The People's vindicator. [volume] (Natchitoches, La.) 1874-1883, 1880-11-27

known him to cook . supper Tor dozen
guests and when they were bestowed in
their blankets, there being no flour for
breakfast, he would jump on horseback
and ride to Niagara Creek, twelve miles
distant, supply himself and ride back to
cook the breakfast.
When the winter set in at Eureka
Valley, and it set out to set in very ear
II, it commenced showing. 1t never
really stopped showing until the next
spring. There were intervals of more
or less hours when it did not snow, bat
there was always snow in the air; always
somewhere in the heavens that grayish
white look of the snow cloud; always
that peculiar chill and smell. too, which
betokcn snow. 1t showed when we
went to bed; it showed all day, or at In
tervals during the day; it was ever mo-
notonously busy, busy: sometimes big
flakes, sometimes Titles flakes coming
down, down, down; coming deliberately
straight down, or driving ,uriousiy in
our faces, or crossing and recrossing in
zigzag lines. The snow heavens seemed
but a few feet above the mountain-tops;
they looked heavy and full of snow, aud
gave one a crushing sensation. We
seemed just between two great bodies OF
snow, one above our heads; one laying
on the ground.
Our house, whose ridge pole was
eighteen feet from the ground, began
gradually to disappear. At intervals OF
three or four days it was necessary to
shovel the snow from the roof, which
would otherwise have been crushed i'll.
This added to the accumulation about
us. Snow covered up the windows and
mounted to the caves. The path to the
ssying was through a cut high above
our heads. That to the barn was
through another similar. Snow all
about us lay at an average depth of
eight feet. Only the sloping roof of the
house was visible, and SO much in color
did it assimilate with the surrounding
rocks, pine and snow that one unac.
Quainted with tho locality might have
passed within few feet without recog-
nizing it as a human residence. :.
December, January, February and
March passed, and we heard nothing
from the great world outside Of and be-
low us. We arose in the morning,
cooked, ate our breakfast, got out fenc-
ing stuff till dinner time, going and re-
turning from our work on show-shoes,
and digging in the snow q pit large
enough to work in. We ate our noon
beans, returned to work, skated back to
the house by half.past two to get i'll fire.
wood for the nj ght, and at half-past
three or four the dark winters day was
over, and we had fifteen hours TO live
through before getting the next days
meager allowance of light, for Eureka
Valley is a narrow cleft in the noun
tains not over q quarter of mile in
width, and lined on either side by ridges
1900 to 1900 feet in height. The sun
merely looked in at the eastern end
about nine a. M, said "good day." and
was off again. We rolled in sufficient
tirewood every night to supply any civ
ilized family for week. Two-thirds Of
the caloric generated went up our CHM
ney. 1t did not have far to 90, either.
The chimney was very wide and very
low. At night person unac1uainted
with the country might have tumbed
into the house through that chimney.
The winds Of heaven did tumble into it
frequently, scattering ashes and some
times cinders throughout the domicil.
Sometimes they thus assailed us while
getting breakfast. We consumed ashes
plentifully in our breakfasts; we drank
small charcoal in our coffee; we found
it in the bread. On cold mornings the
flapiacks would cool on one side ere hey
were baked on the other. A warm meal
was enjoyed only by placing the tin cot.
fee-cup on the hot Goals after drinking,
and q similar process was necessary
with the other viands. The "othe1
viands" were generally bread, bacon,
beans and beef. 1t was peculiar beef
1t was beef fattened on oak leaves and
bark. Perhaps some of you ancients
may recollect the two consecutive rain
less summers of "63' and ooh" when
tens of thousands Of cattle were driven
from the totally dried. up plains into the
mountains for feed.
It was a winter of deathly quiet ir
Eureka Valley. Enveloped in snow, ii
lay in q shroud. Occasionally u tenn
pest would find its way into the gorge
and rampage around for while, roar
ing through the pines and dislodgins
the frozen Jumps of snow in theil
branches. which whirled down, bang
bang! bang! like so many rocks on ou1
housetop. Sometimes we heard thu
rumble of rocks or snowslides tumblln!
from the mountains. But usually dead
awful quiet prevailed. 1t wore on ON
worse than any uprOar. No sound from
day to day of rumble or rattle of cart o
wagon, no church bells, no miikman'
bell, no gossip or chatter of inhabitants
no street for them to walk down or Cos
sip in, none Of the daily clamor Of civil
; lied life save what we made ourselves
1t was q curious sensation to see on
, or both of my two companions at dis
lance from the house. They looke'
such insignificant specks in the whitene'
. valley. And to meet the same man sftc
four or FIVE hours Of absence and +
know that he had nothing new to tel
that he hadn't been any where in Gel
tain sense, since without neig hbors
houses or neighbcring villages Their
was ''nowhere" to get that sort of brao
ing.up that one derives from any sort
: companionship.
We were very cosy and comfortabl
during those long winter nights, seate
. in the red glare of our rudely -buil
wide-mouth fireplace. But sometimes
l on clear moonlight night, I have, fc
= the sake of change, put on the SNOW
. shoes and glided few hundred yard
l away from the house. In that intens