The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1869-02-17

| to which the caStaWays still clung.-
Though the marveilously clear air,
the smoke of the pastoral village of
Poker Flat rose miles away. Mother
ShiptOn saw it, and from a remote
! pinnacle of her rocky fastness, hurled
in that direction a final maIediction.
1t was her last vi upcrate attempt,
and perhaps for that reason was in
vested with ceItain degree of sub
Unity. It did her good, she privately
informed the Duches. "Just you go
out there and cuss, and sea-" She
then set herself TO the task of anus
| ing ''the child" as she and the
Duchess were pleased to call Piney.
Plney was no chicken, but il was
soothing and ingenious theory of the
pair to thus account for the fact that
| she didn'tsw and wasn't improper.
When night crept up again through
the gOrges, the reedy notes of the ac-
cordeOn rose and fell in f1tful spaSms
and long drawn gasps by the flicker
ing camp fire. But music failed to
fill entirely the aching void left by In
sufficient food, and new diversion
was proposed by Piney-story telling.
| Neither Mr.. Oakhurst nor his female
companions caring TO relate their pei
SonCl experience, this plan would
have failed, too. but for The Innocent.
Some months before he had CHANGED
upon stray copy of Mr.. Pope's lnge-
hious translation of the Iliad. He
now proposed TO narrate the principal
| incidents of that poem-haYing thor
oughly mastered the argument and
fairly forgotten the words-in the cur
rent vernacular of Sandy Bar. And
80 for the rest of that night the Ho-
meric demi-gods again walked the
earth. Trojan bully and willy Greek
Wrestled in the winds, and the great
pines il the canon seemed to bow TO
the wrath of the son of Peleus. Mr..
Oakhurst listened with quiet satisfae-
! tion. Most especially was he interes-
ted in the fate of "Ash-heeIs," as The
| Innocent persisted in denominating
the ''sWift-fOoted Achilles"
So with small food and much Of
Homer and the accordeOn, a week
| passed over the heads Of the outcasts.
The sun again forsoos- them, and again
| from leaden skies the snow flakes
were sifted over the land. Day by
day closer around them drew the
snowy circle, until at last they locked
from their prison owes drifted walls of
dazzling white, that lowered twenty
feet above their heads. 1t became
more difficult TO replenish their fires,
| even from the fallen trees beside them
now half hidden in the drifts And
| yet no one complained, The lovers
turned from the dreary prospects and
| looked into others eyes, and were
happy. Mr.. Oakhurst settled himself
coOlly to the losing game before him.
The Duchess, more cheerful than she
had been, assumed the care of Piney.
Only Mother ShiptOn once the strOn-
gest of the party-seemed to sicEen
cd h. I,
day she called Mr.. OakhuFst to her
side. ''I'm going" she said, in a
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 for the last
week, untouched. ''Give 'em to the
child" she said, pointing to the sleep
ing Piney. 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 accordeon and the bones were
put aside that day, and Homer was
forgotten. When the body of Mother
Shipto9 had been committed to the
snow, Mr.. Oakhurst took The limo
cent aside, and showed him a pair of
snow shoes, which he had fashioned
from the old pack saddle. THERE'S
one chance to save her yet," he said
pointing to Piney Shut it's there,'' y
he added, pointing to Poker Flat
"If you can reach there in two days
the's safe" "And you7" asked Tom
Simson. ''Ill stay here" was the curt
reply. a-
The lovers parted with long en-
brace. 'tYOu are not going, tOo,"
said the Duchess, as she saw Mr.. Oak
hurst apparently waiting to accom-
pany him. 'tAs far as the canon" he |
replied. He turned suddenly, and |
kissed the Duchess, leaving her pallid |
face ahame, and her trembling limbs |
rigid with amazement.
Night came, but not Mr.. Oakhurst. |
II brought the storm againssand the |
whirling snow. Then the Duchess,
feeding the fire, found that some one
had quietly piled beside the hut |
The tears rose to her eyes, but she /
hid them from Piney.
The women slept but little. In the /
morning, looking into each others ia
ees, they read their fate. Neither
spoke; but Piney, accepting the posi-
ton OF the stronger, drew near and
placed her arm around the DueheSSis
waist. They kept this attitude for 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 them.
selves unable to feed the fire, which
gradually died away. AS the embers
slowly blackened, the Duchess crept
closer to Piney, and broke the silence
pray 2" ''No, dear, " said PIney, SIM
ply. The Duchess, without knowing
exactly why, felt relieved, and putting
her head upon Piney's shoulder,
spoke no more, And so reclining,
the younger and purer pillOwing the
head of her soiled sister upon her vir-
gin breast, they fell asleep.
The wind lulled as If it feared to
waken them. Feathery drifts Of snow
shaken from the lore pine boughs,
flew like white winged birds and set
tied about them as they slept. The
moOu through the rifted clouds looked
down upon what had been the camp.
But all human stain, all trace Of earth
ly travail, was hidden beneath the
5potless mantle mercifully flung from
above. i,
They slept ali that day and the next,
nor did they waken when voices and !
footsteps broke the silence Of the
camp. And when plying fingers
brushed the snow from their faces, ;
you could scarcely have told from the !
equal peace that dwelt upon them, :
which was she that had sinned. Even
the Law of Poker Flat recognized :
this. and turned away, leaving them :
still locked IN each others arms.
Al the head of the guIch, on one Of :
the largest pine trees, they found the
1euce Of clubs pinned to the bark with
! bowie knife. 1t bore the following,
written in pencil, In firm hand: II
T. nl 8
BEEEATH THIs TREE LIES THE
BODY OF
JOHN OAKHURST, t