Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1916-03-02
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roar changed to the thunder Of the
spheres. 1t appalled, the hearts OF
men. stayed their hands in fright. All
throughout the darkness of rolling
smoke wherein they worked between
the raging torrent and the East Belt
that mighty voice commanded cessa-
ton.
Instantaneously, without orders, as
one man where there was no commu-
nication save between those few feet
apart. they dropped their spades. their
tattered blankets, their axes. They
Strengthened from their labor. leaving
the cross-cuts in the trunks. Here and
there, above the solemn thunder
hoarse voices began to call. 1t was
the time to quit and they realized 1t
instinctively.
"Outl Out! Quit" they cried to
each other in the dusk. Get out!
Get out!"
Walter Sandry, working near the
apex of the pushing line, saw men be-
ginning to run past him back along the
trench and the cutting. He lifted des
perate eyes to the ridge whose dim
crest he could see between the boles
so near had they won to victory. Only
few more big pines, dozen saplings
scant few yards of trench and 1t
would be done-the long lane of safety
| stretched across the neck Of the East
Belt!
Stop! Stop! Stop!" he cried with
great voice that came from the very
depths of his lungs with borrowed
power. Stand by me. men! For Gods
sake stand by!"
He saw dim shapes falter. half turn
toward him and start on. Again he
raised his stentorian cry and flying
figures halted a moment, stopped
against their will by its compelling
power.
I'm Johnny Eastern. all right. but
I'm going to stay! Who'll stay with
me?"
Out of the dense obscurity came Col
Inns. huge, fantastic figure, and stood
beside him without word In the ten.
sion of the time Sandry reached out
a hand and gripped the giants shout
der.
"A dozen men and we've won!" he
cried.
He saw the hating shapes turn.
gather another and another retrace
their steps and spring back into the
darkness. Every man of them was
western born and the taunt had gone
home He leaped himself for the
handle of saw sticking out from the
bOle Of a 150-foot sugar pine and the
whining song of the cross-cuts rose
again under the dwarfing roar.
Fourteen men had heard and an.
swered that call, and they were alone
in the purgatory of heat and smoke
All the rest were running for their
lives down the cleared fall toward the
valley beyond the dip.
From time to time Sandry glanced
upward at the increasing light. The
sugar pine fell with a rending roar,
and with Harris. who, he saw for the
first time. had been pulling with him.
he ran to the next.
He saw as he ran that one of the
men, working like fury to fell the
saplings, was Murphy, who had greet.
ed his pompous "Dillingworth" with
such grinning irony in the old days.
He had moments vague wonder at
this odd stripe of humanity that could
hold such prejudice, fight with Hamp.
denis men in savage enmity, to Join
their ranks later with happy irrespon-
sibility at the call Of gold, and was
still willing to turn back to fight with
him on deaths brink. because he had
returned their taunt of East and West.
One by one, in silence. in a tension
that drew the skin tight on their faces
they saw the Last remaining monarchs
fall the kindling sapllngs laid on
earth. the trench, much narrower and
shallower. creep upward to the ridge
Against time, against heat that
scorched their bare arms and tortured
their starting eyeballs. against a sti
fling atmosphere that drove them
nearer and nearer to the earth for
breath. they drew the last blade, sent
the last big pine crashing toward the
north
The ridge was clear in the increas.
ing glow.
"Now!" cried Sandry with the tri
umph of a general on a victorious
field, now for the ridge and over!"
But even as he dropped his saw and
ran. calling his men, Collins big voice
came through the rolling smoke with
the calm of fnality.
Amt no over It's ninety-foot
drop on to hard rock beyond that
ridge"
Sandry stopped in his tracks. his
head cleared as II with Whit of salt
air by that call.
The men had closed In with the in.
stinct of their kind to be together In
danger. as If so the danger were les.
sened
But the Fastener was undaunted.
"Then we'll take to the East Belt"
he cried. "even though it is crown
fire and coming fast, think our trench
will hold it."
With all confidence he turned to the
south. Instinctively the men mad