The Coolidge examiner., 1936-04-10

from the alders along the creek,
looking around in a funny way,
as if he expected to see somebody
or something alarming.
When, only minutes later, he
heard Tod bawling his name, his
heart went flippety-fop and almost
choked him.
Kerry! Kerry! A-run-
MIN, Kerry"
And he was running desperately,
hugging the file against his belly.
He threw a look to his left where
a streamer of thick, white smoke
was coming up to mingle with the
blue haze which had been drifting
through camp for three days. Brush
was on fire south of the barn.
Tod began trying to save the
cook shanty and Kerry wondered
why he didn't throw water on the
office, which was in greater danger,
but Tod, too, was terribly excited.
"She's goin'" Tod yelled. "Old
Offices goin', Kerry!" His voice
was funny, for all the world as
| though he were glad because the
office was being licked by hungry,
| fast-devouring flames.
He did not start away at once.
He stood there priming the motor
slowly, spilling gasoline, because
his hands shook so much. He kept
his eyes on the office where flames
were licking at the roof, eating
into the hewn log sides.
"She's goin', Kerry!' he said and
gave a queer laugh which made
the boy wonder if grown men, also,
sometimes laughed when they felt
like crying.
He glanced at Kerry, then, and
at the letter-file and licked his
lips.
"Sure you got the right one?"
he asked.
"The one you told me, stout
ly. WED better haul, hadn't we?"
"Just minute, now"
He waited, standing there and
watching while a part of the of
fee roof tumbled in. Only then
did he shove the speeder ahead un-
til the motor caught and coughed.
And then they were zooming past
the siding, and he screamed from
the heat that beat upon him; op-
ened his throat and yelled and
writhed against the weight of Tod's
body. Then, suddenly, the torture
was past and he was half sitting
up and they were hitting it down
the grade.
Then he felt better and they
were clicking over the switch
points and here was town and the
motor stopped and Tod West was
calling out to somebody with lot
more excitement than he had
shown back at camp that Jacks
headquarters were burning.
A group quickly gathered, mostly
old men and boys, because the best
man power of town was out on the
fire line, and they followed Tod
and Kerry across the street to the
bank.
They crowded into the bank and
a man rose from his desk behind
the counter.
Jacks headquarters are gone"
said Tod, handing the file to the
man. But we brought in the pay
roll. Did my damnedest to save
something of camp but was alone.
Kerry, here, lugged the money out
Of the office just in time"
"That's fine" said the banker,
pressing the catch of the file.
"That's sure lucky! 1 happen to
know that if Jack should lose"
He stopped short, then, and Tod
leaned forward and the others
pressed up close, attracted by the
look on Vests face, likely. 1t was
look that even a seven-year-old
boy would notice.
why" the banker said. "why,
Tod, it's empty!"
A moment of terrific silence fol-
lowed and then Tod looked down at
Kerry and said in a queer, un-
friendly way:
kid, which file did you bring?"
The boy swallowed, with a new
sort of thrill running his small
frame.
why" he said, "why, I fetched
You told me the one on the
safe, Tod"
The bookkeeper swOre slowly un-
der his breath and looked at the
banker.
Good God, 1 trusted him!" he
said in a whisper.
The other clicked his tongue.
"Oh-h!" he said, long-drawn. "But
he's only a little boy" he added
and slapped the file shut. "That
surely is going to be tough for
Jack!"
Kerry's knees were shaking and
/ there seemed to be a vacant place
! in his middle.