By that
glance he knew that she understood why he was there, and that she
accepted his sacrifice.
They hurried around the outer edge of the corrals, and as they
approached the flaming barn from one side the men from the bunk-house
rushed up from the other. It was Buck Daniels who reached Dan as the
latter stumbled back from the door of the barn, surrounded by a
following cloud of smoke, and fell stumbling to the ground. And Buck
raised him.
The girl was instantly beside them.
She had thrown on a white dressing gown when she rose from bed. It was
girded high across her breast, and over it showered her bright hair,
flashing like liquid gold in growing light. She, now, received the
semi-conscious burden of Dan Barry, and Buck Daniels stepped forward,
close to the smoke. He began to shout directions which the two watchers
behind the hill could not hear, though they saw his long arms point and
gesticulate and they could see his speaking lips. But wild confusion
was on the crowd of cowpunchers. They ran here and there. One or two
brought buckets of water and tossed the contents uselessly into the
swirling, red-stained hell of smoke. But most of them ran here and
there, accomplishing nothing.
"An' all this come from one little match, Mac," cried Haw-Haw
ecstatically at the ear of Mac Strann. "All what we're seein'! Look at
the gal, Mac! She's out of her wits! She's foolin' about Barry, doin' no
good.
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