The herald and mail. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1873-188?, 1875-04-09

eyes, in truth, and Knocked me as
peeped into the sleigh. And the horses,
they are like deer, 50 small are then
heads, and SO slim their legs. Jean
laughed at them. He said they were
good for naught bat to take In ones
arms and pat like a kitten.
There your Jean is wrong said,
quickly, not overpleased at this simple
irony. They are good to get over these
dreary wastes of yours, and | wish you
could just once enjoy ride behind
them, and know what swiftness means.
"' I wish I could she said, under
the pretty skins, and all the lovely sill
yer bells iipgling."
"' Why can't we?' I pleaded, coax
ingly pressing the little ungloved fin
gers in my own. We could get back
again before our friends would find out
we were gone, and then you could tell
Jean how wrong he was
can arch smile moved her beautiful
lips and frightened the depths of her
soIft black eyes her foot tapped upon
| the sanded floor, and her white hand
| futtered in mine. It was the sweetest
moment of uncertainty with whicE I lad
ever aught to do.
"'Come, Lulu, whispered. you
don't know how happy it would make
me.
"'And I, too she said, looking up
in my face with innocent candor. Il
also would be happy
offered to this child of nature. She
yielded to it with guileless enthusiasm.
"Shortly after we were bounding
over the snow with the speed of the
wind. My gallant grays, rested and re-
lovely burden they bore, so swiftly
flew along that at times we were lifted
from the surface of the earth and drawn
in mid-air, while tugged at the reins
and endeavored to restrain their ardor.
"Lulu's eyes shone like lambent
stars her hair foated out on the night
wind.
care you happy, Lulu ?" I said.
"' But yes,' she replied, quickly.
And you p
All, Lulu I began. hundred de-
lights pleading Tor utterance but in
that supreme moment of Joy 1 was
checked by group of fir trees that
rose before me, Immediately barring
our further progress. They were
strangely unfamiliar. Afar in the dis
tance 1 saw, the shadowy outline of a
forest. I reined in the painting animals.
Ny heart grew cold within me. An icy
dread paraIyzed for a moment even
thought and feeling. I had mistaken
the way. We were lost And to be
lost in this Canadian waste was simply
death in a slow, torturing, terrible
form.
"To turn back and traverse the way
that it seemed we had come was my
first effort.
"'Yes, we will return said Lulu,
beginning already to tremble with a
vague fear. jean will become anx-
ious.'
"AIas for poor Jean he was at that
moment securing the white desert in
search of us, the prey of bitter fear.
F' I watched every object that lifted
itself above the surface of the snow, but
could recognize none, and became pain
fully aware that perhaps every stride of
the horse took us further from the hos |
telry.
"To add to my terror, the vaporS in
the atmosphere melted into snow, and |
soon we were blinded by drifts that |
blew across our path and drove the |
now wearie9 horses back upon their /
launches.
Lulu had long ago OWNED the sit
uation, and said no word of reproach,
sorrow or fright, but sat, dear child,
quite still, while the white torrent fell
upon her beautiful ha1r and stiffened
the border OF her hood. So white and
rigid she looked, she might have been
carved from the snow about US.
The only work that fell from her
sweet lips was the one that also tugged
at my heart, filling it with the bitter
ness of a vain remorse Jean = muir
INJURED the poor child; and two big
tears fell from her eyes and froze upon
the hard, stiff hairs of the buffalo skin.
81 do not know what mad words of
regret and sorrow I poured out at her
feet, but | remember still the womanly
with which she took all blame
upon herself, and strove to infuse hope
into my fainting heart.
The air grew sharp and chill the
light of the moon was dimmed by the
storm and the wind, gathering fierce
ness and strength, beat louder and
louder in the fir trees, and writhed and
5hrieked in their skeleton branches.
The snow came down as I never saw it
come down before; and there in the
1rifts and the freezing air, alone and
ost, were Lulu and I and my splendid
grays.
1.-The winds grew stronger, the drifts
grew deeper, and at last fioundered
lown the poor horses and while l
urged with painting breath and gentle
cut of the whip, everything was growing
lin about me; my hands were numb !;
4 sharp bond cut into my very brain.
head, as in a dream, the voice of
Lulu, who, delicate and beautiful as
she was, could stand this torture better
han I, for she was born and reared in
his wide snow desert.
"The last thing 1 remember was
lrawing out my pistol, and, like one
,razed with a last hope, firing it into
;he air.
'Then, losing all power of will, I
sank back into the sleigh, now filled
with snow, and heard, fainter and
,ainter, the gentle voice of Lulu-felt
ike an enraptured ghost, the soft caress
If her hands, and her breath on my
,rozen cheek.
"It would have been then merciful
leath to die, could l have known that
Lulu would have at least been safe on
5he good heart of Jean but my last
sweet dream of consciousness was poi
3oned by the thought of the bitter and
onely death had brought TO this poor
child.
"Of course, gentlemen, did not die,
or I should not have been here to tell
you this tale with a moral. When I
swoke to consciousness I found myself
N huge bed, almost smothered in
,overlets of elder-down, and a faint
dea that was being manipulated into
some plastic material by an irsn hand,
ed me to open my eyes and find bend j
ng over me the noble face of Jean,
Calm thyself, friend in answer to
ny broken entreaties Lulu is strong ]
md well, and brewing for thee some
soup to put strength into thy poor
body. When, thanks to the great God,
We heard thy firing, and at last found
you, Lulu was able to speak aad move,
put thou vert as one frozen. And one
If thy grays is dead in the stable yon-
Ter the other 7 fear me will not see | 6