Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1890-11-08

pulled the robes over her head. >1S
nesting very close to ue. >oMehcs
this was not altogether iiS3gNc2A.c
and in my imagination began il Nts,
ure what my companion Was ike :
concluded that she Was Young &-4
beautiful, without any reason wAa;svs:
except that il would b. VASTLY GoN
pleasant to re taking care Q: sue. =
girl than Of one who VS. old ST. II.
favored
The wind-sw-p. stretch q soai ais
| six miles long, and when we hsi gems
about 9 third Of the distance tie Ao-ss<
stopped. Looking ahead found ;A4i
the drifts had deepenei AMI thai they
we've standing in i. up 10 ,hel. bodies
urged them a little, but soon s4v ia2i
it was Of no use. They only plugged
in a 10 endaug-, themselves
and the sleigh. There was bu; o2c
thing to do-get out ant break Rad
Telling my COMPANION TO crouch lev Il
the sleigh | covered her veil viii TIE
robes, and going in front Of the ho.sss
began to tramp down the snow. The
poor animals stood shivering i; tie
wind, and | worked with all nv sy~ce!;
yet it was more than an hour, | Judge,
before | had a track made for them.
When l returned 70 the sleigh I vas
thoroughly heated, and as wet from PEI.
spiration as If had been plunged INFO
water knew l was running a fearful
risk in sitting down in tina. piercing
wind, but there seemed TO be no alter.
native; so, protecting myself as well as
possible from the blast, which seemed
70 grow in strength, l urged the horses
along. AS they proceeded slowly my
companion threw the covering from her
head and said:
You must have got heated, working
as hard as you did, and you will take
cold unless YOU take something at once,
If you i ttbere till the cold strikes you
you will die"
The voice seemed to have a trace OF
tears in it, but that was doubtless due
to the fact that she herself was far from
comfortable.
81 do not think there is any danger"
l said.
But know there is" she answered.
Then throwing down the robes she
stood up in the sleigh and added; Give
me the reins. Gr.. down there out Of
the wind and co~er yourself up
81 will do nothing of the kind" | re-
piled.
You must" she insisted, ''or you will
die"
At this moment a shudder passed
over me, and ! realized what truth
there might be in her words. She d.
vined the reason for my silence and said:
You know l am right Oh, why will
you not do what | ask?"
But you"
Never mind me, I will be all right;
besides, it will only be for a little
while"
A second ehudder. 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 N.Y.
self Of the shelter Of the sieigh-box, !
croucbed down and allowed her to cover
me over. was soon shaking like one
in an argue-ft, growing hot and cold by
turns. How terribly slow we seemed to
be going! Two or three times | tried to
rise and take the reins, but was unable;
and my companion assured me each
time that she vas not cold and was do
ing famously-the excitement kept her
warm, she said. | did not believe her
then, and l know now that what she
said was not true-that she suffered
terribly; but l did not know until they
told me, weeks afterward, at the hotel
in Brenton, that she took off her W
wraps to make my covering heavier;
for l was ~insensible when they lifted
me from the sleigh. l remember when
the grinding Of the runners on the
drifts seemed to cease, and have a con-
fused recollection of the quicker. tink.
ling Of the bells &C the horses struck a
trot, when the woods were reached
again; but, Of the remainder Of the
journey l remember nothing.
When, three weeks later, weak from
fever, l employed M first conscious
minute in inqutring after my com panion,
the nurse told me that she had driven
the horses into Brenton at a gallop. Not
knowing about the two roads, she had
naturally enough followed the straight
J one, and so for fourteen miles had
driven alone through the forest, with
me lying unconscious at her feet. The
hostler of the only hotel that Brenton
boosted was at the door looking for the
: mail-stage when he saw a team coming
down the forest road at a terrific pace, a
: woman standing in the sleigh and ply.
ing the whip with all her strength. She
I had drawn rein before the door, and
, springing out, exclaimed:
{ "Never mind me! Sec to him. and
pointed to where l lay. They carried
me into the house and put me to bed.
. while the lady fell before the fire in Q
faint, caused half by WEAKNESS and hal
by the reaction of her nervous power
Strange to say, she was not really
much the worse for her terrible expe
%rience; butt had walked up in a fever
and for three weeks had been out OF m,
n mind.
, "Where is the lady now?" ] asked, bu
, added: 'Of course, she has gone. , would
y like to have seer her."
The nurse stepped aside without re
plying. looked up for some explana
d ton, when my eyes ssested on the fac,
OF Katie Macdonald. /.
"Katie!y.swas all I could say. 30
"Aleck!" she replied, and took my out
o stretched hand in hers.
. Katie" / asked, after a moment o
happiness too deepfor words: rs 1t pos
. sible that you were my, companion ant
savior2" Z
b She smiled IN her old, sweet way a
she answered.: 81 do not know abou
my being the last, but | certainly wa
the arst."
"And l did not know"
ID but I did," she said, with a merr,
q laugh. sand, what Is more. / kns,
ID you after you first spoke 70, me."
Is l looked atshkr haAdA rhire wax .
n ring upon the small white fingers.