The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1890-04-23
LOST IN A BLIZZARD.
Five Hours Wandering in a Death
Dealing Blast.


Dealing Blast.
1t showed. Over the whole monotony
of the level prairie hung pail of dirt
colored clouds, and from them, steadily
noiselessly, persistently, fell the snow
fakes. 1t had commenced showing
about midday; hesitatingly at first
then the storm became interested in its
work, and great snowfall impended
There is something particularly desolate
about snow-storm in a lonely locality,
Rain is sad and dispiriting; itmakes the
landscape mass of brown mud, but il
does not otherwise change ito features
Snow, on the contrary, metamorphoses
every thing. First, the road, the con.
Meeting link with civilization, merges
into the wide eXpanse of snow-covered
prairie; then the little improvements
and fixtures you have placed about your
house as a reminder of days at home in
the East disappear, until you feel as il
vast ocean of white foam had drowned
all the world and left your house like an
isolated island alone in a wilderness OF
loneliness.
Some such ideas traversed my mind
as | gazed from my window, by the gray
light of the dying day, at the bleak
wintry expanse, and for the first time
since had pitched my tent in the West
felt Respondent. 1 had talked and
imagined myself into a sense of tamil.
iarity with the rigors of pioneer life:
but here was its realizat ton; this was a
taste of the winters of the mighty
West, fragment of the many storms tc
occur.
Six months ago we felt lonely and
Isolated in the throbbing heart of a
great Eastern city, and longed for the
freedom and company of nature; and
now we shudder at touch of her hand.
When / married I was business man;
hosts Of friends pressed my hand in con-
graduation, and smiled on me as they
passed. One year after the tide of pros
perity ebbed from my Office, and the
flood never returned. Failures here,
reclamations there, losses of some sort
everywhere, until one day gazed at my
balance-sheet, discharged my clerks.
handed my store key to the ianitor, and
went out of trade. Disguised with the vi
cissitudes of commerce, tried specula-
ton with the salvage of my wrecked
commercial enterprise, but the first OPP
erations resulted so disastrously that l
wrote mo thoroughfare" on that avenue
to wealth, and set about finding another.
1t was imperatively necessary to do
something. Then came longing for
the great West, to leave the beaten,
trampled pathways of civilization, and
settle and rise with a new country.
BY the merest chance / had fallen in
with settler in Cedar County, Ia. He
had thousand acres of land, had built
house and barn, and plowed his field;
then his wife died, and the man, lone
some to desperation, determined to join
his brother in Kansas. l bought his
farm The house and barn helped me
vastly on the way to founding home,
otherwise / would have been obliged to
delay until they were built. I kept one
man. and negro woman, who had
served my wife in the South, accom-
panied us. This was our help. Besides,
had one horse and cow. Rather a
small complement for thousand acre
farm, but more would be useless during
the winter
Thus it was that gazed from my win
dow at the falling snow somewhat dis
pirited, a little awed, perhaps, at our
isolation, and
dick, there's not grain of sugar in
the housed"
A very pleasant voice spoke these
words, voice that had often soothed
and encouraged me as no other voice
ever can or will; but now it brought a
trown to my brow.
NO sugar, Helen!" I exclaimed,
why bought some sugar two days
Yes" despondingly, "but the man
gave you salt in mistake, and what will
may do without sugar in her milk?"
understood what was expected of me.
must go two miles over the snow-cov-
ered prairie to the village, in order that
the queen of the household, our four
year-old daughter May, might relish her
milk.
Now, several circumstances conspired
70 make this task very unwelcome one,
barring the inclement weather. NY
horse had hurt his leg and was unfit for
use, my Farmland had departed that
morning on leave of absence of three
days, and to crown all I had just been
congratulating myself on the cha nee to
enjoy restful evening after a hard
days work.
'Tonfound the ugar!" said I, and, an
anfailing resort Of mine in trouble,
.ook out my pipe and tobacco pouch.
The pouch was empty; walked to the
cupboard to refill it from the box. Con-
sternation! that was also empty. Here
was a state of affairs! The next day
vas Sunday, and tobacco, unless gotten
to-night, would be unattainable till
Monday. The idea of tonight, to-mor-
row and tomorrow night unseasoned
and unscented with the incense from
ny meerschaum was horrible. Fortu-
ate daughter May! Had found my box
- with tobacco, fear, strong as
love, that you
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