Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1883-02-08
A KANSAS BLTzZAD.
Mrs. NJ. W. Hudson, in Topeka Capital.

On the morning of the 18th of Janu-
airy telegram was received at thchead
quarters of the Atchison, Topeka and
Santa Fe railroad in Topeka annOunc-
ing the coming from the northwest of
the cold storm which so soon thereafter
spread over the United States.
A brakeman who stood shivcring in
the rear platform of u west-bound eX-
press heard the news repeated by some
of the employees about the depot, and
turned hastily to demand q repetition
of the words which had startled him,
as we are all prone to do.
"What was that, Ben, that dispatch
about the stormP Tell me quick the
trains going"
"Why, there's blizzard coming,
that's what; II reg'lar old nor'wester.
Look out for your ears, boy; it'll catch
you some time tonight"
His ears! What did he care for
them. He had forgotten he had ears.
A Kansas blizzard coming and Jennie
and the boy away out there alone!
Little Jennie was the name she always
went by in his mind, for she was small
enough to look well beside him. u strip
ling, wind-tanncd youth who had re-
Gently cast his first vote.
Dear little Jennie with the beautiful
pale gray eyes and invisible eyebrows,
WIN inc OahglesS' neutral-tlnteI mar
and complexion to match. And "thc
boy" the big, strong, bouncing boy,
tneir son lhree months oId yesterday
ne llGu ieit lhem day ana haii ago
IN litlie board ShahIy Just out ol a
cily OF me pIalhs' lhe structure was
NOT nan so secure aSinSt Wlld ana
weather as uug-out' nor as an adobe
house. though IT was more prctrntlouS
looking with It's SIX inch caves trim
OaItcheu SIDES ana iour-pahc window,
ana II was nome
In one corner OF the room--parIor,
chamber, iitchen-he had left u bun
dle OF iclt building paper with which,
on ms next day on nc would line
inc niue mouse ana make snug nest
tOr Jennie ana Tue Doy. A' II was,
inc Wlhd WhlStIea IN aIittie, ana mere
ana thcre slant Sun-ray sild through
q crack nut the severe cold had been
delayed fortunately ior thcm' and
Win plehty OF lleI ana previous sea-
son OF accIlmaLlon to the rlgors OF
western home' jennie Iad Decn able to
assure hcr husband cach Tine he came
nome lll3t ihey were entirely comfort
aDlt' anu Shc couId never tel, S'e SAID,
ot lle warmth mat llIIed her heart.
!hcy mad married young, these two
uhlmportahl peoplc-Who ilrmly be-
licVed II was prc-oriaircd That they
should marry somcl'me-ln order that
jennie might escape from the coolest
OF al r"Id places ihaL otsiep-daughter
ana drudge to a large family who
thought themselves her "DetlerS. But
now the blizzard vas coming, and She
did not Know II. 1t would strike the
little house us the gale at sea, which
,',,II' toIles uiI'IrraIdcu I lto'i "a G'"u' no
",ssrr ,Il'', i,'ni g '5n"' R S'rlhe7 n
there would be no stronr arm to reef
and haul. and make things taut and
trim. Nobody but little Jennie and |
the baby. Men have been known to
lose the way and freeze to death he
tween their own housc and barn when
u blizzard was blowing, and she was u
quarter of mile away from any
body.
Soran the brakcman's thourhtsas the
train pulled out and drew lone, puff |
inc brcaths that sent it swiftly on lis
way. Westward, TO Colorado, on the
Pacific coast, the comfortable passen-
ger in the slrcpcr said TO himself. |
Towards Jennie and the boy. lhe brake. |
man thought. How BRIGHT the fire in
the house looked rs thew snpd bv. and |
what Il chill damn there was in the mir |
Not = blizzard cold. but il felt likc a |
storm atmognhcre. He woulj have |
guessed il would rain or snow tn.mor- |
row. He needed no b,rc,u storm |
sionols to prodict tbot TLr bum,n
baromctcr was cnuob But nrrb,ms
il would he brhinL fimc onJ hr ,nirht |
reach home in season tbnurh ,hrre
was little cause for accidents or DELAYS |
in the locomotion of Il blizzard. he wen |
knew. If the train could 90 twice as
fastnow when there was such great
need, he might vet reach them. But
men and women got on and OIL rs
usual, and dragged by the hand boys
that were nothing compared to the one
away out on the plains waiting for