The Worthington advance., 1882-02-16
SNOW.BOUND In A CAR.
Tho Dilemma Of q Bride Expectant.
ava. ~ D1,;l 1e3nhia Times

I don't mind telling you aOouC Hn HUI
dent connected with one Of those snow
blockades. I didn't think much of it ut tho
time, but I've since thought it worth re-
membering. One day I found myself at
Smetport. the county seat of Mexican coun-
ty, Penn, waiting for train to Bradford.
The only train I could get was on the Brad
ford. BordeIl and Kinzua railroad, and as
business was somewhat pressing, had to
90. It had been showing steadily for some
hours when went to the station late in the
afternoon, and had fears that the train
might not get through to Bradford before
morning. for the road runs through
mountain forest all the way and there are
some pretty steep grades few miles out.
Well, as couldn't do any better, deter
mined to run the risk. There were only
few passengers, all Of them oil men
but one, and that one young lady.
She sat alone in the ladies car,
for the men wanted to smoke and so
kept themselves in tie smoker. There
we're orly two passenger cars, baggage car
and an engine in the whole train. for you
see narrow gauge engine can't drap very
many cars up the side of mountain.
Well, down in the valley. where the road
was level, we made good headway, but as
soon as We got into the woods and struck
the first grade We crept along like snail.
II began to snow harder than ever, and
such snow I never saw before. It came
down in flakes as large as an egg and as
soft as feathers-iust the kind Of snow to
stick and block things. was beginning to
wish I hadn't started when l felt the train
come to q standstill. The railroad men be-
gan to swear and the engineer tried to go
ahead The train jerked and jostled, and
dragged itself hundred yards up the grade.
and came to standstill. The trainmen and
the oilmen held a council aad decided to
run back to Smethport, but that was easier
talked about than accomplished. The rear
car hadn't been backed three hundred feet
before it ran off the track, and there they
we're. We couldn't 60 ahead and we
couldn't go back. We couldn't telegraph
for help. because we hadn't an instrument.
And even if we had the wires were already
broken with the weight Of snow and falling
limbs of treea.
By the time we came to a standstill for
good it was pitch dark and showing as
though all Greenland had moved down on
US. There was nothing to do but sit down
and wait for morning. We pulled up the
seats and made beds of them and were
about to make ourselves comfortable
for the night when Judge" Cowan, drill
or, jumped up with half yell. WELL"
said he, "we're selfish wretches-going to
bed here and never once thinking of the
woman alone in tho other car" With that
he bolts through the door and goes into the
ther car. The young lady was in there in
the dark, the trainmen even having forgot
ten to liz ght the lamps. The minute the
Judge comes through the door she calls out,
"How long before the train will get to Brad
ford, CONDUCTOR" Madame, " says he.
I'm not the conductor, and I came in to
say that we're stuck fast in the snow, and
will have to stay here all night and perhaps
longer" With that she gives little gasp
OF disappointment, and probably had a lit-
tie cry all to herself while the Judge lighted
the lamps. You see. she had come all the
way from some eastern ty-Philadelphia,
think-to meet her lover, and by the de-
lay OF the snow blockade she might miss
her wedding day. When tho truth was
known the boys were sorry enough, and
would have done anything in their power to
help her out of the difficulty, but what
could handful Of men do against mount
ain Of snow?
After her first disappointment the young
lady was brave enough and was not at all
afraid of staying in the cor all night, pro-
vlded there Was fire, so that she could
keep warm: The judge said he guessed he
could fix things up comfortable, and went
TO work making bed out of the seat cush-
ions and three or four overcoats borrowed
from the men. By the time he got things
in shape he had learned that her lover was
an old friend Of his. From that minute
the judge took her under his own special
protection and relieved the conductor of
the responsibility of her safe arrival in
Bradford. He made the rest # the men
go to bed ani sleep, while he sat up all
night tending the fires and keeping watch
over his new-found charge. The night
wasn't very cold, but the way it did snow
was wonder. Before morning the cars
were half covered under, nnd by daylight
one side of the train WAS out Of sight. You
see, we were in a fix, with no hopes of get
ting out.
Along toward nine o'clock in the morn
ing the young lady woke up and asked how
soon the train would get through, and the
Judge, who had made 3 careful survey of
the surroundings every half hour since the
night before, answered in a good natured
way that the train might be delayed week
Tor all ne could see at that time. Would
you believe me2 if that woman didn't al
most burst out crying! But she was as
e~>' - AA1tAAA eAO AcAL ulluulc, ana Sn6
even smiled when the Judge proposed to 90
and hunt for something in tho wav Of
breakfast 1t wasn't much of q breakfast
out 1t was the best the train could afford.
"A box CT biscuits was found in the baggage
car, along with barrel Of apples. Every
Dox ana barrel III the car was broken open.
put not another eatable thing could be
round. We had an elaborate bill of fare
that day-apples and biscuit for breakfast
biscuit and apples for dinner, while for SUP.
per we had baked apples and toasted bis
cult. 1t showed all day and nobody left
the cars. At night the Judge appointed q
relay OF men to keep the fires going and to
guage the weather every half hour. be taking
the first watch. During the night it stop.
pea showing. and, truly, it was high time.
Tor 1t seemed as though the whole stock of
snow mad been exhausted. In the morning
we hau sumptuous breakfast of apples and
olscult, The more impatient of the men.
seeing that the snow had ceased falling
Made an endeavor to beat path up the
IN tne cars. In the afternoon thew tried
again. and, the snow being somewhat SET
tied. they succeeded in getting some little
distance from the train.
You, being city man, would naturally
ask why we didn't get out and walk back to
Smethport, but when tell you the snow
was neck high to tall man and as soft as
feathers you will not wonder that we were
helpless. We could do nothing but % back
to our fires and baked apples for the third
night. The men sat up half the night in
their tl car discussing way of escape.
Stranger, am proud to say that not sin.
gle man thought of himself; it was all for
the young lady. We could see that she
took the imprisonment and the delay yerv
much to heart, although she never Uttered
a word Of complaint. 1t was mighty hard
TO think of her shut up there in snow
oank when she should be attending her own
wedd'ng, and the boys felt nearly as bad
about it as she did.
In the morning the Judge made the i'm.
pertsnt discovery that the provisions had
gwen out. Being healthy men, We had
made short work Of the apples and the Bis
cults. There was just enough for break.
last and dinner for the youag lady. The
men were terribly hungry when this became
known. 1t is amusing to think Of the melo
ancholy manner in which Il they wandered
alouno the baggage Car, prying into everv
Gomez nnsacking the boxes and overhaul. |
m N~0v~