The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1886-05-07
PART H.
fNH euApoWs ON THE SNOW RANGES,

| PART IL
fHR SHADOWS ON THE SNOW RANGES.
Far away from English homes and
English firesides, our story takes us. on
dark and cherries night. to 4 small
canvas tent, pitched in gully. on each
side of which frowning ranges rear
their lofty heads. To this small tent
We come from the dear old land, across
wild and stormy seas. through gale and
tempest, over tropical waters where the
blOod-red moon rises from q lurid
ocean, past iccbergs looming threaten
ingly near, mid tracks of phosphorus
cent light cleaning in the darkness of
the darkest night-to this small tent,
wherein are centered all the elements
of passion which make up the sum of
human life in the great world beyond.
Months fly, seasons change, and glow
in@ aspirations fade away. and are lost
forever, in the gulf OF time. The drama
of some mems lives is played out upon
many stages; for others, 4 single scene
upon narrow stage sufficeS for the
commencement and the end
A dark, cold. cherries night. The
| soiitudes wear their saddest aspect.
The moon is in its third quarter, and
rises late. The wind, shrieking for
freedom, tears about the snow-clad
hills. and. finding no outlet. robs the
surfaces of myriad soft and graceful
flakes. and, whirling them into furious
eddies, is stripped in its turn of its
stolen treasure by every sharp nook
and crevice it strives to pass. The hills
| are here the master of the gale, which
| grows more frantic in its vain cndeav-
Ors to escape into the plains, where it
| can revel ut its pleasure, with naught
| to oppose its supremacy. But the
| mountains hold it fast, and laugh to
scorn its wild shrieks. knowing full
! we'll that when its strength is spent it
will die away in fitful whispers. and
find its grave in the valleys below.
A dark, cold, cherries night. With
the exception of this small tent, no
trace of civilization near. Here
Nature reigns supreme. The lofty
mountains, rising range over range,
shut out from the world the gully in
which our scene is laid. And yet, be-
tween this sterile. savage spot and our
lovely Devon lane there is 4 close
understandable links of love connect the
Old World and this that we call the
New. The thoughts Of one man at
least, sitting in the tent with his face
hidden in his hands. are travelling
toward the beautiful lane in Devon,
which teens with pleasant and one ter
ribly bitter memory-to the narrow,
quiet lane in the garden of England,
| wherein were eliminated his life's
happiness and his life's great sorrow.
Again the scene rises before him.
Again the old familiar faces shape
| themselves in the air. and visit him
with loving looks and smiles. Again a
tearfnlly happy face is resting on his
breast, and loving eyes seek his
Again the fond arms are thrown
! around him, and = tender form rs
| folded to mis- breast. And then he
| wakes, and, looking up with bitter
| smile, shakes off the dream in anger.
Within the tent party of men are
seated before a miserably scant fire.
The canvas-the only roof between
them and heaven - scarcely screens
them from the inclcmency of the
storm; and. strong snd hardy as they
are, they huddie close together for
warmth, and greedily watch the dying
cmbers before them. The men are
rough looking fellows. with great
boards and strong limbs, and de-
cided assertion of physical strength in
every movement of their bodies. Each
has short, black pipe in his mouth.
which he puifs vigorously and with a
will; and all are alike xttired in rough
ea-jackets, mole-skip trousers, and
water tight knee boots; their biiyco.k
hats are on the ground or on the
| wooden benches upon which they rest
at night. Although they are in as dss-
perate condition as men well can lie;
although the country for miles around
is knee-deep, and in some places man.
deep. with snow; although . heaey
drift without is raising barriers almost
impossible; although their last handful
of wood is burning on the fire, and
they know they can obtain no more;
| although they have not three
days provisions in their tent
| no craven fear disturbs them. If they
have to die they will die like men, ns
others have done before them. Some
| three or four weeks ago they had set
of on the track of q party of miners,
who. it was whispered, had discovered
q new gold-field. Stealing out in the
dead If night. lest they themselves
should be followed. they plunged into
y portion of the country which they
did not hope to find other than barren.
inhospitable and incapable of sustain
ing human life. With the indomitable
courage and apparent rccklessness
which form part of the gOld-digger's
character. they set themselves the task
of tracking the men before them and
discovering the locality of their work
ings. No pluck in the world can beat
the pluck of the gold-digger. He snaps
his fingers at obstacles from which
other men would shrink affrighted; he
fights with the barrenness of nature,
and, conquering, opens up country
which. but for his hardihood and dns.
ing, would remain, witt its treasure.
forever shut out from the knowledge ID
mankind. There is no pioneer so brave.
so persistent, SO enduring. In NO age
or country have the nObles physica.
| qualities of man been more wofthily
exercised. In the Australian :olonia
the gold-digger is the pioneer 81 prog
reSs.
mo n CONTNUIp.1