Belington progressive. [volume] (Belington, W. Va.) 1912-1927, 1916-02-24

/ upon rne cook-shack anu the desert
ed cahins. empty ever since their for
mer occupants had turned their coats
/ for Hampden's two-year contracts.
Suddenly Coosnah, lying on the
step. got up and shifted the air. ST
letz looked at him. her fingers ar
rested. Then he sat down on his
launches. threw up his muzzle.. and
began to bay, melancholy lonesome
sound.
Hush said Siletz. hush. Coos
nahl" And she, too, lifted her head
after the fashion of wild things.
smelling the suItry atmosphere.
"Mother!" she cried swiftly. ITS
fret"
The general creaked up and hur.
ried to the steps, but already Siletz
was off and running up the valley
toward the cutting. When she reached
the donkey Sandy was standing be-
side it, but the girl passed him with
out glance. running to where the
foreman set choker
fire on the west ridge!'
Every man within hearing dropped
his work instantly and stood up.
Call in tn men," said Daily as he
passed the donkey-engineer, IAN send
EN- along. We'd better all go Mr.
Sandry. 'Tain't likely it's much, but
we got to stomp 1t out, whatever tbs.
| ben lookin fer en-"
They all trailed down the valley on
a dogtrot. 1t took them the better
part of an hour, but when they went
down there was not spark left
alight.
What do you suppose started it.
John?" asked Sandry.
"Oh. some darned little college
snipe from Corvallis. likely, with
gun an cigarette Or mebbe it was
some camper stayin overnight on
the ridge-some greenhorn. An it's
mighty dry-mighty dry"
They went back to the cutting.
though every jack of them lifted up
his eyes from time to time to the
ridges around. At supper the loggers
discussed the forest fires of other
years, the topic opened by the moi
dent. 1t was a close night with a
dark sky though the heat had given
way to the sweet GOODNESS Of the
coast under the mysterious ocean
wind and Sandry from his old seal
at table looked out at the western
ridge
joint" he cried. rising suddenly,
its broken out againl"
Sure enough. Against the upper
darkness little red tongues licked fit
fully UP and the men. white and In
dian, tumbled out Cg the cook-shack
1t was twelve o clock when they
turned in, and Sandry was puzzled.
The next day nothing happened.
Then at dawn of the day following
the camp invoke to see a fine, fairy
white haze all through the valley and
the crest of the west ridge, for half
mile, sending up fanciful pearl
plumes in the soft morning. This
time it had gained start and the
camp turned out in earnest.
John" said Sandry solemnly. that
is no college boy with his cigarette.
Could it be Hampden?"
The foreman turned upon the
owner
You hain't real westerner. yet,
Mr. Sandry," he said with smile.
You think Hampden'd resk his yella
pine-as fine timber as there is in tn
whole state? He'd bury thu Ratchet
an come fight with us like brother
first
Then what's setting those fires p
for it looks as If they are being set
My God Look there! There's an
other!"
A merry, red eye winked and leaped
and died, to leap again across the
early twilight at the valleys head
That's damned close to our cut
TIM cried Daily starting down the
mountain on sliding run.
And that last fire, burning strongly
where no brand could have dropped
even with a wind, marked the begin