The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1888-04-06

where we knew of people living, and both
o. these were some miles from our desti-
nation. One of these we soon reached
after passing the corner stake alluded to.
II was a small frame shanty, banked to
the roof with snow and sods; indeed, the
roof was also of sods, laid on for addi-
tional warmth. II was low and mean
looking at ordinary times, but now, as the
door opened and the red light streamed
out over the drifts glinting through the
falling snow, 1t had singularly attractive
look. The house was full to overfowing,
we were told, and there were no places
for our horses at all; they would have to
stand out IL we staid. "But we amt
goin' to stay" said Moore, grimly, as he
pulled out into the road now mere trail,
to be followed with the greatest difficulty.
Just after turning into this faint track
there came team Of horses rushing to
meet us. AS they passed us at swift
gallop we saw that, attached to the har-
ness of one, was boys hand sled, upon
which a long plank was bound, and lastly
young fellow lying atop, on his side, in
the way boys coast down hill. He had a
round, red face, on which was fearless
laugh, and he shook the reins above his
noble team and plunged into the dark
ness of the east on his way to the settle
ment.
The storm had steadily increased In
violence, though each stage seemed the
| limit of its fury. The cold grew ever
bitterer, the night was almost upon us,
and the snow filed the air, and we could
| see but few rods in any direction; but
| our only resource was to press on out on
| the prairie, wrapped in madly swirling
| clouds of snow But we were all western
born, and not only knew our danger, but
how to meet 1t as we'll Our trail was en-
| tirely lost and there was nothing left but
| to steer by the wind and the section lines
| For mile or more we had been following
| a furrow which had been plowed along
| the section line, and we must now leave
| that and bear to the southwest.
Therefore, taking the wind (which we
| knew to be in the northwesD on our right
| shoulder, we struck out in straight line
| for the place where we knew the shanty
! belonging to Moore must be- We ought
| to come near enough to it to see it as we
! passed. If not-well we didn't like to
| think of that. AS our course must be
| made with the greatest care, Moore drove,
| while Bailey and took turns in rigidly
| keeping the wind upon the right ear, and
| in walking in the track behind. The track
| was kept straight in this way and in
creased our chances of finding the house
We were now moving in a circle of half
| light, outside of which, 100 feet away,
was darkness. Without this half light
| all was distorted, fantastic. A sage bush,
| clump of weeds, or tuft of grass
assumed huge proportions, and through
| the treacherous gloom looked like q barn
or stack of hay in the further reach of
the eye. A bit of shingle not fifty feet
from my eye looked so like cabin on the
| side of distant swell that called Joy
fully to my companions that had found
| the house. 1t frightened me when, a few
steps further on, | came to the wind
blown bit of wood, and my vision of the
house and the snowy hill faded out into
the depths of the storm. The snow flew
/ SO thickly that we could not see the ponies
| at times as they labored heavily through
the deep snow, for we were on the un-
burned prairie now and the snow was
mid leg deep. Around me l heard
the multitudinous trampling of the
SHOWS, the fluttering of innumerable
wings, the sheer weight of an army of
foes pressing against us, small as units, a
terrible force taken together. There were
| swirls here and there which opened
/ vistas in which the mind put vague
| pictures Of battles between ghostly adver-
saries, and then the snow came down
| upon us-ay, it seemed to leap up from
beneath, fall from above, as well as drive
on the level terrific blast, like sand from
| tube. At intervals we would stop, and
| go as far as we dared to the right and
lest, and, STOPPING down, look under the
| snow to discover the house. Our course
since leaving the section line was so slow
| and painful that it seemed as though We
had been travelling more than an hour,
and finally Moore pulled up and turned
to me with look of grim resolution on
| his face that told that we had arrived at
the same conclusion,
"Seagraves, we're in for it. We've
passed the shanty without seeing it,"
"That's about my idea. And more
than that, | will not 90 Il single step
further in that direction. There is
nothing but a trackless prairie out
there Our only hope now is to turn to
the southeast and keep going till we
strike the settlement If the ponies keep
up, we're all right"
''Thats about the size of it, If we've
gone by the shanty for my claim is about
the last one in the township, and the next
is unsurveyed. So we'd better turn and
strike for the Norwegian settlement south
of here. But where's Bailey"
True enough. / sent my eye around the
circle he was not In sight. While we were
talking he had lost sight of us, and max
ing detour to see the house, if possible
might be ahead or behind us; we could
not tell. We looked at each other on in
slant in fear, then halloed in chorus. No
reply. If he were to the south his cries
could not reach us; and If to the north
ours could not reach him. Again we
shouted, and again listened No reply,
though we strained our ears in the steady,
ceaseless roar and scream of the storm.
| For the first time l was afraid. In such
ferocious tempest and in such deadly
cold man could not live long We took
turns in shouting, but no reply came, till
lull in the wind not only left the air
clearer, but softened the tumult in the
ear, and We heard faint cry in the dis
tance-"Helpr' 1t seemed so far Off
that it had no more force than the cry
of kitten. We could not tell whether it
was on the earth or in the sky, or whether
we imagined it, but soon it came again.
"IIe's at our left" said Moore, pulling
the horses about and following the cry.
AT every few rods we would stop and
shout, and listen for his cry, which grew
each moment stronger, but he was not
approaching us, he was waiting for us to
come to him. Soon we were within speak
ing distance, and he was directing us
where to find him. 1t was strange that
he did not approach us. We thought he
must have met with some accident, when
suddenly he stood beside us. With q
single word, "Follow me-" he started off,
the horses following him. We could not
see him, but we knew he was on the
track of something Soon we came upon
a small barn heavily banked with snow,
and with hoarse cheers we shook hands
and yelled, 81 told you SOP We had hit
tine barn, and the house was near. by and
easily reached.
Without stopping to talk of our good
luck, we sprang ont, and in q few mo-
ments the ponies were safe from the blz
zard, their noses deep in some hay and
oats. After rubbing the ice and snow
from their coats, and stirring the circula
ton anew in their stiff and weary legs
we gathered our robes and things in oui
arms and made for the house, which We
reached in short, breathless run.
1t was frame building, 1Sx24, which
Moore had erected for summer resi-
dence-a mere shell of thing, with only
one thickness Of boards on the sides
through which the snow drifted; and al
there was no banking, the cold air alst
streamed up through the fioor but rela
lively 1t was palace, 1t was shelter anC
| Eight, for there was a stove and some kind
ling and box of coal. Weneed not freez
for one night, anyway. We soon had
roaring fire in the rusty stove and ligh
in an unwashed tubular lantern. We AIS