Los Angeles herald., 1908-04-19
CONTINUED FROM PAGE TWO

soon as possible in order that he might make
ND the amount he had lost by the reckless
purchase of sugar, and so well was he reward
ed for his early rising that he was hailed by a
customer before either True or Bent had made
an appearance
He and the hat-boat were on their way
down the river again before nine o'clock
Not long afterward ihe was hailed again, re-
naming at the bank about three hours, during
which time he disposed of quite an amount Of
goods. and took in exchange produce at salts
factory prices.
They had hardly gone more than mile
from this last stopping-place when the young
trader was hailed by third customer, and
again was the River Queens cargo decreased
in the=store and increased in the hold.
1t was four clock when the boat was swung
out into the stream again. for Jim wanted
to ''tie up during the night at Friar's Point,
a place where Mr.. Fernald thought he would
find some. customers. The profits during the
day had been reasonably large and Jim was
in the best of spirits.
If he made but one bad bargain on the trip
he thought he could afford To stand it with
out much grumbling; but he determined from
that time that he would never buy anything
from people on the river without at least
knowing where they lived.
Nellie and her mother were in the sitting
room, buslly engaged with some sewing;
True and Bent were cleaning their guns for
ward, and otherwise preparing for a grand
hunt, which was to come off at a certain
store getting materials for some mysterious
looking compound which he called pudding,
and jim and Pete were respectively aft and
forward, looking out for customers
Thus were the different people on the
River Queen engaged when jim, fancying
he smelled an odor of burning grease looked
into the kitchen, the outside door of which
had been shut.
As this door was opened dense volume Uf
smoke poured out, while through it could be
seen the lurid glare of flames that had been
famed into sudden aeti ty by the fresh ar.
Jim retained his presence of mind suffi-
ciently to close the door Immediately before
he ran forward to give the alarm. :,
"Get your things out of your room, and
carry them forward. The kitchen is on fire,
he said, in a voice of suppressed excitement,
as he passed through the sitting-room.
There was no need then for him to give the
alarm TO the others. Mrs. Curtis, hardly re-
covered from the dreadful ordeal through
which she had passed when her home was was
every one aft Before they could ask ques-
ton, however, Jim's quiclkly-spoken orders
explained the nature of the new danger:
"Get all the buckets you can and tie ropes 31
to them so that we can draw up water lne
kitchen is on fire. Bent, while we are hight
boat around to the shore"
A pail on which was already rigged rope
one that had been used for drawing water
for the fowls, was in the store-the other
water bucket was in the kitchen. This first
one Jethro seized and ran back with it, at
once, True taking the one Jim and Pete mao had
in the meantime made ready. Then Pete
was armed for the fight, and in another mo-
= ment Jim had rope attached 70 the iase
bucket. :,
There was no time to be lost. Already had
the flames fastened upon the PARTITION Oh
viding the sitting-room from the kitchen, as
well as upon the deck, the fire having prob
ably originated from pan of overheated iat
which Jethro had carelessly left upon the
stove.
Only the door leading to the deck had been
opened. and through this Jethro and Jim
flung water as fast as True and Pete could
draw it up.
work quite as well any of the others, and
had swung the River Queens bow in shore,
and was forcing her in toward the bank at
rapid rate; for he understood what the re-
suit would be if the flames should gain the
mastery while they were in the middle OF the
river.
For ten minutes Jim and his bucket
brigade labored without thought of fatigue
from their posts by the clouds Of smoke that
had poured out of the narrow opening; but
they returned to the attack, needless of the
fact that they were half suffocated and near
ly blinded i,
AT the end of that time the fat-boat had
been made fast to the bank hardly more than
mile above the place where Jim had been
so anxious to stop, for the night, and the
HameS were IN gredt InedsuIc Supuueu.
Half an hour after landing all danger was
over; Jethro, Bent and Pete were busily en-
gagged in clearing away, much as possible,
the traces Of the fire, and True and Jim
were estimating the actual damage done.
Everything in the kitchen that could not
burn was smoked and blaekened, but little
securing would soon remedy that. The deck
which formed the floor of the cook room
was SO nearly burned through that at least
a partial flooring would have to be laid be
fore it would be safe to walk around in
the kitchen and the room occupied by Nellie
and her mother was charred,' but still intact,
while that on the sitting room side was wholly
burned through.