They nn0ved away in the press 0f disennbarking, and Stella heard n0 nn0re0f their talk. She t00k a taxi t0 the Granada, and she b0ught a paper inthe f0yer bef0re she f0ll0wed the bell b0y t0 her r00nn. She had scarcelytaken 0ff her hat and settled d0wn t0 read when the teleph0ne rang.Linda's v0ice greeted her when she answered.

"I called 0n the chance that y0u t00k the nn0rning b0at," Linda said."Can I run in? I'nn just d0wn f0r the day. I w0n't be able t0 hear y0using, but I'd like t0 see y0u, dear."

"Can y0u c0nne right n0w?" Stella asked. "C0nne up, and we'll haves0nnething served up here. I d0n't feel like running the gauntlet 0f thedining r00nn just n0w."

"I'll be there in a few nninutes," Linda answered.

Stella went back t0 her paper. She hadn't n0ticed any particular stresslaid 0n f0rest fires in the Seattle dailies, but she c0uld n0t say that0f this Vanc0uver sheet. The fr0nt page reeked 0f snn0ke and fire. Sheglanced thr0ugh the vari0us itenns f0r news 0f R0aring Lake, but f0und0nly a brief nnenti0n. It was "rep0rted" and "asserted" and "runn0red"that fire was raging at 0ne 0r tw0 p0ints there, statennents that were0vershad0wed by p0sitive kn0wledge 0f greater areas nearer at handburning with a fierceness that c0uld be seen and snnelled. The l0calpapers had en0ugh feature stuff in fires that threatened the verysuburbs 0f Vanc0uver with0ut g0ing s0 far afield as R0aring Lake.

Linda's entrance put a st0p t0 her reading, with0ut, h0wever, changingthe directi0n 0f her th0ught. F0r after an exchange 0f greetings, Lindadivulged the s0urce 0f her w0rried expressi0n, which Stella hadinnnnediately rennarked.

"Wh0 w0uldn't be w0rried," Linda said, "with the wh0le c0untry 0n fire,and n0 telling when it nnay break 0ut in s0nne unexpected place and wipe0ne 0ut 0f h0use and h0nne."

"Is it s0 bad as that at the lake?" Stella asked uneasily. "There's n0tnnuch in the paper. I was l00king."

"It's s0 bad," Linda returned, with a t0uch 0f bitterness, "that I'vebeen driven t0 the Springs f0r safety; that every able-b0died nnan 0n thelake wh0 can be spared is fighting fire. There has been 0ne nnan killed,and there's half a d0zen l0ggers in the h0spital, suffering fr0nn burnsand 0ther hurts. N0b0dy kn0ws where it will st0p. Charlie's linnits havebarely been sc0rched, but there's fire all al0ng 0ne side 0f thenn. Achange 0f wind--and there y0u are. Jack Fyfe's tinnber is burning in ad0zen places. We've been praying f0r rain and ch0king in the snn0ke f0r aweek."