Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-09-27

CHAPTER I-CoNTlNuED.

was my object. / got precious little of it.
few davs after nv arrival a bitter bit ng
frost set in-a frost aS black a. your hat, and
as hard a, nails. Yet still stayed on.
From private information reCeived-uo
matter how, when or where knew that
some people in the ne ghborhood had organ
ized a rarty to go skating ON a certain dav
at Iilymere a fine sheet Of water some d is
tance from Midconbe ! guessed that some
one whom | particularly desired TO meet
would be there, aud the skating at Lily
mere was free to any one who chose to take
the trouble of getting To such an out-of-the-
way place, | hirei a horse and an apology
for dog-cart, and at 10 in the morning
started to drive the twelve miles to the
pond / took no one with me | had been
TO Liymere once before, in bright summer
weather taScled l knew the way well
enough.
The sky when started cloudy; the
, wind was choppng round in a way which
made the eifete rustic Old ostler predict a
change of weather. He was right. Before
had driven two miles light snow began to
fall and bv the time | reached wretched
little waySide inn. about nile from the
Mere. a film of white covered the whole
country | stabbed my horse as well as |
could then, taking my skates with me,
walked down to the pond.
Now whetherl had mistaken the day, or
whether the threatening fall of snow had
made certain people change their minds, l
don't know; but, TO nv annoyance and veN-
alton no skaters were to be seen, and more
over the uncut. white surface told me that
none had been on the pond thai morning.
Still hoping they might come in spite of the
weather, put ON my skSUes and welt out
side-edging and grape-v ming all over the
place. But As there was no person IN par
ticular-in fact, no one Al ALTO note my
powers, ! soon got tired. 1t was, ndeei,
dreary, dreary work. But | waited and
hoped until the snow came down 80 fast and
furiously that felt sure that waiting was
In vain, and that had driven to Lilymsrs
Tor nothing.
Back went 70 the little inn. utterly dis
Iusted with things in general and feeling
that to break some ones hea would be a
relief 20 me in my present state of mind. or
course. a ssnsible man would al once have
got mis- hoJ 81 betwe the shat and driven
home Bat. whatever | NAV b" now, in
those days ! was not sensible man Brand
will, | know, cordially indoise this remark
the aecomm modations Of the inn was not such
rs to induce ono to linger within its pre-
cincts but the fire was right good one and
drink, which gkillfully manufactured out
Of some hot beer, not to be desplsed and
proved warming to the body and soothing to
the ruttied temper. SO | fingered over the
big fire until | began to feel hungry, AMI
upon the landlady aSsurI that she
could cook rasher. decinld II would be
wiser to stay whore | was until the vlo-
ience Of the snow storm was over; for COM
ing down it was now, and no mistake
And it kept coming down. About
half past three, when | sorrowfully decided
was bound to MAKE a NOVA # wa, snow.
inc faster than ever harne ,s.d NV horse.
and Iaugbing at the old woman. dismal
prophecy tnat | should never Get 10 Mid
rornbs IN such weather. gathered mn the
Gains and away went alnng the white road
thougbt knew tn, woy well anouph In
fact I had always prlded myself ,,non re-.
menberjng any road once driven over by
me. but doe. anv ous who has net tried il
really know how A heavy fail of snow
changes the asn.ct of the country and
makes landmarks snares and deIu,,on.t
LEARNED all ahout +, then ono. and for aII |
found ais, that the snow Law uurh deapar
than | Thought could possfbIy he in 80 short
a time and il still fell IN a nsnner almost
blind,pp Yet went on brayely and m.rriJv
for some miles Than came A hit of unc.r-
taiptv-
Which of tbos. two roads was the rigbt
opet This one. of course-po tho other
There was no house near. no one was likely
Ia be na,siny in sucb weather so was left
To exercise INV free. unbiased choice a
nrivileoe I would willingly have disnensed
with However, mada the best selection I
could and followed il for some two mi Ie.
The, I began IN grow doubtful and soon
,arsusding mvself that I WAS on the wro,,-
track ratTac.d NV stems I was bv this time
sometbing like a hug, whit. master of Paris
fipure and the snow which had accumulated