The Bozeman courier., 1927-03-25
By Georgia w. PGngbOrn

Lucy's eyes being held by the spectacle
Of that wind built arch Of burning hay-it
almost reached her own hOuse-wOuld not
have seen the two figures coming to meet
her, would have stumbled over them, had
not Alexis snatched at her sleeve. Looking
down then into the anxious upturned little
faces, she cried out and fell on her knees
to tumble them over, make sure there were
no hurts, and hug them. weeping fOOlishly
You did get out! didn't see hOw-and
I was afraid"
"Our house is burning up" Michael in
formed her, deftly working his way inside
the fur coat, so we will come to your
house now. And I will play on the piano."
| Louis sent u.s." said Alexis. But now
can leave Mike with you and go back to
He broke of as the truck. with motor
roaring and men shouting, tore up the hill
| Up to that point he had been cool and
practical. -, Now his manner underwent a
change. The grip of his fingers sunk into
/ Lucy's arms like talOns.
You and Michael run to the woods.
Quick-befOre they see s!''
THE woods dear?" she repeated vacant
lily. "Why?"
Don't talk" he snarled. run! Do YOU
want to be killed-Oh - he made a gesture
Of despair-"TOO lateT'
| The truck had thundered into position,
! but even before it stopped the men were
out and with their axes were smashing fat
the poor little Outbuildings, lest their fuel
should send fire into the forest behind
them. But their opinion Of the fire as such
seemed to be optimistic. They bawled TO
each other that the snow was going to lay
so thick in half an hour that cit wasn't no
matter about them embers. Leave 'em lay.
But turn the chemical engine onto that
there fruit house, Johnny; no use smash
ing everything onto poor Neller less'n you
got to. Bill, you get them chickens into
them gunny sacks and pile 'em Outa the
wind. Yas-yOu! And don't let none Of
'em crawl into your pockets neither!'
Thus friendly and helpful ran the pur-
port of all that wild shouting, but it was
not so that it came to the ears of the little
refugee. He heard other wOrds-saw other
faces.
As once before on this eventful day, six
years Of his life were swept aside, allow
ing the past to thrust it's realities among
those of the present so that his brain for
the moment was exactly like a twice ex-
posed Photographic plate, the one impress
sion as plain as the other and ineXtricably
confused with it.
No use running now, he thought; he
placed himself in front of the others wait
ing stOnily the approach Of that giant with
q cleaning ak.
"Hi! Everybody out?" this one wanted
to know in a thunderOus voice.
81 have the children" Lucy called back
clearly. "They say Mr. Denisher is in the
barA"
was" cried Alexis with bitter reprOach as
the man turned back. "NOw they will kill
him just as they killed father when he
: went back after his violin"
/ IL L H.
! poor, poor little chap! 1 understand now
] But listen to me, dear. These are good
: men. They only want to help all they can
. Look how nicely that big boy is taking
care of the chickens. That's splendid. II
he hadn't thought to put them into those
sacks the poor silly things would be flap.
ping back into the fire."
"Oh-and there! Isn't that Louis with
l the COW? You see he's perfectly all right
and how nicely the other man is helping
him. Poor thing, she is excited; one mar
e couldn't manage her alone very well, bu
e they'll tie her to a tree somewhere unit
e they can take her to somebody's barn."
AS she talked he relaxed from his tens'
= leadership of their little party.
q "Oh," he said in the relieved yet shameC
y manner of one who has made a mistake
q He seemed to grow weak and small.
e 'YOu do see that it's all right about tn
men, don't your" said Lucy, gathering
him, unresisting, with Michael, inside he
: fur coat.
3 eyes" he said weari1y.
!. | 81 do believe that / see your expires
cart over there" she said when she ha
n go and get it and bring it here, I'm jus
- going to put you both into the cart an
h ride you right down to my house"
1t was long after midnight when LOui
/ finally left his ruins. The chickens an
"a the COW had then found temporary &C
: commOdatiOns in the fruit house, and tn
= ashes of what had been all the rest Of hi
u possessions were being softly covered b
, the snow.
:; The wind now stirred only sufficient
; to adjust the shapes Of the drifts; the nal
:, row road to the Pass was level with il
y banks, three feet deep, fluffy, smOtherinj
- just right for snowshOes-there went som,
le body now, gliding along like a ghOst-bJ
ie a serious matter for a lame man to stun
i BILE through. His own fault, though, fC
q he could have ridden into the village wit
II the truck when it left just as we'll as no
., But it had seemed necessary to attend
II odds and ends Of salvage before the sno
y T was too deep.
g He had been told that the children wei