The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1888-04-06

behind, the lad saw 1T was child, a
little girl Down the gentle slope she
came, now and then pausing to exam
inc some object of interest belated
flower or 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 glided 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 a great, white impenetrable pail
Then, Of sudden, there came from
the cloud a puff Of wind that had an
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 al the bit in an en-
deavor to return the way they had
come. Then the nature of the APP
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 blizzard.
He saw the pedestrian turn as he
felt the icy blast, but, just a second
before he did so, the child, far behind,
descended into little gully and her
father did not see her. 1t was evident
that he realized his danger, for he
broke into a brisk run and dashed to-
ward the claim-shack.
For but single instant little Jim
hesitated. The somber cloud was
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 the
blizzard seemed eating the landscape
away as it advanced. The man on foot
has almost reached the wire fence Of
the claim, and at that instant the child
emerged from the gully and trotted
helplessly forward. If he urged the
pony onward, little Jim could reach
the shack before the inspector, hold
IL Oh hn hn
safe from the billiards. rage within
the shelter of the shack. 81
If he attempted to save the child
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 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 Billiards
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 eff
forts to be off, bent and lifted her uI
before him on the saddle.
Almost like flash the pony sprane
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.
Nohly the sturdy pony kicked the
rods away behind him. but faster thar
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 {
Kissing, on-rushing mass of snow, thai
flashed onward by the icy hurricane
seemed to cut the flesh like knife. 1
was as if midnight of whiteness ha6
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
beating of their hearts, and Jim knew
that in but few minutes at most they
would freeze. His benumbed hands
seemed freezing to the bridle-rein and
the child was crying in shrill tones o
suffering that were whirled away ny
the icy hurricane.
Then as the child ceased her erie
and only rloaned and little Jim fel
as If he should fall helpless and freez
ing to the ground, the animal stopped
so suddenly that the riders were al
most unseated. There was dark, in
distinct mass just before the pony
nose, and as little Jim uttered vel
it opened trifie and revealed the doc
of the shack, and about the mans hea(
that was thrust out for an instant, tn,
snow whirled and Kissed, as if to punisl
him for his temerity in. facing it
wrath even little. With bount
the pony sprang forward, throwing
the door open, almost knocking thu
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