, 1888-04-08
IN A BLIZZARD.

l was setting up type in the office of The
bloomington Spike one bright day in
February, 1882, when l heard n voice at
the window saying: Hello, Seagravesl
a to hold down yer claimg' The
speaker was snecring ut me through his
mittened hands. | shook my head, but
motioned for him to come in, which he
did.
As he stood before the rusty cannon
stove l demonstrated with him for his
rashness.
''Now. I'm an honest man, Moore. 1
don't want to take advantage of any one,
not even n drummer for farm machinery.
The fact is, I'm dangerous. Why, there
amt n man in this territory that would
ask me to go out on the prairie with him
If he knew my record. I'm sure death"
what do you mcani Explain your
self"
Il will. I've been out on that pre-
emption Of mine promptly at the end of
every thirty days ever since the last day
of October, and every time il stormed
damnably. The first time il rained, the
next time il showed and blowed like the
devil and all, and the last time Murray
and | went out to the claims we spent
three days in his twelve by fourteen
sEanty with the horses. Why, l can't go
~ lAtipl VI btlltplilH Dul u ltTTlDlt
storm sweeps down on the poor people.
Therefore the boys fight shy of me"
Moore was whistling through his teeth
ut my yarn. He didn't put much i'm
pprtanUe upon it.
"Ohl | know all about that; but | don't
scare worth n cent, and, besides, look Mt
the sun shining out there. Now, you get
yer toGgery on and well be of after din
ncr. Bailey's going too. Now rustic
III see got later"
This settled the matter, and accordingly
got things into as good shape as possible
in the Office, and went early to dinner at
the Western house. The boys ut the table
were also talking about going out on their
claims, and cursing Sparks. of the land
office, because Of the ruling which obliged
them to be OF the presumption once n
month, NJ matter what the weather
might hc.
- guess we're about all in the same
tx" said Adams; there's Bailey and
Moore and Shelby, myself and"-
And Scagraves,' | said, quietly.
"Wh-a-atl Not you, Seagravesy"
''N0u bet | am"
THAT settles my hash: IL Seagraves
goes, I don't, you can bet high on that.
I'm not ready to Il up my toes for the
coyotes to guaw."
"Grutlcmcn, In sorry for you, but
. '' S'''5 ~ 10y tNN'AN VI - "
dying
Aud about . O'Clock, behind Moore's
little team, well nigh buried In blankets
and robes, we drew out of the main street
and Loaded west, amid chorus Of yells.
"Glt there, Eli, Seagrayes is sure death,
rush On the ~reins;' etc.
The sleighing was excellent, and the
vast level plain, rs bare as the bosom of "a
frozen sea, was sparkling under a brilliant
SIM 4ltIutpTr from "a 1epD hlna gEv nnr
curse lay straight into the wilderness to
the west, u distance of nearly thirty miles
-au easy trip il the roads are good all the
way.
Bailey and Moore kept up a lively chat
tcr over their huge buffalo coat collars,
and hailed every passing team with jolly
shouts, and when we were about ten
miles on our way Bailey said: "Igues.
Seagruves will escape this time
/ lifted my mead and took "A look at the
northwestern sky; then said: mo, boys,
we're in for it, sure"
And we were; for, borne on the wing
II the north wind, "A great fieecy dome Of
cloud, slaty blue below and silver white
above, was rising, vast, wide as the north
crn horizon, seamless, dim and noiseless,
sweeping with the speed of a shadow upon
US. The day was yet brilliant, but the
frost white edge Of the cloud had already
'tAhA aANH'Hh AAAa A'NN ~ VIZ sum AAAtAN III
the depth of the lark blue dome more
umiuous and stern. 1t would be dark in
two hours.
"Well, boys, the blizzard is coming,
sure, and there are just two things to do
push on AS hard as we can for the claim
or turn back.
There's no turning to this crowd"
Moore replied, rs he touched the ponies
with n whip. submitted, though with
g.u,n nfgv5yiupg am FREQ tn rpufasS
The road was getting worse now, as we
were getting beyond the settlers shanties,
and beyond the travel to and from the
town. Houses grew more and more in
frequent, the wind began to rise, and the
snow to sift along the plain, softly. spas
medically, yet insidiously, and almost be-
fore we knew it the road was full Of
drifts. Wherever a tuft of weeds or a
clump of unburned grass stood, a drift
had formed, stretching out its solid bulk
across our track like n huge lazy polar
bear, over which the ponies were forced
to draw the sleigh.
The sun was entirely hid soon after, and
occasional flakes of snow struck the fnce
like threats, while the wind, growing
colder, bit most savagely The prairie
was burned bare here, and the sliding
snow ran like tongues of flame here and
there, or spread like silver white ocean
foam upon the side of some smooth, black.
ened knoll We passed many ~shanties,
but they were empty, for the most part,
the owners having moved back east for
the winter. Tine farther we went to the
west, the wilder aud more bare the prairie
became; soon we would be outside the
line Of actual settlement. Bailey was in.
tending to get off at a point about five
miles before we reached Moore's claim.
His claim lay four miles due south from a
certain corner stake which we were IN
pass very soon, but as we were approach
ing the stake Moore and l determined to
keep him with us, and not allow of his