, 1884-12-25

purity was like a telescope, and cut the stern
old range clear as n cameo against the sky.
When he got well out OF the camp, Cart
wright put on tho snov-shoss and forged
rapidly along tho ascent Of the Mosquitl
mountains. At 4 o'clock he was los than q
mile from the pass, when an annoying ncci-
dent occurred, hisride slipped out OF his hand
and tumbled into an ice crevasse at the side
Of the road. 1t took him over an hour 10
rescue IL with an improvised lnrint, and by
that time the evening had set IN. As it was
impossible TO safely traverse the treacherouE
roadway IN the dusk, nothing remained to do
but wait for the moon. It rose early, and in
a few hours hung full and bright above the
mountains, Cartwright drew his coat closer
md hurried on.
Mosquito pass. toward which he pushed, Is
not a pass at all in the common understand
ing Of the word, but a shallow furrow across
tho crest OF the rnnge NJ its dizziest poin'.
Wrapped in everlasting snow. expose to the
tempestious winds, and nankei by an awful
chasm Of ice, it is death to attempt It in win
ter save at the stillest times. OF such was
that night, yet, as Cartwright crept across,
he clutched the black rocks with his fingers
and dare not stand erect for fear the
furious blast wouli 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, denser. and
deadlier than the gorge below. around about
his cart.
At last no was over, and, resting n mo-
ment, hurried ON. There was a partially
level stretch for some distance and then tho
descent began An hour more and he stood
ON the zigzng trail; half a mile down the
Stops d directly below him he saw the lights OF
the ca bin window, and paused, with a muir
derous CLEAN in his eyes. to look at the locks
OF his Winchester.
The moon by this time was riding high
and turned the NOV field above, below, and
all around him a g~istening. ghostly white.
Tbs SKY had none OF the dome-like look Of
lowcr attitudes, but stretched on and on in
the dark blue ether to n fathomlcss forever,
aud in this immensity Of space the stars
hung like q million lamps. The distant PEAKS
stood IN a cluster Of jet-iike shadows and the
black outline Of the range was bordered with
n silver thread.
As Cartwright gazs |, with something per-
haps OF subtitle magic Of the fcene creeping
in upon him, he gave "A sudden start and
threw a wild look at the icy field above. IL
seemed to him that n small bush or beaten
down tree that cast a biack shadow about a
quarter OF a mile up had moved in some
mysterious way and was much nearer 10 him
than il appeared before. He palcd a little
through his bronco AMI stood like a statue,
looking that way.
Five minutes passed-ten-and then, beav-
ensl what witchery Of the night was thatl
The whole vast field Of ice and snow. with its
MYRIAD Of glittering points and world Of
shadows, with its stones and bushes and all
its conformations, moved steadily, slowly.
silently toward him for a ~space-thcn
stopped ngainl There was sense that tho
earth iiself was giving way, and the Birnam
Woods that came to Dunsinana We're not
more terrifying than tins slow shifting Of all
ihirgs stable; but it was no riddle to the
~mnuntaineer.
lie knew that n snow-slide, one Of those
frozen nvnlnnches TINT start in the loosen
ing Of II lump of leo, silently gathering
sucngth by the tapping Of one layer over an
other until they crash down, tho embodi
ment Of death and strength, tossing rocks
like pebbles and swapping thick pines like
reeds-he knew that one Of these WINS tremb-
ling upon the verge Of its spring.
Cartwright's wandering eyes fell upon the
cabin and in the briefest instant-in n hun.
dredth part Of the time it takes TO write
these w0rds-he realized that il lay in the
path of the monster All was doomed; and
in nm incongruity Of spirit that was half gro
tcsque n fierce Indignation stirred within
him against this messenger OF death that
came in the dead Of night and mado no sign.
As for himself, he had only o stop aside
and let the avalanche go by, but the fate OF
the cabin FLASHED with his rough notion of
fairness, 1t assailed his lifelong doctrines Of
chnnco, his brutal courage was reused against
1t, because it came 50 unaware.
How nearly akin il was to his own crranI
he mover thought; he was sensible alon. OF an
impulse to thwart the disaster - without
heroic motives, he suddenly did what a hero
would.
To think was to act. 1t Is said thai a peh.
lie will tnrn an nvnlanche. A sportsman
knows that a breaso will deilect n bullet
Nenr by was the trunk Of an old pine trco.
lie sprnng tn it like lightning, and pried il
forward with his rifle. At the last wrench
the stock broke off short, and he rcjoi-cl
with the same monstrous incongru,ty
that he had his pistol still Loose
stones lay about, and these he piled up
against tho log to form a sort Of bullvark.
His strength was supernatural. His feet
flew. The drops of sweat fell from his foru-
head into the snow. The barricade was still
too weak, and the avalanche was comingl
Already thin, CLASSY sheets Of ice like the
tongues Of the waves on the ocean beach that
come before the breakers shot around his
aHAAoo AtAeAAhkt Ginning hluIb was III
the air, as though the universe was Funded tn
its foundations. He darted to and fro like n
shadow. He wove the stump and branches
with the debris he carried in his arms. Still
it was coming-comingl His time for fight
was drawing short. One more stone, a leap.
and he is safel He never made it The snow
was already upon him. An arm Of it shot
out and wrapped him around waist high. He
writhed in it and chung 10 the barricade with
a strong mans desperate hold on life, but
the avalanche rushed down in all the
r~esistless might Of 10000 tons of snow. 1t
tore his bleeding fingers from the tree; it
curled wavelike above his head, aud whirled
him far out into its churning midst. He
threw up his arms once, as a swimmer who
sinks 10 rise no more, and his dying shrek
was as nnaght in the p~itless roar that echoed
up to hee- -ni
There was a little group in the cabin door.
The husband, looking through the hollow of
his hands, the wife, with a baby in her arms,
and children peering out from behind her
dress. As the woman looked, it seemed TO
her that a great black spectre that called to
mind in some way things her scared, child
ish fancy had pictured when she pored over
All Baba and Sheherezade swept out of the
darkness above, howled past them, and van
ished into hat below. She pressed her baby
closer to her, and looked anxiously into her
husbands eyes.
at was the slide,r he whispered awe
somely, and IL IL hadn't turned somehow
up there thered be none Of us now to tell the
taller
Providence turned 1t" said the woman
The Providence that moves In a mysteri-
GUS way. that interlinls zach waving leaf,
each Tutoring snowflake, each breSth Of
wind. each act and thought into the change
less law that never swerves, nor fnlieis, nor
delays; the Providence that helps the help
less and turnes the impulses Of death itself to
work its saving ends.