Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1886-02-18
A WINTERS TALE.
BY GORDON STABLES. NJ. D., r. N.

There was man of the world, or seafarer,
written in every line and lineament of his
bold brown face. Nothing of the "Jack"
about him, however; nothing of the com
mon sailor" Though dressed from cap to
boots in pilot cloth, you could see at q
glance he was q gentleman. We met on q
cold, snowy winters forenoon at the corner
of King street, Aberdeen. 1t was a rough
meeting, for gust of northeast wind caught
me and flung me against him. l apologized,
and was cheerfully forgiven. l had time
to cast one glance ut the lady who leaned
on his arm before they went on. How much
out of place she seemed, abroad in such
weather! 1 mentally remarked upon her
seeming fragility and-pardon me--her
beauty; but her face was very pale, and her
dark eyes shone like diamonds. Yet hers
was beauty of another clime.- Was she
Spanish, Tyrolese, Italian? l could not
guess; but how different she looked from
the rose-lipped lasses that passed up and
down the street, whose fresh complexion
biting Boreas seemed but to brighten and
purify.
Il shall meet that pair again somewhere
in the world" l said to myself as l wrapped
my plaid more tightly round my chest and
walked on.
did meet them again, and sooner than
had expected.
Business was taking me TO Peterhead the
very next day, and had hardly been seated
a minute in my second-class compartment
before my friends-for had really begun
to look upon them as such-entered and,
with q pleasant nod and smile of recog-
milton, sat down opposite.
At Dyce, where wechanged carriages, We
again got into compartment by ourselves.
Tn1aaA fbapa huf faW in
the train at all. The "storm" was deep
in the country. That portion of Aberdeen
shire that skirts the German Ocean is fiat
and bleak at all times, but had never seen
il look so dreary as it did to-day. The
snow-laden wind howled across il, and the
leaden- blue sky could seldom be seen. 1t
made one shiver to look out through the
carriage window, especially when one
thought of the storm tossed sea that lay
lust beyond the woodland yonder, its foam
ing waters breaking ceaselessly on the
frozen sands. The short afternoon wore to
a close, and night was falling dark and
swiftly when the train perceptibly slackened
speed. The breathing of the sturdy engine
became more and more labored, and finally
ceased.
We were stuck in great wreath or bank
of snow. Now we could hear the terrible
raging of the snow tempest and the sad
wall of the wind. We waited and waited q
weary time--it seemed quite two hours
before n creature, more like a Greenland
bear than aught else, so furred with snow
was it, opened the door and peeped in. 1t
was the guard. We were miles from sta
ton, he told us; we could not return and it
might be many hours before we were re-
lieved-dug out. The prospect was far
from cheering, but the man brought us hot
water for our feet, and a lamp. We must
keep the lamp warm, he said, or the oil
wonld freeze; so we rolled the top of il up
In q spare shawl and put it in corner. II
was kind of company to us, as the guard
had said it would be.
We talked for hours. Then we curled
up in corners and tried TO sleep. In vain.
The window ratified and the snow sifted in.
We were obliged to tear up our newspapers
and stuff the crevices.
dozed at last. and awoke, shivering, in
the dark. The oil was frozen. Luckily
had my travelling reading-la lamp, and / lii
that. But how intensely silent it was The
wind had surely gone down, nor was it so
cold. The truth was, as we afterward dis
covered, we were showed over-indeed, the
cutting was filled in which the train had
stuck. When we pulled down the window,
there was the snow. We could thrust our
arms through it, or rather far into it.
We had some tea, which we tried to heat
for the gentle lady over the candle of the
lamp, and succeeded. 1 pitied her; but,
wrapped in her plaids and rugs, she seemed
happy and smiling.
Was it strange that, so situated, this sea-
farer and should begin to talk about the
sunny shores and blue sparkling seas Of the
Indian Ocean?
at was there, on the coast of Africa,
said the seafarer, "ihat / wooed and won
my wife here. My wooing eliminated with
bit of an adventure"
"Do tell me-" said; "and make il as
long as you possibly can. Spin it out.
Dwell longest ON the prettiest parts of it. "
He laughed and complied. But musI
here make his story shorter.
although" he said, "I am by profession
a sailor, still / believe could make my
living on land-indeed, " he added, gianc-
ing affectionately at the pretty face thai
peeped out from the bundle Of plnids and
shawlJ in the corner, 81 am not sure that
have not promised to try TO do so, at al
evant But fouF veQra AGO Il was not a