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Show Following a slough, the fire had run ahead in places aud now blazed oa both sides of the track a mile aheaa For an instant smoke blinded them,, little darts of Same were hera an.d there, the sail was in danger. Rob and Tad lost courage and bowed their faces close to their knees; then they rushed out into the clear air again, and the fire was behind one tall pillar pil-lar of smoke far away telling of their cabin home's destruction. Swifter and swifter whirled th9 wheels of the little car, tighter clung the mother to Link's chubby form. Mrs. Mangold's hair streamed loose in the wind. The sail rounded beautifully beauti-fully and they were pushed forward at a rate that would have been a delight under different ' circumstances, and even then gave Rob and Tad a thrill' of pleasure. Ten miles away was the village of Manchester. As they passed the little depot the agent came out waving his hands frantically. fran-tically. Peering under thesail in front of the car, sure enough they could see danger the daily train from the north was coming! Rob looked at his mother. She shouted the one word: "Jump!" Rob and Tad tumbled off on the fresh earth on one side while the mother, clasping Link, went off the other, none being much hurt' .:; The car plunged forward with little slackened speed. ' In vain, the engineer engin-eer tried to stop and get away from the queer-looking thing beaMng down upon him. ' . A Clank, a crash, a crackling of timbers, tim-bers, and the "White Dove" lay partly In the ditch, partly on the engine's front. Its cruise ,was over. Charles Moreau Harger In Chicago Record. dirt on his round cheeks, but he was iujcn iu the auvemurers, wno had told him that he would be in the way at the launching, but might go some other oth-er time. He crawled among the plows and binders to the remainder of the pile of sacks and sobbed himself to sleep. It was one of those "hot-wind" days known only on the prairies. Like furnace breaths the air came out of the southwest, curling the blades of corn and wilting the morning-glory vines that sheltered the cabin win-1 dows. It was the second day of the "hot wind" "There will be one more and then rain," said the farmers. But at the Maugold cabin there was something besides the wind or possible crop failure to alarm the tired mother. Mrs. Mangold looked out of the window win-dow several time3, marking the closeness close-ness of the atmosphere, but she saw nothing in the hazy sky to frighten her. At mid-afternoon she became uneasy, un-easy, and went out of doors to the south side of the house. For an instant it seemed that all her strength would leave her; her face paled and she gave a despairing cry for help. Extending In a long line from east to west and driven by the fierce wind came a ribbon of fire that ate up the Wonder and delight thrilled the Mangold Man-gold boys when the railroad gang reached the edge of the prairie claim. For days, almost for weeks, the slow approach of the laborers had been watched. First, just above the horizon, hori-zon, then creeping across the level plain it seemed that they would never come. Rob, Tad and roly-poly Link stood In line, gazing curiously as the wield-srs wield-srs of pick and shovel crossed the boundary of the farm. "Want a ride, bubs?" called one of the men, motioning toward the flat push car standing on the newly laid track. "Course we do," and the three boys soon sat on the long car, and six bare brown legs hanging off, while the men trundled them along the track toward the piles of rails and ties. That was the beginning. The men Jtayed for a long time on the Mangold Jlaim, for there were along the creek bluffs and hills to work through. The boys fairly lived beside the track and pushed the now little used flat car back and forth, enjoying the novel plaything. "Wish we had an engine," remarked Ted one summer day, gazing away to ihe-north; "it's such hard work pushing." push-ing." Bob, wide-hatted and brown-cheeked lad of 14, had an idea. Perhaps it :ame because of the seafaring ances-:ors ances-:ors back in Maine, the family's native itate. "I know," he exclaimed; "let's put ip a sail!" "What can we make It of and where ; :an we get it?" asked Tad, rather in- lefinitely. Rob thought a minute. Then he whispered something to the others and i series of chuckles and leg-slappings .'ollowed. The three hufried through the prairie grass homeward. Father bad gone to the county seat town 20 miles away; mother was patiently finishing fin-ishing the week's Ironing in the trimmer trim-mer kitchen. Cautiously Rob led the way to the little unpainted granary where -were tept the implements and tools belong-hg belong-hg to the farm. Over the plows and Jinders he crawled until he came to i pile of brown sacks long, close-voven close-voven and soiled. When the sheep ere sheared In the spring the fleeces dry prairie grass and was bounding forward as if rejoicing in its freedom. free-dom. It was a mile away was there time to escape? To the barn and sheds ,she ran, calling call-ing "Rob! Tad! Link!" Not a voice answered. Wild in her terror, she returned to the house, seized a few keepsakes and again went out of doors. Where could the boys be? The granary! To it she hurried and her cry ran throush the building: "Oh. Rob! Tad! Link!" Sleepily. Link answered from his j bed on the wool sacks. 'W hat you want?" In an instant his mother was by his side, almost carrying his to the open air. "Where where are the boys?" "Sailn' th' 'White Dove.' " Link was almost afraid to tell lest he should lose his promised ride, but the look in his mother's face decided him. "Where where do you mean?" , He pointed to the north. She could see two small forms standing on the low car, struggling with a flapping cloth, evidently too large for their strength. "Come," and half dragging the roly-poly roly-poly Link she raced over the plain toward to-ward the track. The fire line had swung in an irregular course, and, while it skirted the bluffs in one direction direc-tion and was dying out in' the short grass of the hills behind which the men were working, it blazed more fiercely than ever to the southeast and east. She could not find safety in any direction but to the north. Rob and Tad, toiling with the unwieldy un-wieldy sail, has not noticed the fire, nor did they see their mother until she was by their side. Then they fere packed in such receptacles, tramp-sd tramp-sd down by Rob's bare feet. A few of Jie sacks had been left and were toss-id toss-id on the granary floor, forming one )f the favorite resting places of the ;hree boys. "Just the thing," declared Rob.hold-Ing Rob.hold-Ing one high in air, and when Tad had ioined him they quick-ry ripped the ititehing and had before them several arge squares of bagging. "Now for a mast." Nothing is quite "o scarce on the prairie claim, long niies from a lumber yard, as a stick if timber. But the granary itself was i resource.' Climbing among the raft-rs, raft-rs, Rob found a long narrow board, vhich he thought would do, and could e spared. Down it came clattering to he f.oor. Days of labor followed before the iail v.-as completed. With a picture rom a magazine as a gjide. and some lord ai;d wire for fastenings, Rob neapured and eowed, ttnd dreamed of he sea, almost making himself believe hat he was to guide an obedient sloop iver blue waters. When it was ready he lifted the odd tpparatus against the granary wall, there were three timbers the upright nast and the cross-pieces holding the lig and nearly square sail. "We'll call it the "White Dove.' " an- started guiltily. "We ain't hurtia' any " began Rob, but he glanced at his mother's face and all thought of excuses vanished. van-ished. "Come, boys, run," she gasped, looking along the track, wondering if the narrow stretch of fresh earth would save them. " ' She made a start over the ties, .still holding to Link's hand, when. Rob spoke: "Let's get on the car and you' help us." " . , "And sail it." added Tad. It was a new idea, but the quickened wits of the woman grasped it. Lifting little Link to the splinter-covered platform plat-form of the car, she helped Rob with the sail while Tad clambered aboard. With her assistance the heavy cross-piece cross-piece and its . burden of bagging was hoisted. Then each held a lower corner cor-ner of the cloth, while with the hot wind, heated more intensely by the blaze a few rods away, it filled and bulged and strained. Rob slid to the ground and pushed the car until it was under way. Then to his seat. Glory! The wind was carrying them faster faster faster! lounced Rob. "But it ain't white." protested Tad. "Never mind that w?,3 the name of grandpa's boat, and he sailed to the Newfoundland banks in it." So the "White Dove" it was. Next ras to come the launching. The hills and a curve in the railroad nade opportunity for the young navi-tators. navi-tators. One day, when father wis igain in town, they toiled toward the Tack Rob burdened with the sail lolled tight and Tad laboriously drag-ring drag-ring the timbers. Up and down the track they looked to the southwest it wound into the , jluffs where the men were making the lirt fly; to the north it stretched itraight away until it was lost in the ihimmering haze of the horizon. "Quick, Tad, bring it on," were Cap-Bin Cap-Bin Rob's orders, and the equipment )f the land sloop began. The task was nore diflicult than they had thought, mt patiently they labored and con-irlved, con-irlved, all the time forgetful of their rarroundlngs or of the danger of being liscovered. ' Little Lins had been left behind. Big tears made wide paths through the |