Ollie was looking at the grass and weeds growing on the top and sides of the house. They must have made a pretty sight when they were green and thrifty earlier in the season, but they were dry and withered now.
"Do you ever have prairie fires on your roofs?" asked Ollie, with a smile.
"Oh, they do burn off sometimes," answered the man. "Catch from the chimney, you know. Did you ever see a hay fire?"
"No."
"Come inside and I'll show you one."
In the house, which consisted of one large room divided across one end by a curtain, Ollie noticed a few chairs and a table, and opposite the door a stove which looked very much like an ordinary cook-stove, except that the place for the fire was rather larger. Back of it stood a box full of what seemed to be big hay rope. The man's wife was cooking dinner on the stove.
"Here's a young tenderfoot," said the man, "who's never seen a hay fire."
"Wish I never had," answered the woman.
"I'LL SHOW YOU HOW TO TWIST IT."