The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1869-04-02

r. one of the peculiarities of that mouI
q tain climate that its rays diffused
G kindly warmth over the wintry lanG
' scape, as if in regretful commisers
* ton of the past But it reyeale
'e drift ON Drift of snow piled hig
ia around the hut hopeless unclial
J. tered, trackless sea OF white lyin
;, below the rocky shores 10 which th
It castaways still clung. Through th
d marvelously clear air, the smoke O
A The pastoral village of Poker Fla
q rose miles away. Mother Shiptol
u saw. it, and from q remote pinnael
';lot her rocky fastness, hurled in tina
g direction final malediction. Ii wa
, her last vituperative attempt, an,
lPerhaps tor that reason was investe,
t with q certain degree of sublimity
b 1t did her good, she privately inform
n ed tile Duchess. ''Jrst you 90 on
= there and cuss, and see.' She thel
. set herself to the task of amusing
e ''the child" as she and the Duches
7 were pleased to call Piney. Pinel
was no chicken, but it was a soothing
and ingenious theory of the pair Il
thus account for the fact that she
tdidnIt swear and wasn't improper
When night crept up again through
: the gorges, the reedy notes of the
3 laccordean rose and fell in fitfnl
: spasms and long drawn gasps by the
ilickering camp.fre. Bul n.usic fail
ed to fill entirely the aching void left
by insufficient food, and a new diver
sion was proposed by Piney-story.
telling. Neither Mr. Oakhurst nor
, his female companions caring to re
late their personal experiences, this
lplan would have failed, too, but for
The Innocent. Some months before
he had chanced upon stray copy OF
AR. Popes ingenious translation of
the Iliiad. He now proposed TO
narrate the principal incidents OF
that poem-having thoroughly mas
tered the argument and fairly forgot
ten the words--in The current yer
nacular of Sandy Bar. And so for
the rest OF that night the Homeric
Idemi-gods again walked the earth.
Trojan bully and willy Greek wres-
tied in the winds, and the great pines
in the canon seemed to bow to the
wrath of the son of Peleus. Mr..
Oakhurst listened with quiet salts
faction. Most especially was he in
terested in the fate OF "Ashheels, -
as The Innocent persisted in denOm-
mating the "swilt-footed Achilles. .
So with small food and much OF
Homer and the accordion, Il week
passed over the heads of the OuJcasts
The sun again iorsOok them, and
again from leaden skies the snow
flakes were siited over the land
Day by day closer around them drew
the snowy circle, until at last they
looked from their prison over drifted
walls and dazzling white, that tower
ed twenty feet above their heads. IL
became more and more difficult to
replenish their fires, even from the
fallen trees beside them, now half
hidden in the drifts. And vet no
one complained The lovers turned
from the dreary prospect and looked
into each others eyes, and were
happy. Mr.. Oakhurst settled him
self coolly to the losins game before
him. The Duchess, more cheerful
than she had beeu, assumed the care
of Piney. Only Mother Shipton-
once the strongest of the party
seemed to sicken and fade At mid
night on the tenth day she called
Oakhurst to her side. ''I'm going,'
she said, in voice of querulous
weakness, "but don't say anything
about it. Don't waken the kids
Take the bundle from under my head
and open it" Mr.. Oakhurst did So
1t contained Mother Shipton's rations
Tor the last week, untouched Give
'em to the child" she said, pointing
to the sleeping Pney. you've
starved YOURSELF" said the gambler.
THAT'S what they call it." said the
woman querulously, as she lay down
again, and turning her face to the
wall, passed quietly away.
The ACCORDION and the bones were
put aside that day, and Homer was
forgotten. When the body of Moth
er Shipton had been committed to
the snow, Mr.. Oakhurst took The
Innocent aside, and showed him a
pair OF snOw-shoes, which he had
fashioned from the old pack-saddle.
"There's one chance in hundred to
save her YETI he said, pointing to
Piney; .'but it's there" he added,
pointing toward Poker Flat. '1fI
you can reach there in two days she's
safe" "And you:' asked Tom
Simson. "I'll stay here" was the
curt reply.
The lovers parted with long EN-
brace.
you are not going too p said
the Duchess, as she saw Mr. Oak
hurst apparently waiting to accom-
pany him.
GAS lar as the canon" he replied.
He turned suddenly, and kissed
the Duchess, leaving her palid face
aname and her trembling limbs rigid
with amazement.
Night come, ,sbut no Mr.. Oakhurst,
1t brought the storm again and the
whirling snow. Then the Duchess,
feeding tue fire, found that some one
had quietly piled beside the nut
enough fuel to last few days long
er. The tears rose to her eyes, but
she hid them from Piney.
The women slept but little. In
the morning, looking into each 9TH
er's faces, they read their fate.
Neither spoke; but Piney, accepting
the position of the stronger, drew
near and placed her arm around the
Duchess waist. They kept this at
titude for the rest of the day 1 hat
night the storm reached its greatest
fury, and rending asunder She pro
teeting pines, invaded the very hut
Towards morning they found |
unable to feed the fire,
which gradually died away. As the
embers slowly blackened the Ouch
ess crept closer to Piney, and broke
the silence of many hours: ''Piney, |
can you pray ?'' ..No, DEAR said
Plney, simply. The Duchess, with
out knowing exactly WHY, felt reliev
ed, and putting her head upon Pin
ey's shoulder, spoke no more. And
so reclining, the younger and purer
pillowing the head of her soilei sis
ter upon her virgin breast, they fell