Los Angeles herald., 1907-10-13

The young men with axes and picks went up the
mountain to meet the fire. The smoke darkened ana
shut out the air vet wind lifted it now and then
to let in the red shine of fire through the trees Inc
white ovals of the blazes on the trees looked uiS
out of the bark like the small scared faces Oh oryaus
begging them to make haste and beckon1ng tnenl 10
the right path deer crashed past SO close hat tne
Prince putting out hand to ward him on, toucneu
the hot bulk of his flank Then came porcupine
at stupid trot and scurry OF squirrels, ana mice
and toads.
sWell stop here guess spoke young man from
the Valley to whom leadership had fallen by silent
agreement and with the word axes went crashing IN
a long line while in another line dozen PICKS
were tearing at the inhammable cedar mould al
though as the leader knew, and the men suspected
one might as we'll try to delay an angry bull by the
cast of pebble. .
at seems" the leader drawled between his active
strokes, "as If that foire-was more anxious-o meet
us-than we are-to meet it. And tney WORKED
faster.
All but the Prince. Among the camor ne had heard
a faint call from the direction of the flames Any
thing sounding like cry for help from that drec-
tion must be answered He ran Forward listeheu,
heard it again and with shout turned from the trail
into grove of beech trees whose juicy young leaves
had welcomed the fire codly than the crisp
balsam He leaped small dark brook, and the
voice cried out almost at his feet. He vaulted the
trunk of PROSTATE tree and the white face of Hiram
You cot to get crow-bar, said the bell-boy IF
twas just my leg you could chop 1t on put TINS Is a
dead-fa this is. Cnop one OIL them young
naples" ,,, :.
until half of it's contents gone.
Thank you' said Hiram, quietly then turned MS
head upon his shoulder so that he might see not the
approaching brightness of the fire. but brightness
among the treetops where the moonlight' Ca caimly my
shining through space which the smoke had not
filled, washed the beech leaves with silver and made
their smooth branches white as birches.
The Prince nervously struck at maple.
'Take your time" drawled Hiram noting the un-
steady sound 1t seemed to the Prince that it took
him long to cut through the fourinch butt OF tne
sapling as it takes two with bucksaw to level
three-foot tree yet it was done at last He thrust
it carefully under the log.
Now" said Hiram easy. Or if you do let it fall
again let it be dead-fall sure enough. don't want
to die any messier than have to-"
The Prince pried, and the weight lifted-put forth
before the log could fall back he had managed to re-
enforce it with his shoulder 1t made cruel weight
"If you can hold on minute more, painted up from
beside him, 'I' pull myself out.
AS some animal shot through the spine drags itself
feebly ahead for little, so Hiram, laying hold OF
roots digging his fingers deep into the needles pulled
himself by inches free of the tree. Then the Prince
dropped his burden with groan of exhaustion
81 guess, maybe you'd better have the rest OF that
whske said Hiram but the aIa s OF ens m
the others lips until it was empty
Making funnel of his hands in the direction of
the choppers he shouted but no answer came. With
dismay he noted the sound of the had stopped
Their position had shifted then or there had been
some change of tactics. Trees were still crashing,
but the noise of them from the other direction,
where the fire telling them.
When Hiram spoke, again it was in a voice already
changing and fading.
'"That there brook leads to the Pughole" said he.
There's a boat . . Better get there soon's we
can on both our accounts. You're big chap, and
I'd try to do the by you"
4 The wind that SO far had been kindly keeping the
air clear for them gave it up with sigh, like guar
dian spirit that had helped all it could and must now
hazel laoy
that had withstood the fire were shriyeed now and
burning with the best of them.
The Prince lifted Hiram with what care was pos
5ble and waded into the brook, cruel little brook
with its many bouders, its choking tangle of brush,
and here and there ripping fall of three or four
feet. Hiram's stocism unequal to the strain.
He cried out sharply, now and again. as the Prince
stumbled.
I'D lot rather you'd knock on the head" he
groaned, "but suppose it's arguing that
And again he SAID Maybe the fire wouldn't be
bad-at least it would be different Lord amt
there end to t!'
And among other mutteripgs: "But can pay you
do that, all right" which caused the Prince to
wonder, he fought with the slippery stones.
But at last they out into quiet black pool,
whose further edge walled by fire. A small boat
lay among folded water-les as still as log The
Prince cast into it hasty armful of spruce boughs
and laid Hiram along the bottom, then bending his
head low to escape the smoke he knet down and
padded out. The rush of flames like great
waterfall but their light was obscured by the great
white smoke from the green leaves which lay on the
water like mist Through this he padded doubt
fully until he thought he had reached the middle of
the tiny lake. then crouched down with his face in the
spruce boughs beside Hiram
'I guess said Hiram, speaking in the slow and
difficult of the dying wed better settle up
while we can" His hand found the Princes through
the suffocating obscurty and pressed into it thick
oDong package. That's something belongs to me-
Maybe there's some would say it didn't but guess
ii did, all right. That and more-they hadn't
right. - He stopped with shu9der that made
the boat trembe. 'I haven't time to go into it the
way I'd like" he resumed wearily, "but guess you
needn't fear to use it /. it's the price .
of whole lot of things that never paid for.
/. You can/do what you like with 1t.
The Prince had taken the package mechanically but
when he realized by its size and shape what 1t con-
tanned, he dropped it like something dangerous.
What have you been doing?" he shouted into the
dying ears.
"Dong?' muttered Hiram. "well l didn't kill
anybody. Tell, he killed Gessler, 1. might
have too easy as not but didn't, for guess they