New-York tribune., 1882-12-31
A BLIZZARD.
From The Detroit Free Press.


About / O'clock while we we're IN dry gOOSs
stOrr. the merchant. who had stepped ont a moment
before said to us Z" 1 don't like TO drive away my
customers but a blizzard is coming from the west,
and il is coming fast The telegraph announce.
that has reached Morris That forty miles from
here but it is coming at the rate OF forty miles per
hour, SO you have got no time to spare II you are
going home to-day"
lie rolled up our purchases as he spoke and ap-
peared IN hurry to get Td of us hen We got
outside the store the first thing that attracted my
attention the fact that of all the teams in the
street when we arrived not one excepting mine re-
NAMED Every body had scu .ded for home. Eyen
then | dd not hurry. The sun was still shining
brightly, with not the iantest suggestion OF storm
apparent anywhere. Before We got mile from
town | had forgotten all about the coming storm.
and the horses were lOgg ing at their VIII.
We were still OmIles from home when suddenly
the obscuTed, and the air grew cold and
chill N moment A darkness as OF smoke swept
going home, and gave the horses the wnlp IN ear.
nest, lashlng tIem III a run. Away OF To the west
there appeared TO be lcaden wall sweeping toward
IT,, There was a hum IN the air. A light breeze
sprang up, grew stronger and IN one mlnue became
| IA gale. Ine wall came down with railroad speed.
the roar OF its approach every instant gr0w-
ing louder From the top of roll in the prairie we
could see our house, and 1t came pretty near being
our laSt glimpse Ot It,
No words viii over convey an intelligent idea Of
the blizzard Of the frightfu roar with which it
rolls down upon you, the bowling ana Kissing OF
the wind If you try to speak the wind dasles the
syllabes from your ilps 50 quickly that you do not
hear yOur words. In thirty seconds from tho
time The first snowflake Tell i could not see my
hOrses The atmosphere appeared to be ali snow,
and every flake OF IL III a hurry to get some
where before the rest should get there. use che
word fake" but that Is wrong. No flakes could
be distinguished, Tue whole atmosphere was hlled
with one big lake that helnntu Us IN on all Sides
Al hOugh 1abels head wasn't over iOOt nOm
m.ne, COud not see her Ieat Ires, anu could OHy
d.m.y see her form. tried TO peer downward be-
sluc the slcl5 5h and see the track, but might a.
well have tried 10 see the Cartn beneath slOW
bank could feel a mouoh to the sleigh, 20 tAatI
knew the horses were s;lil moving. he cold was
intense t1ed TO ask my vile a she was suffering
but / could not hear my own words.
Durng the TWO OF three minutes that lntervened
between lie time saw the storm approaching and
the moment 1t struck Us the horses had run AT TIE
top D their speed, 80 We were not much over mile
from home. 1t dld not seem possible or the hOrscs
To Keep the track. No could 1--we al hOurin that
storm. The Only hope lay III The horses being able
to Keep 10 Il track that was being buried
deeper and deeper every instant. IL IsIt peasant
10 sit still aud Ietze TO death. In ten inmates
was chilled through and felt that WAS freezing
Ihe horses were stlil moving, and although could
nOt see them, | lIshed them with the Whp IL
seemed hours since the storm hab shGt Us Ia, anu
was lust becoming convinced that tho horses had
got Out ol the pa,h and that we Wera lost on tao
praiII when there came sudden luil Ol the heIce
WIND. Inc AIR was stil lul oI Multlhg snow, DuJ
cOu Il see objects about me- ana IL d4unt dhc OLB
for me to ascertain that we were IN The barn and
were safe. | had lett the barn doors open IA the
morn ug, and the horses had found their va, bdcA;
1 think, Dy instinct Jul my ucIghD"Is iAlnA AZ was
sh er accident and declare rhat IL wouldn't happen
a thousand years
Although had reached the barn. Were not
in the house yet From the barn 10 the house ~
ABOUT twenty yards. but far seeing a. was
concerned. Inc house might as wei nave oe9n Ia the
moon. The little woman helped ms uuhasn tIe
horses and put them into then ais Then | told
her 10 remain where she was, and made "a break iYr
the house. Ii Is difficult anJ 10 believe tAaU
ia Il binding storm nc cannot 90 twenty yards Ia
line sufficiently straight to tnd hOIse, Odt try IL
sometime!
Doyou see that pumpl | stumbled over .t. 1t
IS twenty feet 10 the right of the pain from tic BAN
10 the house. II it hadn't a-boen Tor tIdt pump
would uever again have found either house % barn.
| knew that the handle OF that pump pointed
directly toward the house, and that 1t va, not over
ten yards away. / raised the handle ana felt IOT
my bearings. | let 20 OF the pump handle aud
plunged toward BE house. When 1 tell you that /
ran " smack against l. yOu VIII understand mat
seeing was out Ut the question AIier gOt ntO the
house | took a ball OF twuc, tied one end 10 no
door-knOO aud succeeded IN getting b .ck 20 The
Darn ami, by following the sting, We reached me
iou,e aga II. For hree days anu nguts thereafter
.tliAer of Us even opened the outer OCOE When
the storm cca ed could not tue .an, for tle
STOW had piled IN between the house ana para %
d cp ,hat il covered tn. windows tia side OF lie
house. On The east side of the house, however tneIe
WAS very little SNOW The shovel happe.ed 10 be
in the house. ana the littie woman aud Su.c e1cd
in tuuue Ing through to the barn, bu, We hal 10
carry every oLOyeI4I o. the snow taken out oi no
tunnel through the house and throw 1t o. the east