatened Antioch. Still, it
was not Durks' fault. 1t was Holt who
was to blame. he had probably lost
his head in the general alarm and ex-
element.
While Harrison might be menaced
by the tire. it was in a measure pro-
tected by the very nature of its sur
roundings. But with Antioch. where
there was nothing to stay the progress
OF the flames. the case was different.
With a north wind blowing they could
sweep over the town %unhindered.
yesterday the wind shifted a bit to
the west. and for awhile they thought
Antioch was out Of danger" said
Durks, who saw what was in Oakley's
mind.
What have you heard from the 9TH
er towns"
They're deserted. Everybody's gone
to Antioch or Harrison. There was
plenty of time for that, and when No.
made her last run 1 wired ahead that
1t was the only train we could send
out"
How did you get the extra men to
Parker's RUM
Baker took EN- there on the switch
engine. l sent him down again this
morning to see what was the matter
with the freight, but he only went to
the ten mile fill and come back. He
said he couldn't go any farther. !
guess he wasn't so very keen to try.
He said he hadn't the money put by for
his funeral expenses"
"They told me up above that the NJ.
and W. had hauled a relief train for
Antioch. What has been done with it !!
Have you made an effort to get it
through
Durks looked distressed. Within the
last three days flights of inspiration
n judgment had been demanded of
him such as he hoped would never be
required again. And for forty-eight
hours he had been comforting himself
with the thought that about everything
on wheels owned by the Huckleberry
was at the western terminus of the
road.
1T amt much Of a relief train, MIR
Oakley. Two cars. loaded with FIRE
engines and a lot of old hose. They
are on the siding now"
Were any men sent here with The
relief train:' questioned Oakley.
mo; Antioch just wanted hose and
engines. The waters played out, and
they got to depend on the river if the
fire strikes the town. They're in pretty
bad shape, with nothing but one OLD
hand engine. You see. their water
mains are about empty and their hose
carts amt worth much
Oakley turned on his heel and STROBE
from the office. The operator followed
him. AS they gained the platform.
Dan paused. The very air was heavy
with smoke. The sun was sinking be
hind a blue film. Its dull disk was the
color Of coppe". He wondered If the
same soulber darkness was settling
down Oh Antioch. The element OF
danger seemed very real and present
10 Dan this danger centered about
Constance Emory He quite over
looked the fact that there were severa
thousand other people in Antioch
Durks. at his side, rubbed the sandy
bristles on his chin with the back OF
his hand and tried to believe he haG
thought Of everything and had done
everything there was to do.
The woods were on fire all abou,
ehe Junction, but the town itself was
IN no especial danger, as cultivated
fields interviewed to shut away til.
lanes In these fields Dan could see
men and women busy at work learir:
down fences. On a hillside a mile of
a barn was blazing.
There goes Warwick's Earn." 70
marked the operator.
What was the last word from An
toch! DO you remember exactly wha
was said?' asked Dan.
1.-THE message was that Il strou:
north wind was blowing and thtt III,
town was pretty certain 10 burn uni.
b engines and hose reached there to
night. But they have been saying TIN
for two days, nuI the winds alW $
changed III thr right I'M an ar!Y
en- the fire back"
Dan glanced along the track uud sap