Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-02-03
ed far enough to let her latch the door

y
dared to turn her face to the yielding
| blast. She thought Of asking some one
to accompany her, but the camp lay some
distance out Of her line. Moreover, she
knew the country in every direction
She could feel her way anywhere, if nee
essary; beside, she bad her lantern-that
would enable her to distinguish objects
within a small circle. Turning resolute-
ly in the direction of Wild Swan Gulch, she
set out to find her husband and guide
him home.
AS she emerged from the canyon and
gained the level of the surrounding brok-
en- plain, a strange pause came. 1t SEEM
J ed as though the winds had suddenly for
saken the neighborhood and gone reeling
away into the mountains. She took adj
vantage of this sinister calm to hurry on
ward at run. Out of breath at last she
stumbled and fell.
The lantern went out.
She had no matches.
| Staggering to her feet she heard the
moan of the returning storm. She shout
| ed;
Jim''
Again, with all the might Of her vioce,
| oh0 AAANCu CAO p1oAuou1dA SnAA
: Zip, zip, yip-ya-ho' JIM
No answer.
Then the tempest rushed round her in
a battling, ferocious whirl Of sound and
wind and snow.
In the meantime Jim Oaks had been
at one OF his old diversions. Having re-
turned from Wild Swan Gulch with a
splendid trophy in the shape Of black
billed swan drake, he was Longing to-
ward home when the storm came on and
stopped in at the last saloon, as usual, to
get drink. It was always warm and
coy in that liquor mill, and on Christ
mas Eve the place was peculiarly invit
ing. The boys were assembled for night
at poker, and Jim sat down and took a
hand.
''It's kind o. rough on Winery" he
thought cnce, about midnight, ''leavin'
Never mind she'll worry it through, l
reckon"
But when the man entered his cabin
next morning and started toward the bed
with a peace offering (his winnings ex-
tended in his hand he was completely
stunned by what he saw. The untouched
bed, the freless hearth, the cold, untasted
supper, his wife's clothes strewn on the
floor, the open trunk, the absent cap and
lantern---these flashed the truth into his
brain.
sSShe's gone to hunt for me! She's been
gone long while. All night, p'rhaps in
the storm. O, Minery!"
Out he sprang through the doorway
The storm was over and the air was clear
still, and bitter cold The sun
was rising He cast one strenuous
look around the narrow horizon, and
the camp.
"Minery'!" he shouted, 'have any of
you seen Minery'p'
Immediately the camp reused itself
from its aromatic slumbers. When it was
found that Mrs. Oaks was really missing
the miners volunteered as one man to 90
to her rescue. Asled was prepared
tire-wood, provisions, blankets, and key
of whisky were roped fast to it, and, with
Jim chatting by this time, land far in front
on the way to Wild Swan Gulch, the COM
pany started. Parties were assigned to
search the whole prairie east, west and
north; the largest group followed Oaks
trail. It was hard work foundering
across the gullies and washouts, which
were packed to the edge with snow
Often the men shuddered to think what
might be hidden under those heavy white
masses.
The first 6 81 gn was discovered by jim
Oaks partner, one "Spick" Jones who
kept TO the left and signalea from clump
of timber, The bark was partially torn
off about four feet from the ground, on
the side Of a tree, not by the teeth or
claws of a wild beast, but, as was plainly
to be seen, by the hands Of human
creature. Almost every miner was
familiar with the trick. 1t was trick
to keep from freezing, at the sacrifice of (
nails and finger tips. 1t was desperate
method of exercise to arrest lethargy-
One veteran of the camp remembered to /
have climbed up and down tree all /
night one winter when he was over taken |
without matches by mountain blizzard. [
Jim Oaks set his teeth hard when he
saw the frozen blood spots on the tree.
'SStay with me. boys, he said, hoarsely,
" and help me find my wife,
The men struggled on.
Some two hours later figure On dis /
tant bluff was seen waving hat. All
sought the place where the wind had blown
so fercely during the preceding night
that it had prevented the snow from lodg-
ing on the windward ridges. Mrs. Oaks
lay on her back there, half covered with
snow, frozen to sleep. Her left hand was
thrust inside the vest she wore her right
hand was extended above her head and
covered with blood from her poor torn fin
gers,
Everybody made way for Jim.
He came up and knelt down reverently
beside her, and kissed her rigid lips.
"Minery'," he said, ge.tly. He reached,
trying to feel her heart.
''Minerv'!"
He looked around on the faces Of his
fellow miners with such an expression
on his drawn and haggard yisage that they
turned away.
He touched the cold hand in her
bosom. It covered something which she
had clutched for when she fell. He drew
it forth; it was her Testament. Opening
it mechanically at the hy-leaf, he saw the
words, written, behaps, long before:
"This book has been my comfort.
d. u