Within the boundaries of Foraker's Folly was efficient preparedness. In the open shed where Helen's car stood, hung a rack of brass fire extinguishers, with drums of soda and tight cans of water. It could be lowered in a moment to the body of the car and clamped firmly there to be hastened to any point in the forest. This was a recently adopted idea, suggested by New England methods. At a half-dozen points through her property small sheds housed two-wheeled carts laden with similar apparatus, and shovels and axes. Also, three telephones were placed in strategic points so word of danger might be sent to the house without delay for there is but one way to control forest fire: Get there quick! As Black Joe sagely instructed the new patrolmen, "Get that when you c'n spit her out!"
All day long a look-out swung in the top of Watch Pine, but when the smoke was dense that vigilance was not enough and from three to a dozen men patroled the outer fire lines. Some of these rode horses which were harnessed and ready to be galloped to one of the equipment stations and drag the apparatus to action.
It was racking work. With evening came relief, because fire in the open loses its vigor with dusk; but each night which brought no rain only promised increased tension for the morrow and Helen Foraker felt her nerves stretching taut. The smoke cloud was enough to think about, let alone that other cloud which hung over her—or the emptiness in her heart!
There was emptiness there, and it grew with the days and this afternoon as she felt herself rocked gently by the wind—for she was on lookout herself—the girl stared out across the forest that had been her whole life and was
