The Shasta courier., 1864-03-19
SHASTA COURIER.
A January stage Ride--An Affecting In-
cident.

A correspondent of the St. Louis Democrat
gives bis experience in trip by stage from
sedalia to Springfield, Mo-, during the re-
sent colo term. The distance is l2G' miles,
and the ordinary time thrty-six hours. The
Trip occupied fifty hours. When the coach
left Sedalia the thermometer stood at four
teen degrees below zero. The sufferings of
passengers, drivers, and animals, were in
tense. We extract a single incident from the
trip:
At the different houses where we stopped,
and we stopped at nearly every one on the
road, the inmates, men, women, and children,
were huddled around the chimney corner dis
cussing only one thing-the cold. The sec
ond night out was equally cold as the first,
and the first was as cold as charity. Ny com
panions in the cold remained with me until
s o'clock on the second night-so the driver
told me; for, when | awoke at 10 o'clock from
cold doze, into which | had fallen about Z,
P. NJ, found them gone. l was not long
alone, however, when the stage halted at a
house about nineteen miles from Boliser,
where a lady and child took passage for the
latter place.
She was plainly but comfortably clad, and
in conversation | found her possessed of no
mean intellect. She had received word that
her husband, who is in the army, was dan
gerously i'll at Boliver, and thither she was
going. Every few miles we stopped to warm
and at each place, until within about five
miles of her destination, the mother took the
babe, an infant of fifteen months, into the
different houses. 1t was nearly four O'Clock
in the morning, and we were within five miles
of Bolivar, when the stage drew up at a rude
cabin, where the driver informed us we could
get warm, and that he would not halt again
before reaching town.
Igot out and assisted the lady to alight,
when we entered the domicil. noticed that
she was not carrying the child, and asked her
where it was. 8 l have wrapped it up and
laid it on the seat, as | was afraid if the wind
blew on it it might catch cold, - was her re-
ply. | told her she had better bring it in. as
it would certainly freeze. She said, 9 No. it
is warm and will sleep" We remained in
The baby was still lying on the seat, and the
mother, after she picked him up, remarked,
He is asleep yet"
Not whimper, not cry proceeded from
that child during the remainder of the trip.
The wind moaned piteously. Closely the
mother nestled her babe to her bosom. We
reached-Boliv before it was yet day, cold,
chilled almost beyond the endurance of ma
ture. | went into the tavern, accompanied
by mother and child. Walking up the lane,
the mother said to me, Did you ever see
such a good baby-he hasn't cried tonight ~
It-was half an hour before the fire was made,
no one being out of bed when we went in.
You have often seen-perhaps you have
been party to it yourself-persons on cold
day, on entering room, congregate and re-
main around stove where there was no fire,
and, as is usual in such cases, always the
coolest place in the room. So it was with us
we drew chairs to the cold fire place and
awaited the kindling, which in time followed
The fire was lighted, and soon gave cut its
greatful offering of heat. The child remain
ed wrapped up; it was quiet. His mother
repeated, Heis asleep yet" He was asleeE
-''he is asleep get" That child was frozer
to death, and, in this world, he is asleeT
yet" Death spared him the colds of eartl
he was frozen into Paradise.