News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1882-06-01
THE BLIZZARD.

les, some o tQem western CUES
very nice, but if I had my life to iv
over, I'd wait till they'd got built up
little before I'd go there again"
"Why, did you ever live there, grand
map" asked Rose Perry, neighbor'
daughter - everybody called Grand
mother Noyes Grandma.
eyes, dear, once"
''Did you ever see blizzard?"
"I've seen good many bad storms
Rosy" was the reply.
s'No; but 1 mean a real blizzard
where people get lost almost at theil
own doors. I can hardly believe that
though"
''It's fact, my dear; yes, I've seen il
and been int"
"Oh, grandma, do tell about it; il
will be such treat this stormy day."
"Treat p said Grandma Noyes, with
heavy sigh; swat till you hear it. II
it wasn't that more than forty year had
come and gone, couldn't speak of 1t.
My father had just died, and Eben, that
was my only brother, wanted to go
West. Eb was such sensible fellow,
though he wasn't twenty-one yet, that
mother allowed herself to be persuaded;
so she sold the property, bought a
wagon and some horses and oxen, fitted
the wagon with every convenience we
could put in il, and we started, mother,
little Sally, Eben and I.
''Charity Bates, she wanted to go.
She was an orphan and engaged to our
Eben, but her aunt said no; there were
some parties going out in the fall, and
she had better come then when we
should be settled. 1t was great d1sap-
pointment to Eben, but he agreed it
would be more sensible to get ready for
her. Charity was pretty creature,
with great dark eyes and the sweetest
dimples you ever saw. She was good
girl. too; some folks said too good for
this world, but she was bright and
smart, and her heart was set on Eben.
"Well, we started in the big wagon,
prepared for hardships, but never en-
ioyed anything so much in my life as
did living in that great, roemy wagon,
full as it was. Oh, dear I like to think
of that part of it; the brave, new coun-
try, the beautiful places we stopped at,
side O. running waters, Citing our meals
out doors among the trees. like gypsy.
camping, walking sometimes miles after
the wagon, with the grand mountains
for company. I was almost sorry when
we came to the place where Eben
thought he would settle.
"There were only two houses there
then and only one in sight. Eben, he
cut the trees and built a rough enough
house, with me to help him. Well,
reckon a man couldn't "a done much
more than I did, for 1 was a strong
country girl, you see, and when we got
comfortably settled with what old New
England furniture we'd brought, and
Eben made little convenient things fol-
the two rooms, and we'd really begun
to housekeep, 1 was as happy as q
queen.
"To look out and see the wonderful
prairie for miles, covered with wild
flowers as bright as could be; to lie
down and look out on the stars through
the chinks, as have many time, was
delightful. To be sure, we had to &c
five miles to meeting and twenty to the
nearest depot; but we rather liked that
with good horses.
"In three months Eben ventured tc
send for Charity. He had filed up the
chinks in our cabin and built another
large room put up a barn and was
prospering finely in his farming.
cit was about the first O. September
she came, prettier than ever. 1 never
saw nobody more delighted than she.
Eben and she arranged it to be married
about the middle of October, as the
minister was to be round that part oi
his circuit by then, and we began to gel
ready for the merry-making. Folks
didn't go to church then to get married
they sent for all their friends, made {
big batch of cake, cooked all sorts o
nice things and had a real good time.
cit wanted two days of the tim'
when the ceremony was to come off
Eben had started early in the morning
to go some distance. He was to buy
lot of groceries and to speak for ha..
and wood. 1t wasn't looking particu
larry clear when he went. The air ha
sting to it, and the sky seemed to b
but little way above our heads, so 10y
the clouds hung.
"It begun to snow in few moments
and before he'd got mile 1t was comm
down steady in great flakes the larges
ever saw.
"We thought it was going to b
much such storm as we had alway
been accustomed to, and SO just mad
ourselves comfortable, but in less tina
an hour the wind come up and begu
to blow steady and howl oh ! what
sound it was Still we laughed an
sung and tried to ENJOY ourselves pu
after dinner when mother and L went
the barn to bring in some wood. 1T wa
as much as we could do to git it back
the house. There was no use trying
make light of it then. The snow wa
piIing up-the wind shook the cabin an
on one side it seemed as if the sno'
reached to its chimney. The sky wa
awful gray and stony-lookipg, an
mother and me began to tremble fd
Eben.
"It grew dark early and by that tim
the storm was what you call bllzzart
sure enough. To open the door was
have the snow come piling in, and til
cold was settling steddy, so't thoug