The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1875-12-16

tha shouldar - sd
ave are to get out here" he said.
] was very stiff i'm all my joints, but /
could get up and climb out of the stage,
and no more. If was cold / did not
know it; my limbs were numb, yet 9TH
erwise Twas comfortable enough. l
lcrawled out and followed the boy into a
miserable looking shanty by the roadside,
in front of which we had stopped. There
was rough bar running across the
room, and thick, black-haired, brawny-
looking man behind it, and two or three
kegs Of liquor behind him. There was
an iron stove in the middle Of the room,
q bench along the wall, and that was all.
The boy asked for some brandy, drank a
glass OF it, after handing one to me,
which 1 drank and felt so much better
for drinking that / called for another
and got il; but the boy refused to take
the glass offered him, saying that he
had enough. oa ers.
We were going out when the landlord
opened the door before us. Looking
out into the storm he asked incredu-
slOusly: r -
= care you going onT' -
.. "Yes,p said the boy, ~ was told to
drive this gentleman to Ilium tonight,
and Pm going to do It."
eff you get there at all it will be
night sure enough" the landlord said.
"I will get there all the same" was
the boys reply.
- "Let us stop here tonight" l said
!" we can 60 on in the morning"
y ~ would rather take you on sir.
There's no danger. / cant put my
horse up here, and my master would
kill me II anything happened to him."
That decided me to go on. Besides, ]
did not care to talk. / was beginning to
feel cold again standing in the wind, 20
we got into the stage. 1t was not snow
ing any faster then than before, simply
because it could not. But the roads
were heavier, and when we tried to start
the jaded horse baked and struggled
through the Drift, for the stage had frozen
fast where it stopped.
1t was three o'clock uow the light in
the west was growing DINNER and dim
mer, and the gloom of the mountains
and the bare woods coming nearer to us,
making their meaning felt in our souls
filling mine with an awful dread of the
snow-covered road beyond. Ten miles
to go yet, the night coming quickly on,
the cold growing more intense, the road
rougher, more precipitous, and the horse
evidently giving out. But the boy took
up the lines, the bright, frank smile upon
his face, the CHEEKY word upon his
tongue.
Goodbye" said the boy, to the man
in the doorway.
The man stood for an instant in the
doorway looking after us. Goodbye"
he said.
We went along the road that from
the beginning of time it was ordained
we were to 60. l crept back into my
corner.
"Do not 90 to Sleep" the pleasant
voice warned me from the front.
"Thank yOu," l replied, cheered and
warmed by its hearty glow. 81 won't
60 to Sleep"
Then followed long silence, in which
/ had views of the falling snow, the
white hills above us, the white hills be-
low us, in which / heard sounds from
creaking, grooming branches, from the
wind sweeping savagely past us. Then
unconquerable drowsiness, fast coming
darkness-then night.
felt hand on my face, then on my
shoulder, shaking me roughly; a sweet,
cheering voice in my ears, calling me
back to life.
eff you 20 to sleep now you won't
wake up again." it said.
woke with sudden start, for an in
slant, to a full consciousness of time and
place. l was not cold, only sleepy.
am quite awake" replied. "Have
we far to gow ..........
Five miles,"
The voice was still the same CHEEKY
voice that / had heard from the first.
He spoke to me often after that; then ]
saw him, as in dream, fixing blanket
that he had taken from the horses back
to the hickory bows overhead, to keep
the snow from driving in upon me, for
was covered with it to my knees. As
God is my Judge did not clearly know
what he was doing, or i would have
stopped him. Ibid not feel cold, though
/ knew afterward that was then freez.
ing, and did not think he was cold.
did not think at all. ! was past that.
had begun longer journey shan ] had
started upon.
In that long journey / dreamed ol
home, of the wondrous Christmas mira.
Gle, the lighted tree; of the glad faces OF
children, whose voices heard. heard
one of them repeat two or three times
with startling distinctness, "We are
lostp' l was conscious that the child
who said it had thrown herself in my
arms, and was lying there dull, heavy
weight. But aside from that cry 1t was
all bright and pleasant-this.real, terri
BILE journey through the snow, over the
rough, dangerous mountain road, in that
far-of December. ,s
The dream lasted lopg while, through
all that night, and the day following, and
the night following that. .frlf ..-r
When / awoke from it was in a large
room, which / had never seen before
There were piles of the softest blankets
upon me, a great wood fire blazing upon
the hearth, and had never felt 20 warm
and comfortable in all my life. There
were two strangers in the room, a man
and a woman, whose faces were kindly
ones, but sorely troubled. When ]
stirred, and they saw I recognized them,
they came and stood by my bed.
"Wbere am IT' asked.
"At Ilium, in the house of Methodist
minister" -. @
Chow long have been herew
"Since night before last. You came
in the stage, and the horse stopped before
our door," the man said. :, !. s.sr
"what day is this p n :, -,
"It is Christmas day." the woman re
piled, taking my hand in hers .-s.
II have been ILL., then r. ~ sai -
Yea" sfrtsss.t tftH TF har -.
sThere was q boy brought me here
Where is he p - taf-s RBihrT- -,N
He is here, too"
The voice that said IL was husky
with tears, and the hand that held mint
shook lr,tf ~ sA-t ssss
"Has be been III, too %. ,..','.'.', y 81, -,
eyes, sAe1 - - : 80
a. a mo-. uavar On vall He will nevo,