Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1886-02-27
UNDER THE SNOW.
BY GORDON STABLES. NJ. d., R. n

Chicago Ledger
There was man of the world, or sea-
farer, written in every line and Inca
ment of his bold brown face. Nothing
of the "Jack" about him, however;
nothing of the common sailor"
Though dressed from cap to boots in
pilot cloth, you could see at glance
he was a gentleman. We met on a
cold, snowy winters forenoon at the
corner of King street, Aberdeen. 1t
was rough meeting, for a gust Of
northeast wind caught me and flung
me against him. / apologized, and
was cheerfully forgiven. l had time
to cast one glance at the lady who
leaned on his arm before they went
on. How much out of place she
seemed, abroad in such weather! l
mentally remarked upon her SEEM
ing fragility and-pardon me-her
beauty; but her face was very pale,
and dark eyes shone like diamonds.
Yet hers was a beauty of another
cline. Was 1.-THE Spanish, Tyrolese,
Italian? l could not guess; but how
different she looked from the rose
Tipped lasses that passed upand down
the street, whose fresh compilations
biting. Boreas seemed but to brighten
and purify.
81 shall meet that pair again some
where 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 l had expected.
Business was taking me to Peter
head the very next day, and had
hardly been seated minute in my
second-class compartment before my
friends-for / had really begun to
look upon them assuch-entered and,
with a pleasant nod and smile of rec
ignition, sat down opposite.
AT Dyce, where we changed car
riages, we again got into compart-
ment by ourselves. Indeed, there
were but few passengers in the train
at all. The "storm" was deep in the
country. That portion of Aberdeen
shire that skirts the German Ocean is
flat and bleak at all times, but | had
never seen it look so dreary as it did
today. The snow-laden wind howled
across it, and the lead-blue sky could
seldom be seen. 1t made one shiver
to look out through the carriage Win
dow, especially when one thought of
the storm-tossed sea that lay just be-
yond the woodland yonder, its foam
ing waters breaking ceaselessly on
the frozen sands. The short after
noon wore to close, and night was
falling dark and swiftly when the
train peceptib)yslackened speed. The
breathing of the sturdy engine be-
came more and more. laborsd, and
finally ceased.
We were stuck in a great wreath
or bank of snow. Now we could hear
the terrible raging of the snow tenn
pest and the sad wall of the wind.
We waited and waited weary time
it seemed quite two hours-before
acreature, 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 station, he told us; we
could not return and it might be
many hours before we were relieved
dug out. The prospect was far from
cheering, but the man brought us hot
water for our feet, and lamp. We
must keep the lamp warm, he said
or the oil would freeze; so we rolled
the top of it up in spare shawl and
put it in corner. 1t was kind Of
company to us, as the guard had said
it would be.
We talked for hours. Then We
curled up in corneSand tried to sleep
in vain. The window ratified and the
snow sifted in. We were obliged tC
tear up our newspapers and stuff the
crevices.
| dozed at last, and awoke, SILVER
ing, in the dark. The oil was frozen
Luckily had my travelling reading
lamp, and | lit that. But how in
tensely silent it was J! The wind haC
surely gone down, nor was it so cold
The truth was, as we afterWard dis
covered, we We're showed over-in
deed, the cutting was filled in which
the train had stuck. When we pulled
down the window, there was tn,
snow. We could thrust our arm
through it, or rather far into it.
\Eo bad como FOO which ,vo trio,