The Portland daily press., 1869-02-06
they find out anything, he added, significant
ly, land there's no good frightening them

ed SecluSlOn. wen nave Soou camp loI d
week, and then the snow'll melt, and well
all go back together" The cheerful gayety
OF the Young man and Mr.. Oakhurst's calm
infected the others. The Innocent, with the ,
aid of pine bougbs, extemporized tnatcn ot
Tor the roofess cabin, and the duchess ;ator; un
ed Piney in the Encouragement OF tnt tba SI,,,
or with taste and tact thai open.IIu IT, s,,I ~ oNs
eyes of that'provincial maid :n " S Sn i"ioSe
extent. 81 reckon now yp YOU IN, " nIe
things at Poker Flat" said Iiney' Inc OUCH
ess turned away sharply 70 Conceal something
!naoI tnao ieGu t;ut and Mother Shiplon requested
Pinav Iotr", not to chatter. But when Mr.. Oak
bnrst returned from weary search for the
trail, he heard the sound OF happy laughter
echoed from the rocks. He stopped in some
alarm, and his thoughts first naturally revert
ed to the whiskey-which he had prudently
cached. "And yet 1t don't somehow sound
like whiskey," said the gambler. 1t was not
until he caught sight of the blazing fire
through the still binding storm, and the
group around it. that he settled to the convic-
ton that it was square fun"
Whether Mr.. Oakhurst had cached his
cards with the whslley as something debarr-
ed the free access of the community, l cam
not say. 1t was certain that, in Mother
Shipton's words, he didn't say cards once dur
guiled by an accordeon, produced SOMEWHAT
ostentatiously by Tom Simson, from his pack
Notwithstanding some difficulties attending
the manipulation of this instrument, Piney
Woods managed TO pluck several reluctant
melodies from its keys, to an accompaniment
by The Innocent on pair of bone castinets
But the crownng festivity of the evening
was reached in a rude camp-meeting hymn,
which the lovers, joining hands, sang with
md
that certain defiant tone and Covenanter's
swing to its chorus, rather than any dego-
tional quality, caused il to speedily infect the
others, who at last joined in the refrain:
s'I'm proud to live in the service of the Lord.
And Pm bound TO die in His army"
The pines rocked, the storm eddied and
whirled above the miserable group, and the
flames of their altar leaped heavenward, as if
in token of the vow.
At midnight the storm abated, the rolling
clouds parted, and the stars gittered keenly
above the sleeping camp. Mr.. Oakhurst,
whose professional habits had enabled him to
live on the smallest possible amount of sleep,
in dividing the watch with Tom Simson,
somehow managed to take upon himself the
greater part of that duty. He excused him
self to The Innocent, by saying that he had
soften been a week without Sleep" "Doing
what" asked Tom. "Pokerw replied Oak
hurst, sententiously; "when man gets a
streak OF nck-nigger luck-he don't get
tired. The luck gives in first Luck" con-
tinued the gambler, refectively, Sis mighty
queer thing. All you know about it for GER
tain is that it's bound to change. And it's
finding out when it's going to change that
makes you. We've had streak OF bad luck
since we left Poker Flat-you come along and
slap you get into it, too. If you can hold
your cards right along, you're all right"
The third day came, and the sun, looking
through the white curtained valley, saw the
outcasts divide their slowly decreasing store
Of provisions for the morning meal. But it
revealed drift on DRIFT of snow piled high
around the hut; a hopeless, uncharted, track
less sea of white lying below the rocky shores
10 which the castaways still chung. Through
the marvelously clear air, the smoke of the
pastoral village OF Poker Fiat rose miles away.
Mother Shipton saw it, and from a remote
pinnacle OF her rocky fastness, hurled in that
direction a final malediction. 1t was her last
vituperative attempt, and perhaps for that
reason was invested with certain degree of
sublimity. 1t did her good, she privately in
formed the duchess. "Just you go out there
and cuss and see."
When night crept up again through the
gorges, the ready notes of the ACCORDION rose
and fell in fitful spasms and long drawn gasps
by the Pickering campfire. But music failed
to fill entirely the aching void left by insuf-
tcent food, and new diversion was propos-
ed by Piney-stor telling. Neither Mr..
Oakhurst nor his female companions caring
to relate their personal experience, this plan
would have failed, too, but for The Innocent.
Some months before he had chanced upon a
stray copy OF Mr.. Popes ingenious translation
Of the Iliad. He now proposed to nalTate
the principal incidents of that poem-having
thoroughly mastered the argument and fairly
forgotten the words-n the current vernacui-
lar OF Sandy Bar. And so for the rest of that
night the Homeric demi-gods again walked
the earth. Trojan bully and willy Greek
wrestled 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 satisfaction. Most especially was he
interested in the fate of"Ash-heels," as The
Innocent persisted in denominating the
"swift-footed Achilles"
So with small food and much of Homer and
the accordeon, week passed over the heads
of the outcasts. The sun again fOrsook them,
and again from leaden skies the snow
flakes were sitted over the land. Day by day
closer around them drew the wv circle,
until at last they Looked from their prison
over drifted walls of dazzling white, that tow
cred twenty feet above their heads 1t be-
their fires. even from the fallen trees beside
them, now hali-hidden in the drifts. And
yet no one complained. The lovers turned
from the dreary prospect and looked into
each others eyes. and were happy, Mr.. Oak
hurst settled himself cooly to the losing game
before him. The duchess, more cheerful
than she had been, assumed the care OF PIney.
Only Mother Shipton-once the strongest of
the party-seemed to sicken and fade. At
midnight on the tenth day she called Oak
hurst to her side. "I'm going" she said, in
voice OF querulous weakness "but don't say any
thing about it. Don't waken the kids. Take the
bundle from under my head and open it,"
Mr.. Oakhurst did so. "it contained
Mother Shipton's rations for the last week,
"Give'um to the child" she said,
pointing to the sleeping Piney. "YoI've
starved YOURSELF said the gambler. "That's
what they cali it," said the woman querulous-
ly, as she lay down again, and turning her face
to the wall, passed quietly away.
The accordeon and the bones were put
aside that day, and Homer was forgotten.
When the body of Mother Shipton had been
committed to the snow, Mr. Oakhurst took
The innocent aside, and showed him a pair
of sn9w-shoes, which he had fashioned from
the old pack saddle. "There's one chance in
in a hundred to save her yet" he said, point
ing to Piney; "but it's there" he added, point
ing toward Poker Flat. eff you can reach
there in two da, she's SAFE" Sand you?"
asked Tom Simson. "Tll stay here" wa the
curt reply.
The lovers parted with a long embrace.
"You ale not going, too?" said the Duchess.
as she saw Mr.. Oakhurst apparently waiting
to accompany him. "As far as the canon" he
replied. He turned Suddenly, and kissed the
Duchess, leaving her pallid face afame,
and her trembling limbs rigid with amaze
ment.
Night came, but not Mr.. Oakhurst. 1t
brought the storm again and the whirling
snow. Then the Duchess, feeding the fire,
found that some one had quietly piled beside
the hut enough fuel to last lew days longer.
The tears rose to her eyes, but she hid them
from Piney.
The women slept but little. In the morn.
ing, looking into each others faces, they read
their fate. Neither spoke, but Piney, accept
ing the position of the stronger, drew near
and placed her arm around The Duchesss
waist. They kept this attitude fer the rest
of the day That night the storm reached
its greatest fury, and rending asunder the
protecting pines, invaded the very hut.
Toward morning they found themselves un-
able to feed the fire, which gradually died
away. As the embers slowly blackened, the
duchess crept close to Piney, and broke the
silence OF the many hours: "Piney, can you
pray" mo, DEAR" said Pney, simply. The
Duchess, without knowing exactly why, felt
relieved, and spoke no more. And so reclin-
ing, the younger and purer pillowing the head
OF her soied sister upon her virgin breast,
they fell asleep.
The wind lulled as if it feared to waken
them. Feathery drifts OF snow, shaken from
the long pine boughs, flew like white winged
birds, and through the rited clouds looked
down upon what had been the camn Rnt