The Waterbury Democrat., 1940-09-07

clearly now. .-A
 With a cry, he ran from the barn to the dugout, calling, Car rie! - Carriel - Mrs. Taylor!" Are you in there? Are you all right?" But the wind swept his words away.
 He reached the cellar, saw the storm had overturned only the light wagon box and that the door was free of the wheels. Almost frantically then, Mark tugged at the box, pulling it away.
 Carrie! Mrs. Taylor" he shouted as he jerked the heavy box.
 Mark - Mark!" It was Carrie. "That you, Ed?" came second voice.
 With one final heave, Mark cleared the door, pulled it open. Carrie and Mrs. Taylor, white and disheveled, stood before him.
 Exactly what happened after that Mark never knew except that Mrs. Taylor was inquiring anXiouSly about Ed, he was reassuring her, and Carrie, crying softly, was close in his arms. It seemed an eternity they stood there, before he remem- bered that they were in greater danger than ever The fire was burning straight toward the soddy. No crew of fighters could stop it now. He ordered the women to go to the house, grab whatever they could while he hitched Eds team. In the Semi-darkneSS Mark felt his way through the barn door, into the stalls. The horses, sens ing the danger, their nostrils irri- tated by the smoke, paved nerv- ously, backed out quickly when he united them. He led them to the wagon, hoisted the box back on the wheelbase. Then he hooked the traces, whirled around the little farmyard and rattled up to the Soddy.
 He jumped down, yelled, Car rie, Mrs. Taylor!" stopped short, as if shot! IT WAS RAINING! 1 It came like that, the rain that night at Rock Creek. The air charged, suffocating one minute; purged, cooling the next. Mark remembered that he'd felt the first warning drops on his face as he rode through the burning bottom lands from Carries to Taylor's, but in the anxiety of the moment he had dismissed them. The fire, eating its way steadily toward the homesteads, had seemed inf1- nitely closer.
 They were discussing all this, the fire, the cyclone, the experi- ence in the dugout, over break fast of corn cakes and salt pork the next morning at Taylor's. The rain that had started the moment Mark drove the wagon up in front of the soddy had continued all night, had completely drowned out the fire. Big Ed, black, soaking wet but happy, had come home in the midst of it. So the breakfast was 8 celebration extraordinary.
 Ed, looking out of the window at the black, water soaked bot tom-lands, which had blazed so fiercely a few hours earlier, began chuckling, turned to Carrie.
 Carrie" he sid, winking at Mark think you can stick it out now? About everything's hap pened out here that can happen"
 I'm staying!" Carrie replied, and Mark looking at her defiant chin, was infinitely proud.
 Mrs. Taylor broke in on the con- versation.
 Mark, I don't think we can thank you enough for what you did last night. You'd make a mighty fine neighbor."
 Say" Ed cut in, that reminds me. Did you ever file on that piece of land you went looking after last time you rode out here, Mark?"
 Mark reddened. "Why, yes and no, Ed. I liked that homestead, but you get your plans changed for you once in a while, you know"
 Carrie, listening closely, looked up suddenly, bit startled. Mark knew he had said too much.
 Change plans? Who's a-chang- in plans on a young buck like you?" Ed asked bluntly. "Only time 8 fellow gets plans changed on him is when he gets married
 Mark knew he was in corner and squirmed to get out of it.
 T mean" he said, avoiding Car rie's intent glance and deliberately lying, another homesteader beat me to it. But," he recovered quick ly, T may have news for you sooner than you expect"
 Later Mark was to recall how pro- phetic that statement was. Carrie had flushed a bit, he imagined, when he said it and Taylor hadn't helped any, deliberately Interpreting it in his own fashion.
 Well, it's about time," Ed said, you have news for us. Good look ing young cuss like you ought to