The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1878-01-17

L w
sat all the first nj ght. Them two chairs
(pointing to another in the shanty) l
brought all the way from Missouri with
me. We had them n the wagon. Miss
Nolan she sat in one, m held the baby,
m Miss Smith she sat in the other, and
held the little boy, m Tommy m me
we turned over the two water-buckets,
m sat on them, m there we sat all
night long, jest S close to each other s
we could get, m old man Nolan, he
tended the fire, m it showed, showed,
all night, IS tight as it could snow, m
towards morning the old man says, says
he, well, l don't knows can hold out
till morning, but III try m when
morning come, there we was with snow
drifts piled up all round us higher N
our heads, m them children never so
much IS cried. 1t seems S if the snow
KEEP US warm, 'twa'n't real winter, We
see, if had been we'd ha' died there all
in heap, froze to death, sure. Well,
there we had to stay down in
that canyon two weeks, a lack
ing two days, before we could
get out. 1t want deep with snow
all the time, but when the snow went,
there was such mud-holes, there couldn't
nobody travel, but the first week it
showed pretty much all the time. The
wagons was up on the top o. the canyon,
N we KEEP path trod so we could 60
back m forth to them, m there was a
kind O. shelving place o. rock in the
canyon, m we got the horses down in
there and kept them there, m we had
plenty for them to eat. Old man Mo
Ian, he had four sacks o. corn, m we
had three, m we had tea m coffee, m
-four, m sugar, m beans, m dried
apples. The dried apples was heap O.
help. We didn't suffer. l hain't never
suffered; I've always had plenty. There
was one night though we did like to get
lost. We got ketched in an awful storm
a-goin' up to the wagons; twas jest
near night time; it he'd been real clear,
m we all of us went up to the wagons
to get things, all but Miss Nolan; she
staid in the canyon with the children; n
there came up the awfulest .snow-squall
l ever see. 1t took your breath out o.
your body, and you couldn't see no
more'n you could in the dead o night.
First l got inte one wagon m
Tommy with me; m the rest
they came on, m we was all calling out
to each other, BE you there? Be you
there?' m at last we was all in the
wagons, m there we jest sat till morn
ing; an if you'll believe it, along in the
night, if we didn't hear Miss Nolan
a-calling to us; she'd felt her way out O
thet canyon, a-carrying that baby N
dragging the boy after her. She was
afraid to stay in the canyon all alone
but twas meracle her getting to the
wagons S she did. 1t was dreadful fool
ish in her, m I told her SO. Tha
morning the snow was up to our mid
dies an we had time on It getting
back into the canyon"
wish could tell the whole of Grand
mas story in her own words; but i
would be impossible. My own word
will be much less graphic, but they vii
serve to convey the main features of he
narrative.
Finding me so sympathetic a listener
she told me bit by bit the whole histor,
of her emigration from Missouri to Col
orado. Her husband had been farmer
and | inferred, an unsuccessful one, il
Missouri. He had died thirteen year
ago. Her two eldest sons, grown men
had been in the Confederate army, AM
were both killed in battle. Shortly afte
this the jayhawkers burnt her house
She escaped with only Tommy and hi
brother, and the clothes they were wear
ing.
"They just left me my two little chill
dren,n she said; " and that was all. Blu
it want two days before the neighbor
they got together m they gave me
much s two wagon loads O. things, al
/ needed to set up again m go on.
hain't never suffered; I've always bee
took care of, ye see."
By hook and by crook she manage
finally to get another house, with littl
land, where she and Tommy were livin
alone together, when his health bega
to fail. He had chills, and then he raise
blood; then she made up her mind, CO:
what it would, to carry him to Colors
do. Her house must have been a sma
and poor one, because all she got in e,
change for it was little covered wago
and two horses; one, the colt which ha
been in harness only few time
'swas,'' she said, "not much more l
skin an bone, but twas the best
could do"
, So she packed her household goot
and set out to drive to Colorado. Whe
they reached Fort Scott in Kansas, tt
, people at the fort persuaded her to ligh
, en- her load by shipping most of h,
things by rail to Pueblo.
Il got big box," she said, "an'
jest put every thing into it, an ma
2 who was shipping lot O. things o. h
own, said he'd ship mine with his, N
t come ON with Tommy m left 'em al