The House That Shadows Built (1928)

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6o THE HOUSE THAT SHADOWS BUILT wind. Leaving Herman to hold the horses, he went exploring— and pitched over the edge of a wallow not a hundred yards away. Into this they led the horses and trotted solemnly round and round all night. At the first streak of dawn Morris climbed the nearest hill for an observation. Two or three miles away he spied the shack and barn of a nester. Thither they rode. Roused, this settler gave their horses room in his warm barn, bedded down the partners for a two-hour sleep before his fire, shared his morning coffee. “Well, nothing much happened that afternoon,” says Morris Kohn. “But next day — what a day!” The partners were unpacking, setting things to rights. While Morris started experiments with clearing land, Herman made the cabin shipshape. A tin of kerosene had spilled into their metal water pail. Herman, by way of cleaning it out, set the inside of the pail afire, and poured out the burning mixture onto the ground. It ignited last year’s dry grass. In two minutes the prairie was on fire. Morris, sununoned by his partner’s yells, joined in the fight to put it out. It was too late. And the wind was carrying it down onto their shack — already the tar paper had caught fire. Seizing the axe and sledge, they knocked their frail habitation to pieces and threw the boards and timbers across the line of flame to the unburned windward area. That sinister plume of smoke attracted the attention of the experienced neighbour three miles away. He rode to join them. But the fire had a start