The citizen-Republican. (Scotland, Bon Homme County, S.D.) 1???-19??, 1909-05-13
The House of the Black
szz==e ...s. Ring e.,zs.ss'. 100.

l. can trust you, Rose. You We nSVe
deceived me yet. It's coming out glo
riously-gloriously. Karls a good fel
low, Pose, and he'll make you happy.
And Rose went to her room and Sc
long at the window in the fragran
night, looking over at the fires which
like long, shapeless monsters, wer'
crawling up the mountains. 1t wa
Fate after all. One must obey tn
great laws of life. and she greatest o
all is that which makes US what w
are, and fixes forever u metes anC
bounds before ever we have found our
selves. or know aught of ltfe's mean
ing.
On Monday morning the smoke wa.
thicker thar ever. The Squire hac
business at Sinking Springs that would
engage him until late in the night, anC
Amos was going with him. AT break
fast, held always in the Hartswtcl
home in the morning twilight, he had
said to Rose:
i don't like the way that smokes
coming. 1t looks to me Jest as II the
fire might be working over toward the
Brown lot on the third mountain. ]
wish Amos didn't have to go with me,
I'd send him over"
good as Amos IAN. I'll hitch up Pomp
after dinner and run over II It's get
ting dangerous, / can raise a fire gang
just as auick's Il man could"
a right; but don't go too near,
the very mischief"
Now. don't worry about me. Pap.
N~ot1ing'S ever caught me yet" She
laughed up at him in her old girlish
a
Sure enough. Rosie, and there
won't; I'll bet on you against all of
under the chin. laughing nightly.
ook out for the fire. Dot Don't
go to running any risks. Them narrow
valleys r awfully dangerous. Well,
Dot. Look out for yourself"
At ! O'Clock. therefore, Rose was
driving with Pomp along the second
pike. All the morning 1t had been suf-
on the cover of smoke as on a
tin roof. and the dense blanket had
seemed to retain all that II received.
Before moor there had not been a
breath OF air; now, however. g little
breeze was springilg up, though at first
1t seemed only to increase the heat.
To Rose the experience vas not new.
Every spring since. she could remem-
Der. fires had swept here and there
among the valleys and ridges and there
had always been g. week or two Of
smoke. Often q fire, driven by fierce
winds down some funnel Of q valley
filed with a rhododendron snarl, and
he dry wreckage OF the iumbernen.
with terrific heat over miles
and miles. licking up every OF or
sanic matter and leaving behind IT
only blackened rocks and sterile stone
from which nothing save the
bird cherry and the blackberry ear
spring.
BY 2 o'clock Rose vas beyond the
second range. in the chaotic valley
lnown as Black Log Run. Here at
ength she left h road. which had
little better thar a trail. and
into a wood road that some
lumberrnen. This branch valley
vas Cherry reek. Three miles further
IA In a side spur from this valley lay
Brown lot, q magnificent bunch of
which the squire had kept thu
or from the axe. The fire. as Rose
vas some distance to the right In the
,econd valley parallel TO the one she
vas In: II the wind, which was rap
dly increasing. did not shift, there
eeu1ed to be little danger to e ia
lot. 1t was hard. however. in
It was q wild, lonesome region that
was trayersing. one seldom visited
ave by the trout fisherman In the
pring. The ridge-sides on either hand
rere steep and chaotic, mere jagged
of sandstone litter. n the val
ey bottom, scarce a hundred rods wide
n places was snaried full OF the skei- |
tops OF ! trees and of down logs
"a dreary mass Of ruin which a great
of rhodOdendroin was doing its
to conceal. The valley stream.
till full from the melting snow. noseG
IS way bewilderedly down through the
angle and In places over1owed the
ept on.
Two miles further up the valley a
aan doomed suddenly out OF the tan
lie. He was right by the horses head
'efore she saw him. Il startled her;
here is no telling what wild charac-
A second glance, however. showed
er young Jim Farthins.
why. Is this your" he blurted out
n a startled voice.
Yes. I'm UP to see # the Brown
OF is In danger, she replied in bust
running"
why. yes: and it's bad" He had
ONE forward and was leaning over h
ront wheel. II was up on the ridge
My a minute & and 1t looked to me
9 e the fire was s.riking right for this
very minute. I think thereu be q
rust"
Il i gets n here. viii it SO on to
Cant help IL he answered Aosi-
lively.
..Then j must drive right back and
up a gang" She Strengthened
ap briskly.
And I think you can't get out OF
any too quick. It's really danger
ous here. II the fire IL driven over the
ridge down there by Black Log, At will
sweep this valley like q hurricane right
up through here. You could climb i've
The ridge. but the horse couldn't. I'll
you right round. You mustn't
ose d single minute He took the horse
by the bit and turned him almost
roughly.
There, run him out 3ast as fast az
you possibly can. Don't loss q second
She looked at him half tncredulousiy.
She was not easily scared; his nervous
solicitHde appealed to her almost hu-
rnorousiy.
But really. Miss HaEtswick there's
danger. II I'm any Judge at all. the
liable 10 get into the valley here
any minute, The winds getting higheI
all the ine. She fell Into driving at
tttnds instantly and shook out the
rxins.
Wont you ride? r. she asked, m X by
r sudden thought, without a word hi
his axe into the buggy and sprana
In beside her Then they began tc
bump down the Wild trail IN fast AZ Ii
u a#anRn xnfk&rk u FDtaM 1900 aA~4n<~. ~