Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-03-17
T HE A F ERGLOW
CHAPTER xxvIII-(Continued)
A Sequel to beyond the Great obiiviom."
BY GEORGE ALLAN ENGLAND

CHAPTER XXvIII-(Continued)
THE riflemen, meanwhile, were steadily
L potting such of the little demons as stil
were crawling up or down the cliffsde op-
posite. Surely, reentlessly, they shot the
| invaders down. And. even as Stern watched,
the enemy melted and vanished before his
eyes
Allan was thinking.
What may this not result in?" he Won
dered as he observed the swift and angry
leap Of the.forest- fire to northward. TT
may ravage thousands Of square miles be-
rore rain puts an end to II. 1t may dew
astate the whole country. change in
the wind may even drive 1t back on U.S.
across the river sweeping all before it. This
may mean RUM"
He paused a moment, then said aloud:
Kuhn, perhaps. Yes; but the alterna-
tive was death! There was no other way"
Now none of the attackers remained
save few feebly twitching, writhing bod
les caught on some protuberance of rock
Here. there, one Of these fell and like the
rest was borne away down stream.
Through the heated air already ver-
berated a strange roar as the forest fire
leaped up the opposite hillside in one clear
lick Of incandescence. The roar hummed
through the heavens and trembled over the
long reaches Of the. river.
The fire jumped little valley and took
the second hill. burning as clear as any
furnace, with swift onward upward slant
as the wind famed it forwar' through the
dry brush and among the crowded palms
Now and then, with muft,ed explosion,
sap-filed palm burst Here. or yonder.
some brighter flare showed where the fire
had run at one clear leap right to the
fronded top of a fern tree.
swirl, spraled through the thick ar and
fell far in advance Of the main fire army,
each outpost colonizing into swift destruc-
tion.
Already the nearer portion of the oppo-
site cliff edge was barren and smoking.
swept clean of life as a broom might sweep
an anthil Tourbillons of dense smoke OBJ
scured the sky
The air flew thick with brands. live Goals
and fiaring bits of bark, all whrlng aloft
on the breath of the fire demon Showers
or burning jewels were sown broadcast by
the resistless wind.
Stern, unspeakably saddened in spite of
victory by this wholesale destruction of
forest. fruit and game, turned away from
the magnificent, the terri flying spectacle.
He left his rfemen staring at it, amazed
and awed to silence by the spendor of the
flame tempest. which they watched through
their eyeshields in absolute astonishment.
Back to Cliff Villa he returned, his step
heavy and his heart like lead In a few
brief hours. how great, how terrible, how
devastating the changes that had come
upon Settlement Cliffs!
Attacks. destruction, pestilence and flame
had all worked their will there and many
dream, plan. hope now lay in ashes
even like those smoldering cnder piles
across the river-those pyres that marked
the death field Of the hateful, venomous, in
human horde
Numb with exhaustion and emotions he
staggered up the path knocked and was
admitted to his home by the old nurse
He heard the crying of his son, vigorously
protesting against some infant grievance
and his tired heart yearned with strong
father love.
"A hard world, boy" thought he. "A
hard fight, all the way through. God
grant before you come to take the burden
and the shock. l may have been able to
tighten both for you!'
The old woman touched his arm
20 master. Is the fighting past?
1T Is past and done, Gesafam. That
enemy at least will never come again
But tell me. what caused the boy to cry?"
"IIe is hungered master. And IL do
not know the way to milk the strange ami.
mall"
bcoPitc mo eAhoustioi' pain ana uOur
forebodings. Allan had to smile a second
That's one thing you've got to learn, old
mother! !" he exclaimed. "Ill milk pres
emily. But not Just yet -
For first of all he must see Beatrice
again. The boy must cry bit till he had
seen her.
To the bed he fastened and beside II he
fell on his knees. His eager eyes devoured
the girls face: his trembling hand sought
her brow.
Then a glad cry broke from his lips
Her face no longer burned with fever, and
her pulse was slower now. profuse and |
saving perspiration told him the crisis had |
been passed.
THANK God Thank God, :" he breathed |
from his inmost soul. In his arms he caught |
her. He drew her to his breast
And even in that hour of confusion and |
distress he knew the greatest joy of life |
was his.