The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1878-02-20

tBen ner own tnlck shawl ana NIT
tens Lighting her lantern and tax
ing shovel, she opened the dool
again, and attacked the drift until il
yielded far enough to let her latch
the doer behind Her.
Tae night was awful. She could
see nothing through the furry. She
hardly dared turn her face to the
yelliag blast She thought of asking
some one to accompany her, but the
camp lay some distance out of the
line. Moreover she knew the c,un.
try in every direction. She could
feel her way anywhere if necessary
besides she had her lantern-thai
would enable her to distinguish OBJ.
jects within small circle. Turning
resolutely in the direction of Wild
Swan Gulch she set out to find her
husband and to guide him home.
As she emerged from the canyon
and gained the level of the surround
ing broken plain, a strange calm
came. 1t seemed as though the wind
had suddenly forsaken the neighbor-
hood aud gone reeling away into the
mountains. She took advantage of
this sinister calm to hurry onward at
ran. Out of breath she at last
stumbled and fell.
The lantern went out.
She had no matches
Staggering to her feet she heard
the moan of the returning storm. She
shouted:
"Jim ~
Again with all the might of her
voice, she lifted the plainsman's
call:
"Yip, zip, yip-ya-hoo,lJ lJim !"
No answer.
Then the tempest rushed around
her in a battling, ferociouswhirl of
sound, wind and snow.
In the meantime Jim Cakes had
been at one of his old diversions.
Having returned from Wild Swan
Gulch with splendid trophy in the
shape of q black billed swan drake,
he was lounging toward home when
the storm came on, and stopped in
at the last saloon as usual TO get a
drink. 1t was always warm and
cosy in that liquor mill, and on New
Years eve the place was peculiarly
inviting. The boys were assembled
for night at poker, and Jim sat
down and took hand.
"It's kind G. rough on Minerv',"
he thought once about midnight,
"leavin' her alone up thar such a
night as this. Never mind; she'll
worry through | reckon"
But when the man entered his cab
in next morning and started toward
the bed with Q peace offering (his
winning) extended in his hand be
was completely stunned by what he
saw. The untouched bed, the fire.
less hearth, the cold, untasted sup
per, his wife's clothes strewn on the
floor, the open trunk, the absent cap
and lanterh-these flashed the truth
into his brain.
"She's gone to hunt for me- She's
been gone long while. All night,
perhaps - in the storm 0, Mi
nerv'!"
Out he sprang through the door,
way. The storm was over. The
air was clear, still, and bitterly cold.
The sun was rising. He cast a
strenuous look around the narrow
horizon, then plunged through the
drifts, toward the camp.
"Minery' he shouted. Have
any of you seen Minerv' ?"
Immediately the camp reused
itself from its slumbers. When it
was found that Mrs. Oaks was really
missing, the miners volunteered as
one man to go to her rescue. A sled
was prepared-some irewood, pro-
visions, blankets and keg of whis-
key were roped fast to it, and with
Jim far iu frolt on the way to Wild
Swan GuIch, the Company started.
Parties were assigned to search the
whole prairie, east, west and north;
the largest group followed Oaks
trail. 1t was hard work foundering
across the gullies and wash-outs
which were packed to the edge with
snow. Often the men shuddered to
think of what might be hidden under
those heavy white masses.
The first "sign" was discovered by
Jim Oaks partner, one "Spick"
Jones, VINO kept to the lett and sig
nailed from clump of timber. The
bark was partially torn off about four
feet from the ground, on the side of
tree, not by the teeth or claws of
wild beast, but. as was plainly to be
seen, by the hands of human Great
ure. Almost every miner in the
camp 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 exer-
else to arrest lethargy. One vetef.
an of the camp remembered to have
climbed up and down tree all night
one winter when be was overtaken
by a Montana blizzard.
Jim Oaks set his teeth hard when
be saw the frozen blood spots on the
tree.
"Stay with me, boys" he said
hoarsely, "and help me find my dear
wife,"
The men struggled on.
Some two hours later a figure on
a distant bluff was seen waving
hat All sought the place where the
wind had blown 30 fiercely during
the preceding night that it had pre-
vented the snow from lodging on the
windward ridges. Mrs. Oaks lay on
her back there, halt covered with
snow, frozen to sleep. Her left hand
was thrus. inside the vest she wore;
her right hand was extended above
her and covered with blood from her
poor torn fingers.
Everybody made way for Jim.
He came up and knelt down rever-
emily beside her, and kissed her rig.
id lips
"Minerv'," be said, gently. He
then tried to feel her heart.
"Minerv'
He looked around on the faces Of