The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-06-14

anu hopule MOioo saiu she lett 10 go to his
house at noon on Monday to get his father
to come and take them all home, and they
had not seen her since. And OH Pm afraid
Pm afraid-Ohl Charlie! I'm afraid to
tbinkp'
This account was SO ineoherent. and SO
what difficult of comprehension to Warren !;
so, thinking she would grow calmcr as they
rode, and knowing that II was very
likely that Primer knew all about the
matter.,ahe kissed the dropping head,
and said:
Let US hope for the best. dear. Well tide
up to the house, and get the search-party out
as soon as possible. | suppose that is what
Prltner and his men are here for, isn't it p"
She, nodded in reply; and, as Warren
leaped into his saddle, picked up her Bride
rein and both dashed off toward the house.
Meanwhile, Primer and his men had ar
rived at the ranch. and acquainted the men
there with the facts, which were as follows
Matte Ady was lost Had not been seen
since Monday noon, when she had left the
school-house, to go to the nearest farmers
and get assistance in removing the children
in her charge to better shelter than the
school-house afforded, should the storm be
prolonged. The children had waited in vain
tor Mr.. Morse, with his big "Studebaker,"
and mad spent the two days and nights in
the lonely school-house, subsisting Upon the
food which had been brought by each for a
midday lunch on Monday-and this, to-
gether with Miss Ady's, which she had left,
was all these poor little ones had eaten dur
ing their two days Imprisonment Fortunate
~, there were boys among the pupils who
were old enough to realize the gravity of the
situation; and, there being plenty of wood,
the house was kept warm, and thus the
danger of freezing averted Some of the
smaller children, however, had nearly worn
themselves out with weeping and fright.
thn AIRY tnis mornin'. she,n, jerking his
Warren. who were dsmounting at the house,
come a.tearin' over ter my place. half-craZy,
sayin' that Matte hadn't turned up, an she
was afeaied she was lost. She'd been over
ter Morse S, an they hadn't seen nothin' of
'es sister. Morse 'imself was off ter town
after the doctor, fur ter tend ter the little
one-poor little gal! she wuz skeered durn
nigh ter death, stayin' in the school-shanty
SO long. SO Sue she come ridin' over ter
git me to take the boys, n s'arch. She
thought we'd better come up herein git Cap'n
you iellers to help"
Old Primer slid out of his saddle as he
finished, and affected to busy himself with
Tightening his back cinch, while he added in
somewhat husky voice, I'm afeared the
little school-marm's gone up"
Inc men looked at each other with misty
eyes; and even Jake, the toughest man So
called, on the range, felt strange lump rise
IN his throat at thought of the plucky little
''schoolmarm" battling for life with the
pitiless blizzard. The thought made him feel
queer and he turned and kicked an unof-
lending shovel out of his path, with a NUT
tered "Hell!"
These two girls, Matte and Sue Ady, were
known and respected all up and down the
Missouri. and the toughest cowboy or
shacker' In the country would have hest
tated TO offer them insult, well knowing that
half-a-hundred trusty six-shooters would
spring to their defense upon the instant.
The girls had been in Dakota something over
two years, had taken up claims, and sup
ported themselves by teaching, the rule be-
tween them being, that the one securing a
school first should teach, while the other was
to attend to the household duties, etc.
Matte, the elder, and she but twenty-three,
was teaching this winter in the new school
house, erected the preceding fall, a little lax
IL shanty, covered with tar paper and
banked up with sod. Although her scholars
numbered but fourteen, the pay was good,
and her pupils all children Of people whom
she new and called her ''neighbors"-a neigh
borhood on the prairies of Dakota extending
over an area of eight or ten miles. The girls
were happy in their life, and were looking
forward to and laying plans for the future
which, since they had known Charlie War
ner, had seemed rosy indeed to little Sue.
Just entering upon her nineteenth year.
They had come to Dakota from Illinois, their
mother being dead, and their father worse
drunkard upon the town.
The Mr.. Morse who has been mentioned
was an old acquaintance of the girls, having
been one OF their best friends in the little
Illinois town where they had lived He had
come to Dakota fur years before them. and
II was owing to his efforts and those Of his
wire mat the girls were induced to brave the
monotony and hardshiDs of claim-life.
Matte was young woman of considerable
practical common sense, with a brave and
unfagging spirit and CHEEKY. happy dis
position; Sue, an animated sunbeam. Full
81 healtn and spirits, and feeling to its fullest
the freedom OF the life they were leading
she was never disconnected, but was ever the
same Sunny-tempered, blue-eyed embodiment
OF JOY and gladness. She and Warren had
been engaged for some time, and were to be
married IN the spring. There was nothing
romantic in their first meeting; in fact, it had
been rather hard and practical to the Young
woman who was humping along the road
with Mr.. Morse in the springless ssStude-
baker, on their way to town to get boards
ana taxpayer to erect home for the two
girls on the claim they had lust taken mn. -
They had met Warren returning from trip
alter his mail, and Mr.. Morse had drawn up
MS team TO ask some questions concerning
some OF his stock, which had strayed. OF
course, the young people were introduced.
ana an ACQUAINTANCE was formed that soon
rlpened into friendship and love. Soon after
THIS hrst meeting, she and her sister, with
MI. and Mrs. Morse, had visited Warren's
ranch, and Sue had watched with Interested
eyes the operation called branding" and
pltied the poor little calves, dragged about
and mauled so roughly by the COWBOYS; had
seen feats of horsemanship executed 6y those
knlgnts In broad-brimmed hats and 'schaps''
that had delighted, while they alarmed her
little, And then Warren had presented her
with beautiful, cean-limbed little black
pony. Old Primer had supplemented the
gift with saddle and horse-hair bride, the
latter teautifully braided by Mexican Joe. !"
one Of "Old Prit's" boys; and since that dav
1t was not uncommon to meet her apyWhere
within dozen miles of her home, she and
sne pony alone, enjoying. each other and
Natures beauties OF valley and prairie
Matte, too, had ridden some, but never could
quite overcome certain timidity when on
horseback-a fear of the animal beneath
her-which, to a great extent, spoiled the en-
loyment of the healthful recreation: and
tneTeIore she preferred taking her exercise
on 1907, walking to and from her school each
morning and evening, a distance of about
two miles. She had often made her daily
trips through storms, but since she began
teaching at the Morse school," so-called
mad never experienced any difficulty in
reaching Mr.: Morse,s house, which was but
quarter OF mile distant Once. while
teaching in an adjoining township, She had
been obliged by one of these storms To stav
in the school-house all night with her pupils.
and had laughed over her adventure with
que aIterward. But It had imbued ner with
5.
often said to her sister that If She had a
shelter during one of these fierce storms. she
would not f0rSake 1t to search for ANYTHING
better. And yet she had left the warm
school-house two days ago, in the midst of a
raging storm, to battle her way only a quarter
OF mile to get succor for the little ones
under her care. The older bows had nro-
Tested against her going-had, when tney
found 1t useless to try to dssuade her.
pleaded to go with her. But no; she would
allow no one to leave the scnool-house hnt
herself; and, after kissing the Young chill
dren, and charging the older ones to Keen nm
good nre, and to allow none to leave. she
nad gone out into the swirl of rushing snow
Tor what? Had she taken this terrible risk
OF lie merely that those in her care might
De spared few hours of imprisonment and
hunger? All through the dreary hours that
followed, the chilnren had waited and
listened for the promised relief in vain. And
Wnen, on wednesday morning, the sun had
risen so calmly over the glitterng prairie
and upon the little sod-banked sbanty dig.
Mined by the name of "school-house. its
inmates were very frightened and e-be-
gone little band. With the sun came Mr.
Morse, and great were his establishment and
lear when told that Miss ADV had left
them to go to his house two DAYS before
de bundled the children into the straw
nlled wagon, and carried them to his house
where motherly Mrs. Morse administered to
their wants, and made them Comfortable
until their several parents came or sent for
them during the day. Mrs. Morse was mnch
alarmed when told by her husband and their
son hop OF MISS Ady's departure from the
school house two days before: and then ali
else was driven from their minds by the i'll
ness OF their little six-year-old Annie, whom
the fright and hunger Of the past two DAYS
and nights had driven into fever and de-