The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1890-03-04
THE REMARKABLE WOOTNG OF
A KANSAS GIRL IN WHICH A
SNOW PLoW ASSISTED.

Speaking of marriages" said the Con-
gregational minister" one of the briefest
and most exciting courtships on, record
was that of an acquaintance of mine who
found his wife in Kansas. It was in the
winter of 1878-'79, and the fall of snow
was phenomenalin that section. Beginning
with Christmas, there was good sleighing
for five weeks, and huge drifts covered
the prairies for much longer. The snow
had entirely stopped all trains On the
Kansas City, Burlington and Santa Fe
road, and across a section of country
known as the French Ridge the farmers
had been using the cut made through the
hills by the railroad company as a short
and extremely good roadway to town.
"Long after the snow had melted from
the dirt highway teams were driven
down this vallsy, and one night this young
man of whom I speak took a neighbor
girl out for what threatened to be the
last sleigh ride of the season. They had
never met half a dozen times in their
lives, but that did not seriously embarrass
them, and they drove down the railway
track on the well-beaten snow. It hap
pened the railroad company had secured
an immence snow plough with which
they meant that night to open the road
from Ottawa to Burlington. They had
two engines behind it, and it came thun-
dering down to French Ridge at a great
rate, and the couple in the sleigh heard
with dismay the roar and clang of the
huge machine behind them.
1.-THE little ravine between the hills was
too narrew to allow them to turn out,
and there was nothing for it but to run,
So the horses were urged to the highest
speed and the sleigh went tearing over the
snow with the monster behind and gain
ing every instant. Of course the en-
gineer could see nothing ahead through
the tossing mass of snow, and certainly
did not expect anything alive on that
desolate plain, especially after nightfal.
All that horsehesh could do was invoked,
but it was not enough, for right at the
deepest place in the cut the great plough
struck them, tossing team, sled, and
shrieking riders high IN in the air. They
landed in q mass nor or less confused
high up the bank, with snow about them
so thick they could not fall back on the
track. AS the train rushed past the
horses foundered III and pulled away
the fragments of the sled. The young
woman stood up, shook the snow from
her muf, which she had unconsciously
kept in hand, pushed her way to the bare
railroad, and said calmly:
"Well, we can walk homel
GA view so philosophic in view of the
remarkable loss they had suffered quite
won the young mrn's heart. He also
waded out of the snowbank, walked out
to where she stood, and put the question
direct:
"Will you marry meY
"iTl think about it, responded the
heroine, and she did, with the result of
finally accepting the young man, collapsed
sleigh and all. They live in Kansas City
now, and told me last winter when I
visited their pastor that they never had a
moments reason to regret the sleigh ride,
the tossing received at the hands of the
snow plough, or the informal manner il
which their destinies were united
Chicago Herald.