The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1914-01-17
CHAPTER xxl.
Out of tho Fire.

 ~ UDDRNLY out of the northeast ~ a great black car came careen- ing down the road. With jolt it stopped before | the cottage, and black haired giant Ieaped out and ran up on to the porch. | Without a pause he rushed into the house On the couch lay Clayton The man started in surprise, but with a bound was at the side of the sleeping man.
 Shaking him roughly by the- shoi1i- der, he cried:
 "Are you ali mad here? Don't you know you are nearly surrounded by hre2 Where is Miss Porter 2'' 1 Clayton sprang to his feet. He did not recognize the man, but he under stood. the words and was upon the veranda in a bound. He cried out in consternation, then, dashing back into the house, called: "Janei Janei Where are you P In an instant Esmeralda, Professor Porter and MT. Philander had joined i the two men.
 Clayton, seizing Esmeralda by the shoulders and shaking her roughly.
 'sOh, Marse Clayton. she done gone for walk"
 Hasn't she come back yet2" And without waiting for reply Clay ton dashed out into the yard, followed by the others.
 4eWhich way did she go ?'' cried the black haired giant to Esmeralda. Down dat road,' cried the fright ened black, pointing toward the south, where mighty wall of roaring flames shut out the view.
 "Put these people in the other carp shouted the stranger to Clayton 1T saw one as I drove up. Get them out of here by the north road. Leave my car here. If I find Miss Porter we shall need it If don't no one will need 1t. Do as I say" as Clayton hesftated. They saw the 1.-the figure bound away across the clearing toward the northwest, where the forest still stood, untouched by, dSme. In each rose, the unaccountable feel ing that 8 great responsibility had been raised from their shoulders, a kind of implicit confidence in the power of the stranger to save the girl if she could be saved.
 seWho was thatg asked Professor Porter.
 'sI don't know,'' replied Clayton "He called me by name, and he knew Jane, for he asked for her, and he called Els meralda by name,''
 saThere was something most star tlingly familiar about him. exclaimed MT. Philander. .'Yet, bless me, know 1 never saw him before.'' 'Tut tutr' cried Professor Porter Most remarkablel Who could it have f<a rrHz 1 r ho4 To &e safe now that he has set out in search l of her2''
 'I can't tell you, professor" said | Clayton soberiy, "but I know I have the same uncanny feeling"
 "But come,'' he cried; i've must get out of here ourselves or we shall be 1 shut of" And the party hastened< to- l ward Clayton's machine. When Jane Porter turned to retraee her steps homeward she was alarmed to note how near the smoke of the for est fire seemed, and as she hastened onward her alarm became almost a panic when she perceived that the rushing flames were rapidly forcing 1 their way between herself and the cot tage.
 At length she was compelled to turn | into the dense thieket and attempt to fssce her way to the west in an effort i to circle around the flames and regain her home.
 | In a short time the futility of her at tempt became. apparent, and then her one hope lay in retracing her steps to i the road and flying for her life to the south toward the town.
 The twenty minutes that it took her | to regain the road was all that had been needed to cut off her retreat as effectNally as her advance had been cut off before. Jane Porter knew that it was useless to attempt to force her way again through the undeEgruwth.
 She had tried it once and failed. Now she realized that it would be but a matter of minutes ere the whole space between the enemy on the north and the enemy on the south would be | a seething mass of flames.
 Calmly the girl knee1ed down in the dust of the roadway and prayed for strength to meet her fate hravely and to deliver her father and her friends from death. She did not think to pray for deliverance for herself; she knew there was no hope.
 Suddenly she heard her name being called aloud through the forest:
 'Janei Jane Porterr, it rang strong and clear, but in a strange voice.
 "Herer' she called in reply. "Herel In the roadway!''
 Then through the branches of the trees she saw a figure swinging
 A veering of the wind blew cloud
 of smoke about them, and she could nc longer see the man who was speeding
 toward her, but suddenly she felt 8
 great arm about her. Then she was
 lifted up, and she felt the rushing o1
 the wind and the occasional brush o1 | branch as she was borne along. sis She opened her eyes.
 Far below her lay the undergrowtt | and the hard earth.
 | the forest.
 ] TFron traa to tr<ao sxu,7nor the viani