Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1916-03-09
CHAPTER XVIII.
Fires Within Fire.


SO II was double burden that the
great black horse carried into the
mystery of the shrouded country
Hatred was like wall between them
and Poppy's fingers, clinging perforce
to Siletz' shirt, twitched with desire.
How short distance to the packet in
the bagging blouse!
So they rode with smarting eyes
and aching lungs, down into dim val
ley and up again, between fires, under
mighty, towering trunks, tottering to
their fall. They passed the high spine
of the Hog Back, majestic crown
against the smoke, and threaded the
ruins of the forest At last they saw
great fires ahead and men running
among them.
Where is Sandry?" Siletz asked,
unabashed. of soldier
Don't know. Haven't seen him for
hours He hurried on and the girl
rode along the line where a hundred
men were laboring with ak and spade
and blanket. The wind had dropped
and they were working north and
south, trying to bottle up roaring
cross-cut of a valley. Scattered
throughout the hills in squads, obey.
ing the orders sent down from time
to time by the ranger and his aids,
who patrolled the ridges with field
glasses, they worked like a great ma
chine, though they saw no farther
than their own trench. their own line
of back-fire, their own stretch OF
felled pines.
But work as they would at the base
Of the high. massed peaks. Destiny
was about ready for her grand coup
at the fortunes Of the Dillingworth.
and she snatched a streamer from a
cross-canyon and shot 1t high across
line and back-fre and trench into the
dry pines on that slope Also she had
sent, an hour before. tall, lone spiral
into the dun heavens from the very
heart of the spared timber behind the
Hog Back. That spiral had caught the
eye of Walter Sandry. working with
his waning strength north on the east
slope. For how many hours he did
not know, he had neither eaten nor
slept. But still he went with the
spirit that would not quit so long as
another stayed at his post. S
IF the rains would only comet" he
thought as he struggled upward, ITS
nearly time for them. If they would
only bring their first showers now!"
The roar of the new fire-a solitary
pine that went up like huge, grace
full torch-was In his ears, it's light
before him.
Now how under heaven did 1t get
started up in here?"
He had spoken aloud as he YEARLY
skirted a clump of young spruce and
the words fell short. abruptly broken
as he emerged from their shelter.
Before him, in small cleared space,
stood Hampden of the Yellow Pines.
His back was toward Sandry and he
carried in his hand three candles. He
was nearly as black and disreputable
as any scarecrow down among the
fires He was intently watching some
thing at the foot of second pine
Softly Sandry moved until this object
was in his line of vision
/ Bedded high in pile Of tinder-dry
needles a fourth candle glowed
brightly in the smoky gloom. With
utmost cunning 1t had been set close
against the tree where long branch
of pitch trailed down the rugged bark
from far up among the branches
When the candle burned down to the
resin-steeped needles-and man
might travel far in the meantime-the
upleaping flames need only to lick
that banner to rush with lightning
speed to the swaying, intiammable
top.
For long moment the Fastener
stood. lost in wonder. Then the whole
thing burst upon him and he knev.