"
"What'd you say, Papa?"
"Nothing of any consequence, son. You hitch the mules for me.
Here, hold the reins."
Papa leaped from the wagon and ran up the slope, straight
toward the fire.
"Take care, Jodie!"
"Mama, soon's I hitch the mules, lem'me go find out what it
looks like on the other side! I ain't never seen such a fire in
my whole life! I'll run way around. I won't get no closer'n we
are right now."
"Lemme go too, Mama."
"If Mierd goes, can I go, Mama?"
"Now, now, children, Papa said for y'all to stay with me. I
tell you what we'll do. I'll walk with you, and we'll make our
way up toward the schoolhouse spring. But now y'all have got to
keep close to me and close to the branch."
"Hot diggity! Come on!"
"Mama?"
"What, Mierd?"
"How come the fire just keeps on and on burning so terrible?"
"For one thing, the timbers in the store are pine, heart
pine, full of fat-even the shingles on the roof. Besides, the
shelves were stocked full of Christmas goods-things that burn
easy. And, there's all that coal oil, and cloth-just everything.
Pages:
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108