er brother; "you haven't got home yet."

"And mighty little chance I would stand of ever getting there if I
should sit down like you and begin to blubber. Come out of the carriage
and go with me."

Nellie's face was very red and there were tears on her cheeks, her
countenance wearing a strange appearance in the lurid haze around them.

The girl did not make any objection, for she could not do otherwise than
lean on the strong arm of her brother, who never seemed to lose his head
over anything. Every minute or so a distressing feeling came over
them--such a feeling as we can imagine would be ours were we suddenly to
find ourselves shut in a room where the air was so impure we could not
breathe it.

There was a gasping, hurried inhalation of the strangling hot smoke--a
coughing and filling of the eyes with tears, and then a frantic rush of
several steps, during which the breath was held until a chance to get a
mouthful of fresh air was gained.

It was useless to turn back. The children were in the very heart of the
wood, and the conflagration was raging so furiously on both sides, and
in front and rear, that it was impossible to escape in either direction.

But for the timely arrival at the edge of the creek they must have
perished a few minutes later, and they could not feel certain as yet
that even water would save them.

The creek was so low, that when they hurriedly picked their way down the
bank to it, Nick could have taken Nellie on his back and carried her
across without wetting her feet; but there was nothing to be gained by
doing so, as the fire was burning as fiercely on one side as on the
other.

The conflagration must stop when it should reach the margin of the
stream, and Nick drew a sigh of relief, feeling that they were safe.

"We will wait here till the fire is done burning," said he, standing
with the hand of his sister in his own, while he gazed about him on the
extraordinary scene.

The day had been quite warm, and Nick and Nellie, pausing on the bank of
the shrunken creek, began to find themselves exceedingly uncomfortable;
for not only was there a great increase of heat, but the smoke was too
heavy to be breathed without great pain and irritation to the lungs.

"It looks as if we are to be strangled to death, after all," Nick said,
"for it is hard to breathe now, and it is growing worse every minute."

"Let's go up by the pond: it isn't far away."

"It must be as bad there as anywhere e