“Poserbly, but it doesn’t strike me dat way; seems to me dat fiah am ’ginning to flare up again.”
The smothering blanket by this time was so far consumed that the embers showed beneath, though with less strength than at first. They diffused a slight illumination through the room, and enabled the two women to see each other’s figures dimly, as they moved silently about, alert, listening, and watchful.
The embers could have been extinguished by making use of the same means as before, but the certainty of a denser volume of strangling smoke, to say nothing of the loss of the valuable article, prevented any use of the remedy.
“Bress my soul, if dar isn’t anoder warmint!”
Dinah, rifle in hand, had stationed herself by the heavy door, against which she slightly leaned. As she did so, she felt an almost insensible yielding on its part, as though a powerful pressure on the outside was being exerted to force it inward.
“How can you know that?” asked her mistress, stepping to her side.
“Jes put your hand right here and feel for yourself.”
The delicate hand of the lady was placed against the structure, and there could be no doubt that someone was pushing strongly against the other side.