The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-12-10

know it won't do you no good TO go and
raise row there now; besides, you
amt agoing to throw that mans wife
and kids right out in the snow, are your"
"What dye 'spose l keer for his
wife and kids?" snarled Cartwright.
" Do you 'spose that jes' because
mans got family he can start out
robbin' folks? I've stood things like
saint long enough, and now--once for
all-I'm goin' to settle theml''
And leaping through his veins with
every drop of blood was pitiless pur-
pose, rooted deep in his heart and re-
flecting there each evil passion, each
distorted wrong, each shattered hope
and nurtured enmity, like phantoms on
apool.
1t was long journey and he started
on an easy gait. 1t was clear, cold
afternoon, the air in its absolute dry
ness and rari6ed purity was like a tel
escope, and cut the stern old range
clear as cameo against the sky. When
he got well out of the camp Cartwright
put on the snow-shoes and forged
rapidly along the ascent of the Mosquito
mountains. AT four O'Clock he was
less than mile from the pass when an
annoying accident occurred; his rifle
slipped out of his hand and tumbled
into an ice crevice at the side of the
road. 1t took him over an hour to res
cue it with an improvised lariat, and by
that time the evening had set in. AS
it was impossible to safely traverse the
treacherous roadway in the dusk, moth
ing remained to do but wait for the
moon. 1t rose early, and in a few
hours hung full and bright above the
mountains. Cartwright drew his coat
closer and hurried on.
Mosquito pass, towards which he
pushed, is not pass at all in the COM
mon understanding of the word, but
shallow furrow across the crest of the
range at its dizziest point. Wrapped
in everlasting snow, exposed to the
tempestuous winds, and flanked by an
awful chasm of ice, it is death to at
tempt it in winter, save at the stillest
times. OF such was that night; yet as
Cartwright crept along he clutched the
black rocks with his fingers and dared
not to stand erect for fear the furious
blast would tear him bodily from the
ground Slowly he crawled, the only
living thing in the stupendous solitude
among the clouds, and with a darkness
| blacker than the skies above, deeper,
denser, and deadlier than the gorge be-
| low, around about his heart.
AT last he was over, and, resting a
moment, hurried on. There was a
partially level stretch for some distance
and then the descent began. An hour
more and he stood on the zigzag trail ;
half a mile down the slope directly be-
low him he saw the lights of the cabin
window, and paused, with murderous
CLEAN in his eyes, to look at the locks
of his Winchester.
The moon by this time was riding
high and turned the snow-field above,
below and all around him to glisten-
ing, ghostly white. The sky had none
of the dome-like look of lower attitudes
but stretched on and on in the dark
blue ether to fathomless forever, and
in this immensely of space the Christ.
mas stars hung like million lamps
The distant peaks stood in cluster OF
iet-like shadows and the black outline
of the range was bordered with silver
thread.
AS Cartwright gazed. with something
perhaps of the subtle magic of the scene
creeping in upon him, he gave sud
den start and threw wild look at the
icy field above. 1t seemed to him tina
small bush or beaten-down tree tina
cast black shadow about quarter O.
a mile up had moved in some mysteri
Gus way, and was much nearer to hin
than it appeared before. He paled ;
little through his bronze and stood lik,
! q ctat,Ia looEiuo thot WOW
Five minutes passed-ten-and then
heavens! what witchery of the nigh
was that? The whole vast field of ic,
and snow, with its myriads of glitterin,
points and world of shadows, with it
stones and bushes and all its conforma
tons, moved steadily, slowly, silentl
toward him for space-then stoppe,
again! There was sense that the earth il
self was giving way, and the Birnan
Woods that came to Dunsinane were no
more terrifying than this slow shifting O
all things stable; but it was no riddle t,
the mountaineer.
He knew that snow-slide-one Q
those frozen avalanches that start in tn
loosening of lump of ice, SILENT
gathering strength by the tapping O
one layer over another until they cras
down, the embodiment of death an
strength, tossing rocks like pebbles an
: swapping thick pines like reeds-h
knew that one of these was trenholm
, upon the verge of its spring.
Cartwright's wondering eyes fe
, upon the cabin and in the briefest il
stant-in hundreth part of the time
, takes to write these words-he realize
that it lay in the path of the monste
and was doomed; and in the incongruit
, of spirit that was half grotesque, a fierc
i indignation stirred within him again,
: this messenger of death that came i
the dead of the night and made no sigr
5 AS for himself, he had only to ste
! aside and let the avalanche go by, bl
g the fate of the cabin clashed with HI
| rough notion of fairness; it assailed HI
S lifelong doctrine of chance; his brut'
Y courage was raised against it because
v came so unaware.
How nearly akin it was to his ow
1 errand he never thought; he was sens
1 BILE alone of an impulse to thwart tn
without heroic motives, h
I suddenly did what hero would.
e TO think was to act. 1t is said that
: pebble will turn an avalanche. 4
q sportsman knows that breeze will d.
{ fleet bullet. Near by was the trun
of an old pine tree. He sprung to
n like lightning, and pried it forward wit