Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-11-05

| the landlord.
 Here's your passenger, sir" he cried, adding: By, gracious, but it's cola n;ghtr'
 A mufied voice from out of the bum dle of clothes said something that did not quite catch; but l made no r:ply to 1 either. The lady took her place in the l sleigh, sprang in beside her, the land lord and tho hostler tucked in the robes, bade us goodnight, and we were of under the shining stars, with much tinkling of bells, the sleigh-runners singing over the frosty snow. It was twenty-four miles to Brenton, and the loneliest road in the State. did not feel sufficiently reconciIed | to having 8 companion to be much dis l posed to conversation; but, as the wind came with more than unusual fierceness through an opening in the trees, in- | quired of the lady if she felt cold. She hesitated for almost a minute before re- | plying, when she assured me by curt monosyllablo that she was not. So- ciable-very! thought I, and made no further effort to talk. The going was heavy, but not especially so, for the l way lay through tho forest and was not drifted. Four miles brought us to the
 
 where there were just enough falicn trees along the roadway to catch the driven show. It soon appeared that tho road hero was a succession of drifts, not deep, but solid, and that, if any teams had been over 1t during the day, their tracks had long since been filled in. Indeed, could see in the bright star light that fine snow, almost like ice dust. was moving swiftly over the great white surface spread out before us. The horses could no longer trot, but settled down to a walk, tho wind whistling through the harness and blow ing their names and talls till they rro- jected almost horizontally. Iicw cold 1t was! In the northwest tic bright disk of Venus shono with wonderful splendor, and tho ritiless wind seemed to come straight from the star. ThGrr seemed to be mcrciless glare in t!.e splendid planet and longed for a cloud to cover it from sight. 1 shivered under all my clothing and began to feel un easy fer my conlp nion.
 Are you cold?' l shouted, for tho wind rendered it useless to speak in ar. ordinary tone, untitled as VIC were, and not facing each oth"r.
 She answered thatshe was, whereurcn l told her to get as low down in tho sleigh as possible, which she did, and l pulled the robes over her head, sho nestling very close to me. Somehow this was not altogether disagrecablc. and in my imagination began to pict- ure what my companion was like. l concluded that she was young and beautiful, without any reason whatever except that it would be vastly more pleasant to be taking care of such girl than of one who was old and i!l- favored.
 The wind-swcpt stretch of road wa:l six miles long, and whel we had gon" about third of the distance the horses stopped. Looking ahead I found that i tho drifts had GcCpcncd and that they were standing in it up to their bodies l l urged them 8 little, but soon saw that l it was of no use. They only plunged | in a manner to cndangor themselves and tho sleigh. There was but ore thing to do-get out and break road 1 Telling my companion to crouch low i,, l the sleigh l covered her we'll with tho | robes, and going in front of the horses l began to tramp down the snow. Tho 1 poor animals stood shivering in the l wind, and l worked with all my speed; 1 yet it was more than an hour. judge, 1 before l had track made for them. l When l returned to tho sleigh was | thoroughly heated, and as wet from per 1 spiration as if had been plunged into | water. l knew was running fearful | risk in sitting down in that piercing wind, but there seemed to be no alter 1 native; so, protecting myself as we'll as l possible from the blast which seemed l to grow in strength, urged the horses 1 along. As they proceeded slowly my 1 companion threw the covering from her l head and said:
 You must have got heated, working as hard as you did, and you will take I cold unless you take something at once. If you sit there till the cold strikes you l you will die."
 The voice seemed to have a trace of {; tears in 1t, but that was doubtless due 1 to the fact thatshe herself was far from l comfortable.
 "1 do not think there is any danger" I said.
 But know there is," she answered. Then throwing down the robes she l stood up in the sleigh and added: Give | mo the reins. Get down there out of the wind and cover yourself up"
 II will do nothing of the kind, re | piled.
 You must. she insisted, ''or you will die"
 At this moment shudder passed over me, and I realized what truth there might be in her words. She di- vined the reason for my silence and said:
 You know I am right Oh. why will 1 you not do what Iask2"
 But you"
 Never mind me, will be all right; besides, 1t will only be for little while"
 A second shudder, worse than the first, reused me thoroughly to my dan ger, and, protesting that it was only for a minute or two that would avail my self of the shelter of the sieigh-box, I crouched down and allowed her to cover mo over. ! Uas snnr sh hal.irc. l;l-. ]