Cheyenne record., 1916-09-21

sAsO S%S<<. 0AA@A ~ y
e cabins. .emptysSyen atnee theat e..
mefs seccupahtS h9d tulnsd .th6ifl icp6iii
for HamDasn,e tynye iiasaeasl lxss
-ssdddenly CooSnah. lying. on the
stsrsggof mp Snd f6Kihed the air. 81
lstx f:lo6ked I = ims hen snleers ar
RESTED. Then kb sat down on. hia
.hanGehes. thew up his puzzle, and
bte4a 70 bay. pelanchoI, Lonesome
sausi1. u - 5-aiE ! s..ss-li i Il
Enah. said Silets. hush. Coos.
nahE And she, too, lifted Eefs he4d
afteE the fashion Of Wild things,
smelling the, suItry atmosphere.
sM1xAeff2 xsiiu'; lls:Bu1eEl
zis,..lss..s.siAs..s
fTha. general screakod ..pp. and: hur;
rid to the steps. bdt5Eeady Siletz
vas OF and running u the, valley
t6ward the cutting Vhen$ $he reached
the donkey Sandry was stending be.
side 1t. but the girfA psssedy yhims with.
ont . glance. running to. Where the
foreman set a choker.
s"John!" she cried: s.John--shSees
a fire on the west ridge!" M s
Every man within hearing Mropped
his work instantly and stood Up.
"Call in tn men," said Daily as he
passed the donkey-engineer. "an' send
'em along. We'd better all go. Mr.
Sandry. Tain't likely it's much. but
we got to stomp 1t ont. whatever tis.
ben lookin' fer EN-"
They all trailed down the valley on
dogtrot. It took them the better
part Of an hour. but when they went
down there was not spark left
altght.
What do you suppose started It.
John7" asked Sandry.
"Oh.. some darned little college
snipe from Corvallis. likely. with .
gun an cigarette. Or mebbe 1t was
some camper stayin' overnight on
the ridge-some greenhorn. An its
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 incl
dent. It was a close night with .
dark sky, though the heat had given
way to the sweet coolness Of the
coast under the mysterious ocean
wind, and Sandry from his old seat
at table looked out at the western
ridge.
"Johni" he cried. rising suddenly.
"it's broken out again!"
Sure enough. Against the upper
darkness little red tongues licked ft-
fully up and the men, white and In.
dian, tumbled out o8 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 awoke to see fine, fairy.
white haze all through the valley and
the crest Of the west ridge. for half
a 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 1t be Hampdenf"
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 tn hatchet
an come fight with US like . brother
first"
Then what's setting those fires1-
for It looks as II 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.
tin'!" cried Daily starting down the
mountain on sliding run.
And that last fire. burning strongly
where no brand could have drolped
even with wind, marked the begin