The Tabor independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1913-19??, 1913-11-27
THE TRAGEDY or ~BITTERSWEET"
BARTON'S THANKSGIVING DAY

OF smelled a terrifying AXE OF Drim.
one summer. q sweet-faced ouake1
lady from near Philadelphia visitea TIE
sunny and optimistic. comparing
strangely with these dark, stern-vis-
aged pioneers. the Quaker talked
sweetly and Comfortably OF the love OF
God. his tender watchfuinegs; how he
held his people In the hollow of his
mighty hand; how his burden lis easy
and hts yoke light, and by coming To
him they could find rest unto their
souls. They were almost persuaded to
follow this God OF the Quaker lady,
their hungry hearts yearned so for the
comfort that such a God could give.
But when the Rev. Elijah Thunder
came back and repainted his God OF
thet hunderbolt and or wrath, down In
their pioneer hearts they were SC
thankful they had not been led from
the true path" TO worship the false
God or the Quakers, and they We're as
penitent as Thunder could wish that
they ever had the hardihood to miscon-
strue God as an instrument OF mercy
n as a fatfer to his children" III
was a narrow escape for them.
y IT was on one OF the Sundays OF the
early spring following the death OF
Henry Baker, when its peace was not
disturbed by fiery doctrines OF the re-
VerDerating Thunder. that members OF
seyeraI families Of the hamlet in the
early afternoon started for a walk over
the hills to gather. among other things,
trailing arbutus. There had been no
rains In weeks, and the dry pine
needles cracked under their feet.
Among the party Were Samuel Bak-
er and Bittersweet. They were In adj
vance Of the others. down on their
knees, putting aside dead leaves and
branches n gathering great spikes OF
these most beautiful and fragrant OF
all wild flowers. Others OF the party
wearied and left the hill, leaving these
two alone. They descendwed the sides
OF q steep gully. where they found
larger and finer sprays than aver. a
strong south wind was blowing In their
direction. and finally an ember lit at
their feet, igniting the pine needles.
we better get to the top OF this ravine
FROM "
With nimble feet they clambered up
Its PERCEPTIONS sides. As they reached
the summit the sight was one TO Quail
even their stout hearts. Only a short
distance away, and travelling toward
them at express train speed, famed
by q high wind, running as
NAA ~ NLA Ndh WdH ~ .tr LTo-
mendous forest fire. 1t hemmed them
In on three sides. A heavy cloud OF
smoke n efnbers preceded Il and the
roar or Its increasing volume wAs ter
rifying. "
Both OF them knew what such forest
fires mean They had seen the fruits
OF years OF toll OF the settlers swept
off the earth In a few minutes by
them. Forest fires OF primeval days
MARA dAFfnRAnt aHEnNa AL--
run through old slashings, where only
n dry. dead timber burns, for then
they ran through the pine needles with
even greater rapidity.
Instinctively. Bittersweet reached for
Sans hand and together they ran like
deer straight ahead, the only direction
open to them. It was a good quarter
or a mile to Mill creek, and to be saved
II was necessary to beat the fire to
that point A very simple but a very
desperate proposition, as they both
knew. Neither spoke, to conserve their
wind, and they tore through the brush
at a MAD pace. NJ
Ahead OF the blaze came bear deer.
elk, beavers, rabbits and q horde OF
other wild animals, all toilinR TO get
out OF IN way OF tho oncoming wall of
flame, while serpents, among which
were r~attlesnakes. squirmed almost be-
tween their feet, all racing for dear
life. An enormous black bear was run
ming by their side, zoo terror-striken to
q any attention to them. Bruin was
winded, his tongue was lolling and he
was Q TO give up the struggle and
succomb to the inevitable. @E IN
Sam and Bittersweet had covered the
most of The distance. with Mil creek in
sight, hen an elder root on which she
stepped peeled, and she fell headlong.
n struggled to her feet, but one ank-
lie refused to bear her weight, and the
fire was gaining on them every second.
Sam picked her up in his arms as II
she had been a baby and hurried on
though his burden greatly retarded
his speed. She looked appealingly at
him which nerved him further to the
struggle.
He flung her skirt over her head to
protect her from the awful smoke that
was binding and choking them. He
could feel the terrible heat on his own
back as well as the wall OF fire grad
ually covering both TANKS. They had
perhaps 10 rods to make when he all
but fell; but, holding on to his prec-
ious burden, he righted himself. When
his coonsldn cap caught fire he threw
II away and, almost overcome by heat
and his burden, he staggered on. FAX.
The fire q passed them on the
right and left and the wall behind was
almost On them. Sam slipped, he fell,
staggered to his feet and plunged his
charge and himself in the saving wa
tiers of Mill creek. The fire jumped
the stream at a bound and went tear
ing on its way, but Sam and Bitter
sweet were safe. "
From that hour Sam felt a proprie-
torship in Bittersweet, which she was
quick TO acknowledge. Later, one
moonlight night, under a spreading
thorn tree, white with blossoms and
redolent with perfume, they plighted
their troth, and the love which devel-
oped between them was one OF the
most beautiful things that aver grew
in q Pennsylvania forest. 1t was de-
cided that the wedding should take
place on Thanksgiving day: for In the
country even now, as then, Il Is not
unusual for marriages to he celebrated
upon great holidays.
It was about the first OF October,
The early frost had set the woodland
aglow with the gorgeous colors of his
train which mimicked the rainbow
when the weekly stage from Williams