The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1870-07-14
he animals he drove being almost ex-

Suddenly, with snort of alarm or sur
prise, his horses stopped and threw up
their heads, their eyes starting from
their sockets, at something indistInct In
the gloom ahead.
There is something injecting in the
alarm of an animal. and Russell felt his
cheeks pale as he moved slowly forward
leaving the horses standing there.
A shudder like the first chill of I'M
pending doom shook the young man. as
he came upon a cutter overturned in the
snow. He was close to it before he could
make out what it was There was no
horses attached-that he saw at glance
but the tugs, cut short off, were fas-
tened there The snow had blown away
from one side Of the sleigh, while the
other side was deeply imbedded. He
leaped upon the runner. and hurriedly
pulled the buffalo robes away, a fear
coming upon him such as he had never
known before.
At last-it seemed to him so long, tho
it was hardly moment-he saw the pal
lid face of woman lying motionless
among her furs.
With a suppressed cry he lifted that
beautiful form to his shoulder, and sat
down on the cutter, bending his lips to
the cold one. that could not respond to his
caresses. And yet she was not dead-a
faint breath Just sighed across his cheek.
Was it thus he had thought to greet
his promised wife? He could not think
he knew nothing but that he had
found Alice-and his whole being rose to
the resolve that he would save her--that
neither SNOW, nor ice. nor cold, should
take her from him. She was his and he
| claimed her, despite everything.
But he could not linger there he
must be moving on, though ever so slow
| ". He bore his burden to his own cut
ter, taking with him the, furs that could
not save her after that fearful sleep had
| begun. His horses walked on again
| they needed no gnid!ng-they could find
| their way better than men could direct.
Anything but intense love would have
despaired Ia that tempest of snow, with
that pitiless wind freezing across the
earth, raising no glow on the white face
resting against his own. He roughly
chafed with snow her hands and face, but
he soon saw that severe measures must
be tried that the lethargy was too deep.
She dimly felt the fierce friction for she
moaned and seemed to shrink from lt-a
| wordless request to be left alone.
Russell had forgotten the cold for him.
self-the snow swept by him unheeded.
Again he lifted her in his arms and step
ped out into the snow, letting her stand
beside him; then trying to make her
fight her way on, knowing that ii she
| could be aroused she was saved.
At first she fell down helplessly, sank
inanimately, with no wish to stir. But
| in moment his ceaseless efforts had
some effect, and he could compel her to
use her muscles slightly, though her head
| dropped in an unknowing stupor.
Russell felt that he had never suffered
before. He thought the pain and
sorrow of all his life were crowded into
that one night By slow degrees--al-
most hopelessly slow-consciousness and
| horrible suffering returned.
His face was pale and sick, as he knew
the agonies she endured But pain was
the signal of life, and not now would he
despair.
At last she looked at him with recog-
nizing eyes, and when everything else
| had failed, love reached the fountain OF
| crimson, and sent a Waye OF its red to
| her face.
Weak aud suffering, she reclined upon
his arm, unable to move or to speak.
| Could he keep the life he had saved thro'
a much longer journey2
When he had left the city there were
few houses scattered by the roadside for
two or three miles. The dim glimer of
| their lights he had seen bit since then
| he had noticed nothing-it was waste
through which he was riding, with 20
| lamp Of hope held out to him. Ald the
| delicate girl, but half resuscitated, he
! thnught-oh, how many miles before
safety?
A half hour passed, and though Rus
sells brave soul had already darted the
| first doubt, human endurance could not
| last forever, and it was more than he
could do to preserve the feeble life he
had recalled, In another half hour ice
and cold might conquer him. He would
| die with her; he could not live when
| that dear face was beneath the sod.
A quarter Of mile further on, and he
saw through the storm dark object by
| the roadside. 1t was building of some
| kind, and it could shelter them. He
turned his horses heads that way, and
plunged through the snow to the door.
It was dismantled log hut, with its
| door gone, and its one little window bro
/ ken out IDuL 1t WIS DSlICi tiO
! fury without, and IN another five minutes
Alice was sheltered from the wind. With
painful and patient fumbling he succeed
ed in fastening,the buffalo skin before the
doorway, thus forming an insufficient
| barrier. Then he drew from his pocket
his cigar case and his matches, and light
ing one of the latter, looked eagerly
around the room in the Pickering light.
III Il .oll l,,o hot tbara N
immense fire place at one end Of the hut,
and divine light streamed into his soul
at the sight.
As his horses had dragged his cut;
ter to the house, the runner had grated
over the top rail of fence, and the I'M
seen post had nearly upset the light cut
ter
The white fingered, fair-faced English
man worked with power that was more
like fury, and when at last rudy blaze
blew up the broad chimney tears of icy
actually foated from his eyes.
Exhausted, happy, he knet at the feet
Of Alice, and with his face in his hands.
of strength to her weary soul. She lean
ed forward. smile upon her lips and in
her eyes, and murmured:
1T was heaven itself. who sent you
here, Robert
Two hours later a gray dawn was strug-
Cling through the clouds broad stripe
of blue encircled the west; the. wind
moaned in lower tones The old hut was
golden with the wood fret threw its
radiance over the two horses that had
been led in, and stood mild and grateful
in a corner staring at the fire.
Renovated. though weak with a happi