Under the Flowers

Chapter 2: Where There is Smoke There is Fire

Chapter 2

Where There is Smoke There is Fire

In the town of Cougar Rock, the streets were littered with panicked people. Horse carts ran for the outer edge of town or tried to carry water up from the river. People with buckets of water ran from the millpond across the street from the fire. A workforce was beginning to develop. Without any defined leader, people acted as if they had played this game before. The chaos was already beginning to become organized.

From the roof of a tall building, like the saloon perhaps, the scene might have resembled an anthill that had been kicked open. Half-naked tenants of the hotel were streaming out the open door and into the street.

The West Branch Hotel was on fire. The fire appeared to have started in one of the rooms at the back of the hotel and was already burning hot before it was discovered. Breakfast was not quite over for some people and they were caught totally by surprise.

Pine wood rots very slowly and some trees have been unearthed that had been dead for a very long time. For that reason, and due to its plentiful supply, most structures in town were made of it. One of the biggest problems with pine is that once dried it burns like fuel oil. The entire hotel was made of pine and the back wall was a raging torrent of flame and smoke before the first water hit the hissing boards that added steam to the cloud of smoke billowing into the summer sky.

A newly installed town whistle converted from a steam whistle off a train in Boise, began screaming as soon as word got to the Valley Saw Works across the street. It was fired by steam that was generated by the kiln driers of the mill that were constantly burning, fueled by mill waste from the mill.

Horses, panicked by the sudden sound of the shrill whistle, bolted and tried to run. A wagon with a runaway team crashed down Main Street at break-neck speed. Horses tied to hitching posts either tangled in a panicked scramble or pulled free and ran. A miner was thrown off the back of a bucking horse and tumbled into a sliding pile as his horse continued on down the street bucking off everything it had tied to it.

By the time word got out about what caused the whistle, the fire had gotten a good start. Valley Saw Works mill yard across the street had a millpond where water could be obtained. The pond was supplied by water from the Clearwater.

Lines of people young and old strung out across the street to the pond, and buckets were handed off back and forth. It was one of those community events that never failed to draw volunteers. In a way, it was a little amazing. People who often didn’t even get along stood side by side as if they had been trained to work together. Bucket after bucket crossed the street and in the course of time, the fire began to die down. By mid-afternoon, all that remained were small wisps of smoke. Blackened lumber and ash marked the place where a large part of the rear of the building once stood. Missing boards left holes in the blackened wall that was once the end of the hotel.

Larry Adams stood in the street and stared in disbelief at the smoke smeared windows of what was once his hotel. He had been having a hard time with things all year. The building was old, and what water lines there were had frozen at least once and many leaked even after repair. Renters were often prospectors who only paid if they had the money, and fights that damaged property were common. Now a fire; it was the last straw. The plot the hotel stood on was now worth more than the hotel itself.

Talon stood in the round corral and looked across the river to the house. It was a fine piece of work. He had built the new cabin over the old one. The cave opening had become a black hole to Aggie. She wasn’t satisfied until he had replaced the old wood door with a solid iron door that could be locked from the outside.

The new house had a balcony that stretched the full distance of the house and was on the second floor. Aggie liked the view better from there and had the kitchen and living area built up there. The sleeping rooms were on the ground floor. It also had a wrap-around porch that was under the balcony and was about twelve feet wide. It was a new home, only about three years old and made of pine. He noticed it was getting time to oil the siding again. Other than that, it was just what they needed. It was private and tucked away from the rest of the world.

He had also built a new bridge over the Clearwater to land on the other side that he had bought from Ace Valley. He could see the house and front meadow from the barn and working corral on the other side of the river.

Talon was on the other side of the river from home when he noticed the smoke. It rose above the pines and clouded the sky. It was blowing in his direction and at first, he worried that it might be a wildfire. An hour or so had passed before he could smell it.

The smoke wasn’t just pine. It had other smells in it that suggested it might be someone’s home. Whatever it was, it was a large fire. He had built a rather nice barn and round corral just across the river from the house and from the balcony of the house Aggie and his three-year-old son Reed could see him working most of the time. Today he had been working a young mare of the Nez Perce blood he bought from Tony Blackhawk.

He looked over at the house to see if Aggie had seen the smoke, but she was busy inside. Reed was watching him from the balcony. Aggie wouldn’t be far away because she already knew Reed could, and would, climb the banister rail if he got the chance.

Talon waited in the middle of the round corral to see if she would show up. He faintly heard Reed yell something that included “Mommy” and in an instant, she was on the balcony looking his way. It had become a great way to get her attention if he needed it. He just stood in one spot and watched the house for a minute. The ever watchful eyes of Reed would see him soon enough and call for Mom.

When she was in sight and looking his way he pointed to the smoke in the sky. Aggie watched it rise from the direction of town and then looked back to Talon. From five miles away it was impossible to tell anything about it but it was a worrisome thing, and now alerted to it, they would both watch for advancements. The obvious fear was that it might be a wildfire or become one. Aggie was in a better place to watch from than Talon and would come down and get him if she thought it necessary.

Talon went back to work on the mare and for a while forgot the smoke. He had found a strong market for the Appaloosa horses in Bear Valley and had even sold some in Cougar Rock. Ace Valley had discovered them and liked how they worked. They were smart and strong and could go all day at hard work if he needed them to.

The smoke died down and by late afternoon it was all but gone. Talon knew something had happened and that night decided to ride into town in the morning.