Jess of the Rebel Trail Part 42

"Do you think John will come back early?" Jess asked, as she came and sat down by Mrs. Hampton's side.

"He will return just as soon as he can, you may depend upon that," Mrs.

Hampton smilingly replied. "I hope he won't neglect his work to get here."

"And will he go home every day?"

"He will have to, so long as we remain here."

"Why can't we stay here all the time?" Jess impulsively asked.

"How could we live, dear?" and Mrs. Hampton looked fondly upon the girl's animated face. "You have never worked for a living, so have no idea what it means. If we stay here long without caring for the place, we shall all starve, and that would be worse than going back to your--your parents, would it not?"

"But it is so nice here, and I am very happy." Jess gave a sigh of contentment, and looked out over the water. "I wish we had a boat,"

she continued, "so we could go for a row. The lake is like a mirror, and how wonderfully the trees are reflected in the clear depths. It is all like pictures I have seen."

This conversation took place as the two remained by the landing after watching John disappear among the trees on the opposite sh.o.r.e. At length they went back to the house, and busied themselves with was.h.i.+ng the breakfast dishes, and tidying up the rooms. When this was at last finished, they again went out of doors, and strolled along the sh.o.r.e on the other side of the island. From here Mrs. Hampton pointed out the mine on the mainland, partly concealed among the trees.

"My husband spent much of his time here," she explained, "and hoped that some day the mine would be properly worked. But there doesn't seem to be much chance now of anything being done. The place is becoming overrun with bushes, so John says."

"Is there plenty of coal?" the girl asked, as she looked across the water.

"I understand there is. My husband told me that there is an abundance, and I always had confidence in his judgment. But many people thought he was visionary, and in some unaccountable way they considered his mine a joke."

"What a shame!" Jess declared. "They knew the coal was there, though, didn't they?"

"Oh, yes. But, you see, my husband did not have the capital to develop the mine, and people of means were unwilling to have anything to do with the undertaking, owing to the difficulty of getting the coal to the market. My husband always planned to have a little railway built into the lake. He knew that it could be done, for he had a route surveyed at his own expense. But that took the last cent, so there was nothing left for further development. I really believe the failure of his plans hastened his death."

"And would no one lend him money?" Jess asked. "Why didn't he come to my father? He has plenty of money, and so has mother."

"Your father was appealed to time and time again, but he would do nothing unless my husband sold out his entire right to the mine for a small sum, which, of course, he refused to do."

"And is my father like that in business?" The girl's eyes were wide with surprise.

"We found him so, at any rate. But come, dear, let us not talk any more about this. It is a very painful subject to me, and I did not intend to bother you with my troubles."

They continued their walk along the sh.o.r.e, around the lower end of the island, and up the opposite side.

"I believe we are going to have rain before long," Mrs. Hampton remarked, as she paused and looked at the sky. "I did not notice it before."

"What a black cloud that is over there," Jess replied. "Why, it looks like smoke."

Mrs. Hampton turned, and as she did so, she gave a cry of dismay, and laid her right hand impulsively upon her companion's arm.

"It is smoke! And the wind is blowing it this way! See how it is rolling toward us. Someone has started a big fire over there, and it may do a great deal of damage, as everything is so dry."

"But we are safe here on this island, are we not?" Jess anxiously asked. "The fire can't surely cross the water."

"It can come through the air, though. Burning brands may soon be falling on all sides, and wherever one alights another fire will be started. We may have a shower of them here, even before the fire reaches the lake."

"What are we to do, then?" the girl asked.

"I do not know except to seek refuge in the lake. The water is deep around the sh.o.r.e of this island, so we could not go out very far."

"Perhaps John will come and take us off," Jess suggested.

"Let us hope so, dear," and Mrs. Hampton placed her right arm lovingly around her daughter. "John will come, if possible, we can be a.s.sured of that. No doubt he has seen the fire before this, and is hurrying to our aid now. But, look, isn't the smoke getting thick!"

"And what is that roaring sound?" Jess asked. "It is growing louder."

"It must be the fire; it's getting nearer all the time."

"Oh, what shall we do ?" the girl cried, clinging now to Mrs. Hampton.

"We must keep close to the lake, dear, and, if necessary, take to the water. We can wade out as far as we can, and may be able to escape much of the heat of the flames."

Little was said for a while as the two stood there listening to the roaring of the fire, every instant expecting it to leap across the island. Neither did they have to wait long, for soon the air became filled with blazing cinders. They fell with a hissing sound upon the water and along the sh.o.r.e. In a short time the upper end of the island, was on fire, and they could hear the crackle and roar as it rushed through the underbrush, blasting the pine and fir trees in its path.

"It is almost upon us!" Mrs. Hampton cried, clutching Jess fiercely by the arm. "Let us go to the lower end of the island. Perhaps we can get out upon the rocks there. Anywhere is better than here."

Hurrying along the sh.o.r.e as fast as possible, they soon reached the place, and with difficulty made their way over the rough boulders which lifted their heads above the surface of the water. But they could go only a few yards, for when the outer rock was reached, they were forced to stop, as the water was deep beyond. And here they huddled, clinging to each other, every minute expecting the fiery monster to burst forth upon them from the nearby forest.

As they crouched here and waited, they often turned their eyes across the lake to where the boat was lying on the mainland. So thick was the smoke that the opposite sh.o.r.e was greatly dimmed. They wondered what could be keeping John. He was their only hope now, but he must come soon or it would be too late, they felt sure.

It was not long, however, before this avenue of escape was almost cut off. With white faces, and fast-beating hearts they saw the fire sweeping along the sh.o.r.e of the mainland straight for the small boat.

Intuitively they both uttered a cry of despair, and stared with wide, straining eyes as the flames rolled onward, every minute drawing nearer to the landing. The fire now raged behind them, as it was raging on the mainland. But still they looked sh.o.r.eward. Even at the eleventh hour John might arrive. What he would do if he did come they had not reasoned out. Neither did they realise that nowhere on that lake could anything live, ringed in by such a fiery furnace. They imagined that out upon the water they would find refuge from the flames, so John with the boat was their only means of salvation.

Soon, however, all hope of escape was abandoned. The fire was almost to the landing, and great sheets of flame were leaping high over the very spot where the boat was lying. As yet it was untouched, but in a few minutes it, too, would be swept away.

And as they looked, they beheld the form of a man leaping, so it appeared to them, right out of that wall of fire. Jess started and leaned impetuously forward, and stretched out her arms as if to save him.

"It is John!" she cried. "Oh, he'll be burned! He'll be burned!" She buried her face in her hands to hide the terrible scene from view.

The next instant she lifted her head at Mrs. Hampton's startled exclamation. As she looked, she saw that the man on the sh.o.r.e had reached the boat as the flames were licking around it, and had sent it reeling into the water. Seizing an oar, he drove the craft out into the lake, just as the fire swept over the very spot where a minute before it had been lying. Then he seated himself and began to row straight for the island.

"He doesn't see us!" Jess exclaimed. "He is heading for the landing."

Acting upon the impulse of excitement, she rose to her feet, and balancing herself with difficulty upon the rock, she called aloud three times. As the third call sounded forth, the rower paused, and glanced around to his right. At once the boat swerved to the left until its bow pointed straight for the pile of rocks.

"He sees us! He sees us!" Jess cried. "It must be John, and he will save us!"

"While watching the approaching boat, Mrs. Hampton was listening most anxiously to the fire sweeping down upon them from the rear. The air overhead was black with dense volumes of smoke, and already she could feel the hot breath of the on-coming monster. A more ominous roar than ever caused her to turn partly around. There stood the trees, gaily dressed in their robes of green, unaware that in a few minutes their beauty would be gone, and they would be left mere gaunt and shrivelled spectres. From their low position, and protected by the trees, the vast clouds of smoke did not greatly affect them, but swirled high above. This could not be for long, as already the woman had caught the first glimpse of the fire among the trees. Would the boat reach them in time? That was the question she asked herself, as she looked again in its direction. The rower was straining every effort, and he was now but a few yards away. On and on rushed the boat, and as the rower turned his face toward the women they were startled to see, not the one they had imagined, but Eben Tobin. There was no time, however, for questions now. As the boat neared the rocks, the boy rose to his feet and reached out a fending oar. There was a b.u.mp, a grating sound, and a roar from Eben.

"On board, quick," he ordered. "The fire's on top of us!"

Quickly the women obeyed, and scrambled from the rock into the boat, nearly capsizing it as they did so.

"Set there, an' be still," Eben commanded, as he pushed away from the sh.o.r.e, seated himself, and again dipped the oars into the water. He headed the boat around the lower point of the island, and rowed hard.

So taken up were the women with watching the fire, that they hardly looked at their rescuer. Had they done so they would have been greatly shocked. The hair had disappeared from his head, his face, arms and hands were red and swollen, while his s.h.i.+rt was entirely charred across his chest and shoulders. His blood-shot eyes, and the haggard expression on his face told their own tale, although he gave no outward sign of his suffering. He rowed as he had never rowed before, for the lives of the women depended upon his exertions.