Marion Marlowe on the Prairie, or, A Thrilling Ride Across Kansas — page 26: what you’re looking at

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

24 the blazing grass, which flashed and paled upon the mirroring heavens. Suddenly a vivid glow illumined the track before them. Marion caught a glimpse of four or five riders; then the glare seemed to envelope them in every direction, Light puffs of smoke and flame rolled about them on every side, and, glancing back over her shoulder, she could see the roofs of every coach distinctly. ‘“They’ve done it! It’s er back fire!” cried the engineer, hoarsely. “Ther wind hez shifted er little bit! Praise God, we'll run through ther wust of it in er jiffy!” The fireman threw on more coal, and Ma- rion moved the throttle. A thin veil of smoke shut the prairie from her view and the hot air tinged her cheeks as the train sped on, its wheels lapped by the waves of flame that were blown by the wind directly across the track. | “Great Heaven! What a ride!” muttered the doctor, as he returned his pistol to his pocket. There was not the slightest danger now of any one rebelling. “It’s ther third of ther kind I’ve had,” an- swered the engineer, who had closed the win- dows of the cab and was now peering ahead, cautiously, “Tt can’t last long,” began the doctor, hope- fully, as he glanced at Marion’s face. The engineer pointed to the horizon, which was already darkening. “Tt’s twixt hyar an’ thar,” he said, briefly. “No knowin’ how fur back it started, but it’s done its wust. A leetle more speed, miss! We'll be into it in er minute!” His order was obeyed, and the great engine bounded on. It seemed to Marion as if she were riding on some gigantic comet. Suddenly they seemed to plunge into dark- ness in the space of a second, but even the inexperienced young engineer knew what had happened. The back fire had been outdistanced, and now only a brief breathing space intervened before they would rush headlong into the conflagration before them. Marion set her teeth hard as she peered ahead. She could not see the track nor any- thing else, only the dull red line of the ad- vancing enemy. MY QUEEN. The minutes passed with the air in the cab growing hotter and_ hotter. Only the excitement of the situation kept the young girl from fainting. F Then, with a gentle roar, the wind-swept tide of fire was upon them, but Marion threw the throttle wide open at that instant and the iron monster rushed madly on, its whistle shrieking mocking defiance at the conflagra- tion. | It was a frightful ride and one.long to be remembered, but through the moments, which seemed like an eternity to Marion, she thought only of the poor unfortunates on horseback who were facing death upon the prairie. Would they escape unharmed? The question rang in her ears. As the train sped on, she felt sure of their own safety un- less Here came the thought of that sig- nal and Bert’s anxious voice. Oh, if she only knew what had happened behind her in the coaches, The illumination was fading now and the dullness of the evening seemed even blacker after the vivid glare. — The engineer opened a window cautiously, but closed it as a puff of smoke entered. It would be several minutes yet before they . would be in absolute safety. “A mile a minute, wasn’t it?’ asked Dr. Brookes, as he saw the grim old fellow look- ing at his timepiece. The engineer chuckled and glanced at Ma- rion, “Better’n that thar, young man,” was his only answer; then he turned again and opened the window. A fairly cool breeze was wafted into the cab. It came like a refreshing breath to Ma- rion’s feverish cheeks. “There’s twenty minutes more fer ther run,” he said, in a tone of relief. “Slow her down a leetle thar, miss, an’ we'll make it on schedule !” Marion moved the throttle, but her hand was trembling, Now that the danger of the fire was over, she could think of nothing but her friends in the train behind her, and she was almost frenzied with anxiety to know what had happened, . Dr. Brookes understood her, but there was no relieving her now, He was.something of