Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1870-01-21

L. ,rss iu a private parlOr Oi motel IN
Oh. p-ianees. Two men sat at awell-spread
,,-es s.sst table. The younger had just
r1.asi back from the table with an impa-
,sat movement.
No, he said abruptly, " | cannot eat, |
cannot drink. If | believed in present.
ments should say felt a warning Of some
iliug disagreeable if not horrible" "
o. Well, then, my dear nephew, said the
elder, as YOU do not believe in such things,
why not make yourself comfortable and en-
joy your breakfast? You are not to start IN
al tomorrow, any way, you know"
The young man rose from his seat and
walked TO the window, throwing it open and
looking out into the frosty, brilliant sun
shine The air was intensely cold, and red
dened his cheek instantly. He drew in his
head, saying
'' ! shall start this morning There's 60
ins % he "a storm, and must 70. VIII you
accompany me tJ the station The train
starts in an hour.
The uncle shiyerei and drew his dressing
gown closer
"N0, said he. Il u not leave the house un-
less I'm obliged 70. did not leave Eng
land to get frozen by Canadian winter.
did not know Won were 80 sentimentally
foolish Alice will not thank You for coming
a dav sooner Women don't like a bride
groom around when the welding preparations
are going .a. no matter how much in love
they are. lake my advice and stay here
until ,he time appointed for You to start. -
Robert Russell, the young man addressed.
listened with bare ciyiiity % his companion :
words. What was such advice in comparison
with the urgent cry of his whole nature ?
lie had left England three weeks before, TO
claim the woman Of his choice, who had
been a year in Montreal, whittier she had
emigrated with her parents, carrying with
her the love and promise Of one in whom she
believed with utter devotion.
Rus=eil'- uncle and adopted father had ac-
clmp4niei him, and now sat smiling at the
impatlence the whim- Of youth.
80 There is a st0rm in the air, IN spite OF
this sunlight, Russell said. still standing by
the window. " should not enjoy being
bl5ckaded in by snow 90 my journey
"Prohah.y not, bot You might As well
expect il in this climate
.'Nell. shall take Alice back to England
az soon as possible, Russell said, with his
hand 90 the door Do Goodbye. uncle, then,
goodbye.
Russell was soon speeding from the town,
his ewes looking eagerly forward ove- the
vast stretches OF snow, as If he would out
strip even the train which bore him.
lie was not half through his journey by
rail, when from the west, where it had lin
gerei throughout tie sunny morning. rose
the f.mv white ven that is the herald Of
snow. Woatherwise people looked ont of
the ear windows aud shook their heade,
saying
- This will De q hard one It's Just a
year ago since the horrible storm that block
AIDED in this train"
Russell. looking, felt bis face grow pallil
ia spite Of his hopes. his youthful energy.
lie did not Tear the storm while on the
cars he knew they would get to their desti-
nation before the storm would be sufficiently
advanced to retari them much But he
remembered that twenty miles he must = in
"a cutter after the last station. for Alice
waited him at the residence Of relative
beyond Montreal. Her aunt had persuaded,
her u have the wedding there, where wealth
could give it's glow to the ceremony. and
what girl could resist such an invitation?
'' ii she were only in Montreal ' mur-
murel Russell. As the frst snow flakes began
20 drift slowly downward.
soon the air was filed with fine sharp par
ticles. IL grew colder instead Of warmer.
OF apparently s1 for the wind rose and
whirled the snow ferceiv.
Il had showed two hours when Russell
alighted at the station In Montreal. Ii was
already dark, save that the gloom was miti-
gated by full moon
He was half benumbed by cold and sitting
50 long but be could not wait Reason told
hlm that he was a day early, and might
easily stay in the city till tomorrow but
some feyerish. morbid haste urged him on
10 was impossible for him 10 rest quiet a mo-
ment.
lie stood a few moments by the bright fire
in the waiting room. Then he decided To %
to the house occupied by Alices's parents.
Arrived at the house be learned with dis
may that Alice had left two OF three hours
previous. Oppressed with fearful forebod-
ng- be hurried On, taking the road which
the servant supposed her driver had selected
A. he emerged into the open country the
runners of the cutter sank deep into the
snow The horses struggled desperately
through the drifts, while the binding storm
and benumhing cold almost overpoWered him
To arouse himself from the lethargv which
he felt was the precursor Of DEATH be stepped
out OF the sleigh and pl0idei on bisede IT,
For hours it seemed to him, he travelled
alternately walking and riding, the animals
be drove being almost exhausted.
Suddenly. with a snort Of surprise or
alarm. his horses stopped and threw up
their heads, their eyes staring in their sock
cts at something indistinct in the gloom
ahead.
There is something injecting in the alarm
of an animal. and Russell felt his cheek pale
AS De moved slowly forward, leaving the
horses standing there
\ -hudier. Ike the first chill of an i'm
pending doom, shook the young man as he
came upon cutter overturned IN the snow.
lie was close to 1t before he could make out
what It was There were no horses attached
that he saE at gauce-but the tugs. cut
short off, were fastened there The snow
had blown away from one side of the sleigh.
while the other was deeply imbedded. lie
ieaVed upon the runner and hurriedlv pulled
the buffalo robes away fear came upon
him such as he had never before known
A. last, il seemed to him 50 long, though
it was scarcely mpment-in that snowy
moonshine Sc saw the pallid face OF wl-
man living mltlluless among her furs
With a suppressed cry he lifted that beau
tiiul form 70 his shoulder. and sat down on
the cutter. bending bis lips to the cold ones
that could not respond to his caress. And
Yet she was not dead-a faint breath lust
sighed across his check
Was it thus he hsd thought to greet his
Promised wife? He could not think-he
knew nothing but that be had found Alice
and his whole being rose to the resolve
|a ...N
Dor ice nor cold should take her from him.
everything
bnt ne e'oli not linger there he must
pe "2sIs og' though ever 20 slowly. lie
"yI9 n'7 o'i'1ea % his own cutter, taking
after that fearful .tep ba1 berrn u
horses walked On agtiu~tb.r 9nadoa i,s
guiding they could fnd their ray bo.,a.
than man could direct.
ANYTHING but intense love xould have IL.
SPARED in that tempest. Of snow. With tho,
pitiless wind freezing across the earth rais.
ing no glow on the blue white face aga;ns,
his own.
He roughly chafed with snow her hands
and face. but he soon saw that seyerer meas
ares must be tried that the lethargy was
To deep. She dimly felt that fierce friction,
Tor she moaned and seemed 10 shrink from it
"A word,ess request to be let alone.
Russell had forgotten the cold for himself,
the snow swept by him UNDECIDED. Again be
lifted her in his arms and stepped out into
the snow, letting her stand beside him, then
trying to make her fight her way on, knew
ing that If she could onbe be reused she was
saved.
At first she iell down helplessly, sank imam
imately with no wish to stir. But in a mo
ment his ccaseless Efforts had some effect,
and he could compel her to use her muscles
slightly, though her head drooped in an un-
knowing stupor.
Rufsel felt that he had never suffered be-
fore. He thought the pain and sorrows of
- r. IL