Adventure, August 1917 — page 78: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

76 The burning coals from the overturned stove found a nesting-place on the floor amid the litter of straw pushed from the bunks in the hasty ex:t. Tongues of flame shot up. In a moment the interior of the car was all ablaze. A few of the crowd, recovering from their first panic, started forward to attempt to extinguish the fire. But JJ sprang before them. “Let ’er burn!’ he yelled wildly, exult- antly. It was a good opportunity to show them all what a really bad man he was, and he picked up the half of an old tie lying at his feet and sent it crashing through a window of the camp car, to add to the blaze. “Tt’s my fire,” he whooped. “Let ’er burn!” Tom Fagan, in his own private camp car which served him as headquarters and lodging-house, was aroused from his un- certain slumbers by the extraordinary hulla- baloo and the glare of the flames. He jerked on his clothes and hurried out. “You black divils,” shouted Tom, com- ing up to his men. “Who did this?” The two leaders stood slightly apart, their recent altercation forgotten in the new sen- sation, the following of each grouped behind him, and Tom stopped between the two,shak- ing an accusing finger from one to the other. But dangerous sullenness was his only answer as he glowered into the dusky faces about him, the light of the flames playing upon their gleaming, drink-crazed eyes. “Tell me,”’ cried Tom again, ‘‘what man has done this?” But still not a word came from his men. And all at once it seemed to be borne in upon them that this was but one white man against many of themselves—boldness came to them and from the rear of the crowd came a loud, derisive laugh. Tom Fagan’s face flamed with rage. clenched his big fists. “Big Jim,” he shouted, ‘‘did you start this fire?” He knew of the enmity between the two leaders and suspected revenge. “Wuzn’t me,” denied Big Jim, sullenly. JJ was bolder—that laugh behind him had steeled his nerve. He laughed mockingly. “Let ’er burn,” hecried. “I answers no questions.” That was too much for Tom Fagan. leaped forward. He He Adventure But JJ saw him coming—he was expect- ing it. He took one step back—a pick handle was thrust into his hand by a thoughtful henchman. JJ struck a wide, sweeping, drunken blow at the advancing Tom. It found its mark, hard, on Tom’s: leg, midway between knee and thigh. The foreman sank to the ground with a groan. A wild yell greeted Tom’s downfall, loudest from JJ’s crowd. Their madness mounted to frenzy, the liquor burning like fire in their brains. “Dere, nigger,” shouted the exulting JJ to Big Jim. ‘“Dat’s de way I does.” This last exploit was a master-stroke. ‘Yo’ ain’t got no nerve, nigger. Yo’s afraid. Yo’ can’t do nuffin’”!” Big Jim, overwhelmed, said nothing for aminute. He perceived nervousness among his backers, signs betokening imminent desertion. His pretense to leadership was tottering—he must do something, quickly, to offset JJ’s ascendancy. He stared at the leaping flames, and suddenly, by some queer, unexplainable freak the burning camp car and the old wooden trestle where he had been working seemed to mix strangely in his seething brain. A grand idea flashed upon him. “Is I ’fraid?” he yelled. “Is IP Yo’ follow me, JJ, an’ yo’ll see!” He pointed at the flames. “So dat’s yo’ fire, is it?’ he shouted, tauntingly. ‘“Dat’s yo’ fire. What kin’ of a measly, little, no-’count fire is dat, any- way? Ill show yo’ a fire what is a fire.” Big Jim bent forward and snatched a flaming brand from the roaring camp car. , Come ‘long,” he yelled. ‘Come ’long an’ see a fire what yo’ can see. J’ll burn de tressel!”’ For an instant his daring held the crowd silent; but for an instant only. Then, their whole beings filled with fierce, primi- tive desires, they greeted his words with a wild howl of approval. And while a dozen eager hands also snatched blazing sticks from the fire several others grabbed cans of lamp-oil from neighboring camp cars, the whole assembly followed Big Jim up the tracks. ie DONNELLY had locked up the } station carefully after the last train had departed that night. His last full dae as agent at Maple Creek was fin- ished. Afterward, his heart filled with the CoOmiclsoo C©