The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1888-04-18

Jim puckered up his lips to chirp to
the pony. he glanced ahead. At least
a dozen rabbits were in sight, and he
wondered what led them all to go
scudding away toward the southeast,
where the timber fringed the creek.
Scarce rod before him Il jack-rabbit
passed, hurrying with prodigious leaps
toward the distant timber A buzzard,
that but five minutes before had been
lazily circling high above the mound,
was rapidly sailing away toward the
destination of the rabbits. A cloud
appeared to the northwest, and even
as little jim looked it could be seen
moving upward. Five minutes before
it looked few feet long; now it was
half rs long rs the mound. Not
sound came from it. but the cloud
seemed moving up with the speed of
racer.
1t was plain that the footman did
not know of its existence, for he con-
tinued to stroll onward with his face
to the claim and his back to the cloud.
Then little jim saw a movement OF
some small object on the top OF the
rise. 1t advanced. and, clearly out
lined against the black of the clouds
behind, the lad saw it was 4 child, q
little girl. Down the gentle slope she
came, now and then pausing to exam
inc some object of interest, belated
flower or u peculiar weed, perhaps,
then trotting on again, as if DESTROYS OF
overtaking the pedestrian so far ahead.
1t was the inspectors child, little
jim thought. Probably she had
strayed away from the claim where
she had been left in the care of the
squatter's wife and had followed her
father who, not suspecting that she
was behind him, did not once look
back and discover her. Higher and
higher glded the cloud. Now it was
almost black above, but below it was
white, and as it advanced seemed de.
vouring blotting out the landscape
with great, white impenetrable pail.
Then, of a sudden, there came from
the cloud a puff of wind that had al
icy edge to it that made little Jim
SILVER and caused the pony to throw
up his head with snort of apprehen-
sion and strain at the bit in an ell
deavor to return the way they had
| ho Nf
preaching storm dawned upon little
Jim. Sam had told him tales of the
power and danger of the billiards. OF
the plains, but till that moment he
had not realized that the coming
storm was a blizzard.
He saw the pedestrian turn as he
felt the icy blast, but, just second
before he did so, the child, far behind,
descended into little gully and hel
father did not see her. 1t was evident
that he realized his danger, for hi
broke into brisk run and dashed to-
ward the claim-shack.
For but single instant little jim
| ncSlldtcu. Lii SOliDcl ClouN wa
half way across the sky and the icy
bursts of wind. that sent the tumble
weeds hurrying across the prairie, fol
lowed each other in quick succession
The white wall below the black of thu
blizzard seemed eating the landscape
away rs it advanced. The man on foo
has almost reached the wire fence o.
the claim, and ut that instant the chile
emerged from the gully and trottet
helplcssly forward. If he urged the
pony onward, little Jim could reacl
the shack before the Inspector, hole
the claim, and, at the same time, be
safe from the blizzard's rage within
the shelter of the shack.
If he attempted to save the chile
trotting along on the prairie, the in.
spector would find the shack unten
anted, and then, too, there was the dead
ly danger of the blizzard to face. But
he hesitated scarce a second in his de.
cision. Then the lad pulled the
pony's head sharply about and was
racing away at the top of the animals
speed toward the little figure of the
child. All the stories that Sam had
told him of horrible deaths in blizzard:
flashed to the boys mind as the pony
bounded onward, but he shut his teeth
hard and thought only of the human
atom ahead. The air had grown icy
cold and the landscape-devouring
line of white beneath the black had
reached the top of the rise when little
Jim drew rein beside the child, and, in
spite of the pony's almost frantic CT
forts to be off, bent and lifted her up
before him on the saddle.
Almost like flash the pony sprang
away, and behind them came the dull
hiss of the blizzard. AS they turned
jim saw the runner reach the door OF
the shack and enter.
Nobly the sturdy pony kicked the
rods away behind him. but faster than
his greatest speed came the rushing
wall of the blizzard. Then, as they
had almost reached the gap in the wire
fence, it seemed as if the day had sud-
denly been blotted out TIE blizzard
was upon them, and all about was a
Kissing, on-rushing mass of snow, that
flashed onward by the icy hurricane,
seemed to cut the flesh like n knife. 1t
was as if a midnight of whiteness had
settled upon them, and, strain his eyes
as he might, little Jim could scarcely
see beyond his pony's ears. The dead
ly cold seemed almost to stop the very