ouldering the weak aside to get the best places,
great fierce animals, once the terror of the forest, whimpering like
frightened cubs.

For days the air about the cabin of the Hermit had been hazy and had
carried the faint scent of smoke, which grew ever thicker. By day the
sun shone red through the haze and at night the dark sky above the
forest to the north alternately glowed and dulled as with the pulsations
of the Aurora.

The farmers had dug wide fire guards about their clearings and kept
cloths saturated with water ready for instant use. The Hermit no longer
took trips far into the forest, but remained near the cabin, Pal always
trotting uneasily at his heels. Like his neighbors, the Hermit watched
and hoped for a change in the wind, which would be the only means of
saving their homes.

Early one morning, as he was preparing his breakfast, a slight noise at
the door caused him to look up. There, framed in the doorway, stood a
noble buck, its great antlers proclaiming it a king of its kind. For a
moment the two gazed at each other; then the Hermit held out his hand.
At the movement the deer backed away, blowing out his breath gustily.
The Hermit laid a lump of sugar upon the doorsill and stepped back.

Brown Brother, for it was he, looked at the sugar a moment, then
advanced warily but with a certain dignity, and daintily accepted the
offering. The Hermit did not force his advantage, but did everything in
his power to gain the confidence of the noble beast which had been
driven by the fire to his protection.

"The forest fire brought me one blessing, anyway, didn't it, Brown
Brother?" the Hermit said softly, as he watched the buck eagerly
drinking from a pail of water which he had thought to provide. Pal,
strange to say, paid scant attention to the deer. Something in the heavy
atmosphere seemed to weigh upon his spirits, for he crowded close upon
the heels of his master. When the man seated himself the dog crept
between his knees.

Then suddenly the wind veered, blowing strongly from the west and
bringing with it the rain. The fire was checked while yet many miles
from the border of the wilderness and was soon extinguished, leaving
blackened ground and bare, charred trees to show where it had passed.

With the rain and the fresh air, once more free of smoke, new strength
seemed to flow into the veins of humans and animals alike. Pal took a
new interest in life and once more roamed about by himself. Brown
B