The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1878-02-16
In a few moments che had manaced 70

NcA1 she Threw OH ner uTeSS ana petit
coats. Going now to an old horse-hide
covered trunk in corner, she pulled out
of it her husbands spare suit-the
clothes in which he won the three thou.
sand at faro which let him marry and
start with his bride across the Mississippi.
She dressed herself in them, and put on
the long leather boots Jim wore when he
worked in the sluices; then his old cap,
tied close to her head with comforter
! then her own shawl and mittens. Light
ing her lantern and taking a shovel she
opened the door again, and attacked the
drift until it yielded far enough to let
her latch the door behind her.
The night was awful. She could see
nothing through the skurry. She hardly
dared turn her face to the yelling blast.
She thought of getting some one to ac-
company her, but the camp lay some dis
lance out of her line. Moreover, she
knew the country in every direction.
She could feel her way anywhere, if nee
essary. Besides, she had her lantern
that would enable her to distinguish OBJ
jects within a small circle. Turning
resolutely 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
broken plain, a strange pause came. It
seemed as though the winds had sud
denly forsaken the neighborhood and
gone reeling away into the mountains,
She took advantage of this sinister calm
to hurry onward at a 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
shouted:
"Jiml"
Again, with all the might OF her voice,
she lifted the plainsman's call:
Zip, zip, pip-ya-hoo, 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
returned from Wild Swan Gulch with a
splendid trophy in the shape of a black
billed swan drake, he was lounging to-
ward home when the storm came on, and
stopped In at the last saloon as usual, to
get drink. 1t was always warm and
cosy IN that liquor mill, and on Christ
mas Eve the place was peculiarly invit-
ing. The boys were assembling for a
night at poker, and Jim sat down and
took hand
cts kind O rough on Minerv'," he
thought once, about midnight, "leavin'
her alone up thar such night as this.
Never mind; she'll worry it through,
reckon"
But when the man entered his cabin
next morning and started toward the
bed with peace offering (his winnings
extended III his his hand, he was com
pletely 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
"She's gone to hunt for mel She's been
gone long while. All night, p'rhaps-
in the storm. O, Minerv'lI"
Out he sprang through the doorway.
The storm was over. The air was clear,
still, and bitterly cold. The sun was ris-
ing. He cast one strenuous look around
the narrow horizon, then plunged
through the drifts toward the camp.
" Minerv'lt' he shouted. Have anv
of you seen Minerv'I?"
Immediately the camp reused itself
from It's aromatic 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 pre-
pared-some tirewood, provisions, blank
cts, and keg of whisky, were roped fast
to 1t, and, with Jim chatting by this
time, and far in front on the way toward
Wild Swan Gulch, 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 toundering across the guIlies and
washouts, which We're packed to the
edge with snow. Often the men shud-
dered to think what might be hidden
under these heavy, white masses.
The first sign" was discovered by
Jim Oaks partner, one "Spick" Jones,
who kept to the left and signaled from a
clump OF timber. The bark was par
TALLY torn off about four feet from the
ground, on the side of the tree, not by
the teeth of wild beast, but, us 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 sacri-
ice OF nails and finger tips. It was
desperate method of exercise to arrest
lethargy. One veteran of the camp re-
membered to have climbed up and down
a tree all night one winter when he was
overtaken without matches by Monta-
IA blizzard.
jim Oaks set his teeth hard when he
saw the frozen blood spots on the tree.
Stay with me, boys" he said hoarse-
ly, land bel P me find my wife"
The men struggled on.
Some two hours later figure on dis
tant blutf was seen waving hat. All
sought the place where the wind had
blown so tiercely during the preceding
night that it had prevented the snow
from lodging 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 was extended above her
head and covered with blood from her
poor torn fingers.
Everybody made way for Jim.
He came up and knelt down reverentlv
beside her, and kissed her rigid lips.
Minerv'." he said, gently. He
reached, trying to feel her heart.
"Minerv'i"
He glanced around on the faces of his
fellow-miners with such an expression
on his drawn and haggard visage that
they turned away.
H touched +ba ao1I I,-,I