White Bluffs spokesman. [volume] (White Bluffs, Wash.) 1907-1938, 1936-07-02
FLAME in THE FOREST
by HAROLD TITUS
@By Illustrations by Irwin Myers wNu Service

shaking his head as though NUT
tering to himself, made his way |
slowly up the stairs.
Kerry slipped along the end of |
the house and reached the rear just |
as a shaft Of light shot out into
the spruce thicket there. The light
came from a dormer window set in
the gently pitched roof. Stepping
away from the wall Kerry could
see Vests head and shoulders be-
hind the panes.
The man raised the bottle to his
lips for a fourth time and then,
evidently placing it on a table, I'M
buckled the strap of his shoulder
holster and put it down.
Alone in the darkness Kerry let
one eyelid droop and cooked his
head. That pistol might be most
important item in his own official
life. But how to get possession
without having West know where
it had gone?
A clump Of small birches grew
close to the rear wall of the house,
| their trunks almost touched the
low caves. Hand over hand, ne
went up the saplings and hitched
himself to the wet shingles, stretch
ing out on his belly.
Now he could see West plainly.
The man was sitting in a chair,
the whisky bottle in his hands.
The pistol, Kerry saw, was hung
/ in it's holster over the back OF a
chair.
| West drank once more, and whis-
XIV trickled over his chin. His move
ments, replacing the bottle on the
small table, were uncertain. He
rose and CROPPED for the hanging
light-bulb.
NIGHT shut down suddenly and
bedsprings creaked as a heavy body
fell upon them. 49,.
Kerry was within feet OF that
weapon. And he had plan to ge'
hold Of it.
He rose from his position or
the shingles and began making his
way along the roof, cautiously. he
; gained the ridge and stood erect.
J The chimney belched great vol
umes of smoke. Off came Young's
, Jacket, now; over the flue opening
it went. and he crouched. agains
the masonry, waiting.
Down in the NAV Of the fireplace
feeble flames died from orange tt
: blue and then expired, in the roll
: ing smoke, which cut off from es
{ cape above, flowed out and fille'
the living room. 1t drifted up tn
stairway and into the upper hall
growing thicker and thicker as tn
: punky birch smoldered. Along tn
Z, hallway it rolled, and into the roor
U where man lay, breathing heavily
still muttering to himself.
d. Tod West was in stupor. ID
e rolled over and cursed thickly. H
e coughed and strangled and strue
s gled up to one elbow, staring abou
in the darkness. He coughed again
o then the instructive alarm in huma
E beings for natural elements out {
n control shocked him into a stat
q bordering full consciousness.
His feet hit the floor. He fun
e. the door wide open and made fe
e. the stairway. He could not breath
,e could not see. He turned abo,
a and ran for his room again, chol
ing and gasping. He fumbled
10 the catch Of his window, threw U
9. the sash and his great voice roare
le into the black night.
oil "Fire!" he yelled. "Fire!" Ar
If again: Fire! Help! Fire!"
IS He threw foot to the wet ro'
r. and scrambled out, slipped, role
s. over. threw his arms wide ar
10 brought himself to a sliding stop 8
Il. most at the caves.
20 "Fire!" he yelled again. iii, yo'