Kingsbury County independent. (DeSmet, Kingsbury County, S.D.) 1894-1929, 1909-05-14

OF the horse. A sudden cry from ths
girl aroused him.
Look. See there"
The smoke had deepened until they
could scarce see beyond the horses
head. and now clots of DOT the size
of leaves were falling all about them.
one that lighted on the laprobe had the
CLINT OF fire I'm II.
Hold up auick." he ordered sharply,
and she pulled horse onto his launches.
"Hark!"
A spluttering roar, mingled with
fierce c~racklings and shrieks, was right
ahead of them. Something hurtling In
mad panic up the trail almost crashed
into the horse. It veered into the scrubs
not six feet from the buggy. a. deer with
antlers. A rabbit In mad delirium
scurried under the very wheels. The
horse began prancing and snorting,
rearing and paving the air, then back
Ing and lurching and crashing into the
rhododendron. The girl did not lose
her head.
The wild CLEAN of the fire, duh
through the smoke, was in full sight
now, and he road was like that of the
sea. The wind was sweeping II up the
narrow gut. lashing on the flames like
a bison stampede. They fell upon the
dry tops. licked them up as if they were
oil n tar, leaped agilely into the live
hemlocks, roared up their trunks, and
stood waving In air, mad flags, 20 feet
above the topmost twigs.
The terror OF the horse was almost
beyond control. He tried madly to
plungs forward and brow himself into
the fire; Ii was all both OF them could
do to keep hin from breaking away.
They could hold him but an instant
more.
Jump" he ordered iercely. 1--WE
must leave him and run for our lives.
Jump"
NO, sir! Here. take the laprobe and
wind ii round his head" She threw II
to him with def swing. Quick" He
obeyed automatically. In an instant
she was beside him. and she too had
the horse by the bit.
Here. let me take him." she ordered
sharply. Now lift the buggy round.
Sharp therei" 1t was turned in an in
slant.
Get in" she commanded. and he
obeyed her with a jump. Take up the
reins therel Quick!" She led the horse
a few steps, then bounded back and
sprang into the buggy like a cat.
GIVE 'em to met"
Again they bumped and rolled and
slowed along the mad trail. She was
driving now for her life, and II was o
sight to stir the blood. Young Jim al
most forgot the CHASTITY death hat was
leaping after them as he watched this
woman in action. She had grown cool
and watchful, and every movement OF
muscle and one of voice counted. II
was no small thing to drive a panic
stricken horse with fire all about him.
He was In a mad scurry, Shying and
rearing and plunging and ready at ev-
cry instant to smash them into q wild
heap. but she held him true. She talked
steadily-soothing. threatening, coax
ing. Urging now In high key, now In
low, and the horse seemed to under
stand her. They were back now to
where she had met jim. and now they
were crashing beyond. AS to what i'm
pulse might be at the end neither had
q thought. Their one impulse was to
fly on and on, like the deer n the
rabbit.
All at once the horse stopped short,
almost pitching them over the dash
board. A great tree top, bristllng with
dead snags, lay right across the trail.
"Ill fix that" he shouted, leaping
from the buggy and laying hold of 1t
nightly. But the thing was braced
and anchored. For a single m he
writhed with it. then he leaped back
and caught up his axe from the buggy.
"A cHCi Nv A SNAOhVSt a pltNAllltS VI llC !
severed branches, right and left, and
he turned excitedly.
You can get over the log" he yelled.
"Ill run ahead to see IL there are any
more. An instant and she saw him fall
with frenzy upon another top. The re-
lief was only for a moment. Thicker
and thicker grew the tree tops across
the road until all at once they culmin-
In a grand tangle that a days
work would not penetrate.
They a come to the end of the
trail; there was no possibility of ad-
vancing another foot.
He ran hither and thither excitedly,
but there was no exit. Then he turned
In desperation.
There's only one chance" he cried.
Lead the horse n try to get over
the ridge"
mo. sir: we don't leave Pomp," she !
shouted half angrily. Cant we build
a counter fire?"
There's too much God We'd roast
between two fires"
If we take Pomp out of the buggy
can't we pull him up the rocks?'
Its too steep. Can't be done. I've
been there" Indeed it was impossible.
1t would be like taking a horse up the
great pyramid.
But Wen try 1t all the same There
was a snap to her words that made op-
position useless. Come. help me take
him out"
She was by the side of the horse now.
freeing him deftly from the buggy. The
roaring OF the flames made talking al
most impossible; the smoke was Ike n !
blanket: their eyes. smarting n quiv-
ering In the reeking atmosphere, could
scarcely distinguish the nearest
objects. Once a spark set fire to
her dress, but he extinguished
IL with the laprobe. Then ne
threw the robe over her shoulders, ana
she tied the ends under her chin.
(Contiaued Nexs Weekl