The Argosy, December 1905 — page 168: what you’re looking at

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

146 Ile halted in his task, his heart thumping under his ribs like a minia- ture engine, and listened. Then he shouted again, this time with his lips to the side of the door frame. The roaring of the flames, like a tor- nado passing through the _ treetops, dwarfed -all other sounds. Dan could not be sure whetheg he had heard a voice or it were an hallucination of his disturbed mind. He tore madly at the next box, though he had no idea as to what he should do with it when he drew it out. He could pile no more behind him. The upper boxes were already toppling in threat- ening manner over his head. And at this point there came a de- cided rattle at the door. Somebody without was tearing at the hasp with which it was fastened. Dan uttered a whoop of joy and dragged up the box he had clutched. Instantly the door “ fell open ”—that is, the hasp being unfastened, it rolled back to the full length of its rail and left the way to light and air open to the prisoner. At the same moment the boxes behind Dan began to topple upon him. He dropped the one in his arms, and those below started to slide out of the widely opened door. One or two dropped to the ground; others followed. Dan came sliding down with them, and in half a minute the car was vomiting boxes of matches, many of which split open as they landed upon the rocky bottom of the ravine. With them, out of the interior of the car, was shot the signalman, a box ricochetting from his head and another landing foreibly in the small of his back as he left the car feet foremost. Amid this shower he landed heavily upon the ground. It was a wonder that he was not fatally injured, and he might have been ~ (for the box-car still continued to vomit its cargo), had not the person who had already played Providence by opening the door run in and fairly dragged Dan out of the way of the falling boxes. He was too exhausted—too breath- less, indeed—to rise at first, and could only lie there and stare up at the face THE ARGOSY. of his rescuer. And, indeed, had he searched his mind through for the iden- tity of the one who would save him, he could never have expected it to be Belle Howard. é It was sure she, in a-neat riding habit, caught up at the side to give her limbs freer movement, with a crop hanging from a loop at her wrist, and with gant- leted hands. She was breathless herself, and, in spite of her recent exertions, very pale. Overhead, the trees were a mass of hissing flames, and the sparks and blazing brands were falling in a perfect shower on the up-ended ear. Only the lack of vegetation in the rocky bottom of the ravine—that in some former time might have been the bed of a mountain torrent—had saved the box-car from being ignited. The heat and smoke driven down into the place were intense. It was certain that no human being could remain long in the vicinity. With the revelation of Miss Howard’s presence this fact like- wise penetrated Dan Crompton’s mind. “ We—we must get out of here!” he stammered, getting waveringly to his knees. She placed her hand under his arm and helped him to his feet without a word. A great cloud of smoke swept down upon them at the moment, and they stood there, blinded, choking, clinging together until it had passed. But Dan. was sweeping the cobwebs from his brain. “Where’s your horse? Can we get out the way you came in?” “No. I had to leave Jetty above. The fire is there now,” Belle said quickly. “We must run down the ravine, Mr, Crompton.” “Come on, then ”——-and he began to stagger in the direction indicated. “You cannot travel,” she cried in de- spair. “ What shall we do?” “Tf I give out, you run on and leave me,” Dan returned. “ But I’m not a dead one yet. Far from it!” He gritted his teeth and plunged on. Soon, instead of her leading him, she was being dragged along the rocky way by the signalman. The blazing embers fell about them— COmMiclooolks (C@