St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1867-11-08
VOLUME 3l-NUMBER 1880

and put her arms about my neck and
CRY, and couldn't help herself.
So didn't mind about the snow, for
planning it all out, till all at once l
looked up, and something slashed into
my eyes and stung met was sleet-
"0ho,,'' said L to myself, with q
whistle,-it was a very long whistle,
Johnny; knew well enough then II was
no play-work | had before NE till the sun
went down, nor I'LL morning either.
That was about noon,-it couldn't
have been half an hour since I'd eaten
my dinner; l eat it driving, for L could
Mt bear to waste time
The road wasn't broken there an inch.
and the trees Were thin; there'd been a
clearing there years ago, and wide, white
level places wound off among the trees
one looked as much ike road rs anOth-
er, for the matter Of that. | pulled my
visor down over NV eyes TO keep the
sleet out,-after they're stung too much
they're good for nothing TO see with, and
| must see, if meant to keep that road
1t began to he cold. You don't know
what ii is TO be cold, YOU don't, Johnny.
in the warm gentleman's life you've lived
| was used TO Maine forests, and | WAS
used to january, but that was what |
call cold.
The wind blew from the ocean, straight
as IN arrow. The sleet blew every WAY,
into your eyes, down your neck, in
like I knife into your cheeks. l could
feel the snow craunching in under the
runners, crisp, turned 10 ice in 1 minute.
| reached out 70 give Bess a cut on the
neck, and the sleeve Of NV coat was stiff
a. pasteboard before | bent nv elbow up
again.
you looked up at the sky, your eyes
were shut with snap as if somebOdy'd
shot them Ifyou looked IN under the
trees, you could see the icicles a minute,
and the purple shadows, If you looked
straight ahead, You couldn't see thing
By-and-by | thought | had dropped
the reins looked at my hands, and |
was holding them tight | knew then
that if was time 10 Get out and walk.
didn't try much after that TO look
ahead it was of 10 Use, for the sleet
was fine, like needles, twenty of en- IN
Your eve al 4 wink then il was grow
ing dark Bess and Beauty knew the
road as well as / did. so had 10 trust
to them / thought | must be coming
near the clearing where I'd couuted on
putting up overnight, in case L Couldn't
reach the deaf old womam'S
There was a man Just out Of Bangor
the winter before. walking Just 80 beside
his team, and he kept on walking, some
folks said, after the breath was gone, and
they found him frozen up against The
sleich-poles. would have given 4 good
, deal if | needn't have though, Of thai
just then But dii, and kept walk.
ing on
Pretty soon Bess stopped short Beau
: iy was pulling on.-Beauty always diJ
: pull on,-but she stepped too | Icoulln't
: stop 50 easily, 80 / walked along Ike :
machine, up on line with the creatures
I ears. l did stop then, or You woul,
| never have heard this story, Johnny.
Two paces,-and those two hundret
| feet sho; down Ike plummet- A grea
t cloud of sonw flakes pulled UP over III,
edge, There were rocks Al NV righ
/ hand. and rocks at M left, There VA
the sky overhead. was in Gray Goth
, sat down. Is weak as laby. Ii
didn't think of Ben Gurnell then, nev
a er thought of him II reused me up
bit, perhaps. for had the Sense left +
= know that couldn't afford 10 sit dow
< Just yet. and | remembered 4 shanty tia
l must have passed without seeing
WAS Just at the opening Of the plac
e where the rocks narrowed, built, Is the
i build their light houses, TO warn folks 1
one side. There WAS n log or someihin
put up after Gurnell went over, out
+ was OF no account, coming on ii suddenly
t. There was no going any further ihs
| night, that was clear 50 put about IL
y 10 the hut. and got nv fire going, an
,f Bess and Beauty and I. We slept iogetl
cr.
I 1t WAS an outlanii,h name 10 give i
1, seems to me. anyway L don't kno
st what a Goth is, Johnny maybe YOU d
N There WAS great figger up on tie roel
q about eight feet high; some folks though
As 1t looked like man. L never thougl
ly 20 before. but that night il did kind
in stare in through the door As natural
II life
y When woke up in the morning
S thought was on fire. i stirred a
turned over, and was ice. My tong
r. was swollen up 50 / couldn't swallo
L without strangling. crawled up 10 II
oif feet. and every bone in me was stiff as
he shingle.
he Bess was looking hard at me. win
e- nying for her breakfast ''Bess' says
re very slow, I'VE must get holne-to-nig
'Ss -any-how-"
Ipushed open the door 1t creak
wv out into 4 great DRIFT, and slamed baC
w | squeezed through and limped out. L
id shanty stood up little, in the high
de part OF the Goth. went down a lit
IN, Il went as far as could 90. Tht
it was pole lying there, blown down
t! the night Ii came up 10 my head.
'l, sunk it into the SNOW and drew it up.
up Just SIX feet.
'ed went back TO Bess and Beauty, 4
nd | shut the door told them L could
It; help it,-sOmething ailed my arms,
- couldn't shovel Them out to-day.
ad must lie down and wait I'LL to-morrC
md / waited till Tomorrow 1t snow
Os- all day, and it showed all night HV
ri showing when 1 pushed the door
md again into the drift. | went back (:
lay down didn't seem to care.
for The third day the sun came ont,
k L thought about Mamie. | was &C