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           Nowtherewereblackandorangeandredandwhiteandyellow;atalltreeinblacksilhouetterimmedwithanorangecrustthatsimmeredandglowered;redembersfloatingandpirouettinglikefrolicsomephantomsintheairabove,yellowpulsationsfromtheexhaustedheartsofburned-outtrees;ashowerofspinningcrimsonsparksasagumexploded;suddenlicksoforange-and-whiteflamesfromsomethingthathadresisteduntilnow,andfinallyyieldeditsbeingtothefire.Oh,yes,itwasbeautifulinthenight;shewouldcarrythememoryofitallherlife.

           Asuddenincreaseinthewindvelocitysentallthewomenupthewistariaboughsontothesilverironroofmuffledinbags,forallthemenwereoutintheHomePaddock.Armedwithwetbags,theirhandsandkneesscorchedeventhroughthebagstheywore,theybeatoutembersonthefryingroof,terrifiedtheironmightgivewayunderthecoals,dropflamingpiecesdownintothewoodenstrutsbelow.ButtheworstofthefirewastenmileseastwardonBeel-Beel.

           Droghedahomesteadwasonlythreemilesfromtheeasternboundaryoftheproperty,itbeingclosesttoGilly.Beel-Beeladjoinedit,andbeyondthatfarthereastlayNarrengang.Whenthewindpickedupfromfortytosixtymilesanhourthewholedistrictknewnothingbutraincouldpreventthefireburningonforweeks,andlayingwastetohundredsofsquaremilesofprimeland.

           Throughtheworstoftheblazethehousesbythecreekhadendured,withTomlikeamanpossessedfillinghistanktruck,hosing,fillingagain,hosingagain.