Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-02-03
H,.. az Gospel cume to Tim oaks.


up in Montana a, mining-camp was estab-
lished in days when women were as
scarce IL thai country as they were IN the
early days Of the settlement Of California;
there was in fact but one woman in the
camp. She was young, OF fine appear
ance great physiciai strength anu endur-
ance and indomitable nerve. Two years
before she had left an unhappy home in
Wisconsin to become the wife of reck
less daredevil named Jim Oaks, with
whom she had shared the vicissitudes Of
long, slow journey across the interven-
ing plains. This man just missed being
rufiian through his wife's influence.
She loved him with noble devotion, and,
although he was incapable Of a like at
tachmcnt, he loved her, too, after fash
ion of his own. She was made much Of by
the camp; it would have been sorry day
for the miner who should have shown any
disrcspect to Minerva Oaks.
The day before Christmas dawned
lowering. Toward the middle of the
afternoon huge, numbering clounds be-
Gan to loom in the northwest. A mourn
full wind soughed through the gulches.
The miners, housing their picks, shovels
and pans, took their axes into the neigh
boring bottoms and set at wood-cutting-
with a vengeance All signs portended
one of those fierce cold storms that oc-
casionally descend upon the border, ar
resting torrents in chains of ice and freez-
ing even the shaggy coated bufaloes.
The wagons heaped with freshly
chopped sticks OF cottonwood and aspen,
had ha, Oily distributed their loads at night
fall when the wind, changing to the north
east, grew stronger and brought snow.
Higher and higher it rose as darkness
came on; faster and faster fell the snow
AS the cold increased the snow was con-
densed into fine particles that bit like
needles into the cheeks of belated miners
struggling toward their cabins. Still
swelling in volume the roar Of the tempest
appeared to effect the earth as we'll as the
air: the plains and distant mountains were
shaken and the ground under the camp
tremb!ed like the floors of dwelling in
a city when heavy trucks roll by along
the pavement; the heavens swirled gigan-
tically overhead; at length the tempest
became a hurricane. The volumes of pull
verified snow in the atmosphere were now
so dense and piercing and the gusts were
so violent that it was impossible to see
even lighted window at few yards
distance.
It was considerably past jim Oaks sup
per time. But as Oaks was the only man
in the camp who didn't have to cook his
own meals he had lapsed into habit of
coming in late to supper, for which fault
his wife, who was not of a complaining
or nagging disposition, never rcproached
him.
Seven o'clock. Mrs. Oaks fed the fire
from the ample supply Of wood which one
of the wagons had dropped at her door,
then stepped to the pane of glass, which
formed the only window in the diggings,
and essayed to look out into the night
The glass was caked inside with frost and
covered on the outside by snow drift.
Signing, the young wife returned to her
seat by the fire. She snuffed the candle
with a pair Of shutters which jim Oaks
had ingeniously carved out Of an an
telopes horn for her last birthday pres
cnt, and then putting her hand into
the bosom of her dress she drew out
what"
A wel!worn copy Of the New Tesla
ment
There was something covert in the man
ner in which she brought this volume
into the light, and, thinking she heard
noise at the door, she thrust it back again.
Jim Oaks had somewhere and somehow
acquired so rank detestation of the Holy
Scriptures that he could not bear to hear
them quoted from or even mentioned.
The sight Of Bible affected him exactly
as the devil was described by PATIO 'Grady's |
grandfather to have been affected by holy
water.
Finding that the noise was nothing
but the crunch of settling drift, she
opened the little book and began to
read:
For if ye forgive men their trespasses,
your heavenly father will also forgive
you.
But if ye forgive not men their tres
passes, neither will your Father forgive
your trespasses.
Come unto me, all we that labor and
are heavy laden, and will give you rest.
Then said Jesus unto his Disciples, If
any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross and follow
me.
I am the resurrection and the life; he
that believe in me, though he were dead,
yet shall he live; and whatsoever liveth
and believeth in me shall never die.
These passages, on which Minerva
Oaks was accustomed to dwell, were all
marked in her New Testament, and I'M
der-scored with pencil. High spirited
and able to handle rifle or a revol-
yer on occasion, she was sincere Chris
tian in most respects, and quiet in her
ways.
She sst. with the Testament spread open
on her lap, and the Christmas Eve supper
growing ,rowner in front of the fire, until
nearly eight o'clock. Then, as a mighty
throe of storm threatened to wrench the
cabin from its foundations, she started up
with a cry:
Jim! Why, Jim was to be off at
Wild Swan Gulch this afternoon. He was
going to get us some feathers for Christ
mas. Al, God! 1t is eight o'clock.
And the storm! How ever can he find
his way home?"
Springing to the door, she lifted the
hickor latch and drew it toward her.
The mass OF snow which had been piled
against it fell in and streamed across the
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