"There! Now the fire is out!" cried Uncle Fred. "There is no more danger."
"And will your houses be all right?" Rose asked.
"Yes, they won't burn now."
There was still much smoke in the air, but the wind was blowing it away. And then the children could see the big field, all burned black by the fire.
"The cows can't eat that now, can they?" asked Laddie.
"No, it's spoiled for pasture," said Uncle Fred. "But it will grow up again. Still a prairie fire is a bad thing."
The little Bunkers thought so, too, and they were glad when it was over. They went back to the house, leaving some of the cowboys on guard, to see that no stray sparks started another fire.
"And now we'll have dinner," said Uncle Fred. "It's a little late, but we'll call it dinner just the same."
He invited the men from the other ranches, who had come to help him fight the fire, to stay with him, and soon Bill Johnson was serving a meal to many hungry men. The little Bunkers had theirs separately.
That afternoon Russ and Laddie and Vi went fishing again, while Mrs. Bunker took the other children for a ride in one of Uncle Fred's wagons, with Daddy Bunker to drive. She went to call on a neighbor, about five miles away; a lady who used to live near Mrs. Bunker, but whom she had not seen for a long while.