The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1890-02-13

! could not be induced to turn their heads
1 against the storm. They stood rs II
| paralyzcd by the fierce blast Of wind and
slcet. Another and more furious sweep
Of the hurricane came almost Immediately,
and this time the rack was lifted com
| pletely off the sled and overturned with
hay and riders
Fortunately, there was considerable
| drift of snow beside the road, and
neither Dick nor the younger children
were hurt by the fall. They had all,
with common impulse, jumped from
| the top Of the load us IL careened over,
aud SO fell, or rather tumbled, outside
the sweep OF the rack.
A they scrambled to their feet the
stiff wind was so filled with hay and
snow that they could scarcely distinguish
each other. The rack turned bottom
! side up, and. rs it was built IN the shape
Of figure four" quail-trap, held most
of the hay securely beneath its frame.
Dick still held to one of the lines, and
the horses stood shivcrins with fear and
cold, for the temperature had suddenly
dropped far below the freezing point
"Gct behind the rack out of the
windl' he screamed to the younger ones,
who were clinging to each other in the
cndcavor TO stand up before tue raging
wind. They obeycd him, and, hugging
close against the framework, found them
selves protected from the cutting blast,
but snow and slcet whirled over the Top
and about the ends in binding scurrics.
Dick knew instinctivcly that to at
temp. to get those children on the bare
sled and to drive them to place Of safe
! ty only meant certain death to them all.
In the first place, it would require all
their strength to cling on. Moreover,
they could not endure Il half-hour even
of such exposure to the storm. With
darkness coming ON and the air filled
with driving snow, there was the barest
possibility of his being able to find II
house-it could only be found by run
ming against it or into yard--even if he
should be able to drive and keep the
children alive all night.
His plans were quickly made, and u
man of twice mis- age could not have
made them with greater good sense, or
have shown braycr spirit in their exc
cution
He stripped the harness from his
horses and turned them loose. Then,
without waiting even TO see which direc-
tion the animals took, he ran to his
brother and sisters.
Although it had been so warm when
they started from home, their mother had
insisted that Jcnnc and Carrie should
dress warmly, and take cloaxs and com
tortcrs with them. These they had put
on before the storm came, and Dick,
after digging in the hay for few min.
uteS between the boards of the rack, dis
covered the horse blankets upon which
the children had fortunately been sitting
when the load overturned.
While digging for them he had pre-
pared II NEST, rs he termed it, for the
three small ones, and he now ordered
them to get in there while he tucked the
blankets around them. Frightened and
hushed by the terrific storm, they obeyed
without murmur, and the brave young
fellow told them that they must ''cuddle
close together and never peep outside"
till they heard him call them.
He said that he would 90 and bring
them something to eat ms soon as he
could get back from Mr.. Waldeman's 5
across Gull Lake, and then after the
blizzard was over they would all 90
home.
lie knew the snow would drift over
them in II very few minutes, and be-
licvcd that if they kept quiet their
breath would warm the NEST" and no
doubt keep them alive for many hours.
Bat he knew also that such billiards
have been known to last with uhabated
fury for two or three days, and chat there
was little likelihood of their being able
10 outlast such u storm. Therefore, his
only hope was to reach help if possible,
and get 1t TO them the moment it should
be possible to breast the blizzard
Gull Lake lay over mile distant, di-
rcctly to the southeast. 1t was one mile
and u half across t,and on the other side
lay Wdldeman's ranch, large group of
buildings, dwellings, barns and shedding
for stock, enclosed by large yard which
stretched along the lake shore for forty
rods or more.
Dick hoped that he might be able to
reach this ranch and to lind it.
Buttoning his overcoat tightly about
him and pulling II Norwegian cap"
which he wore tightly down over his ears,
he set out, going directly with the storm,
which came from the northwest.
lie started at a stiff run. The wind
nearly lifted him off his feet at every
step, and cut the backs of his legs and
the sides of his checks icily.
IL" soon found it impossible to tell
whether he was going directly with the
wind or not, rs it blew in changeful gusts
and whrlcd violently about HIM. But
there was a mile OF lake shore in front,
and ne reached it at length and found
himself upon the ice.
Il had now grown dark, and amidst
the pitrhy blHckncss of night and the
thick drift of snow he could no longer
make use Of his eyes. In fact, he was
obliged to shut them and allow himself
t. be carried over the ice by the wind. A
part of the time he was able to keen his