The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1890-03-08
a NO MANS LAND ROMANCE.

us~sN lnSers Prose tn Death In spite of the
Manrs~ selr-sarrtace.
The last blissari that howlcd across the
,slains OF No Mans Land brought tn light
very unexpcctc<ily an interesting subject
for gossip among tine people on the North
says u Beaver City rrcspond
NJ the New York Saa. About two years
ago William DunncIl moved TO this coun-
try from some place i'm Iowa, bringing
with him "a wife. unn had some
money. and after looking over the coun-
try picked out q claim not far from the
hills an tho north side OF Beaver
river and built a comfortable sod and box
frame house. Them, IL being fall, he
tn receive the SHOWS and rains and
awaited spring and seed time tn come.
Before the winter had halt gone came
Mr.. and Mrs. James Bigclow, will,
one child to the am ncighborhood and
selected another claim and built a
Dunncll's. and he too got ready for spring
ny blowing an ample breadth of sod.
.Iuaintetl. for they lived lint two miles
apart. The men, though unlike in APP
pearance. Dunncll being tall and broad.
were of like tastes in. many respects.
They shot prairie chickens and quail,
and deer and coyotes, and wildcats to-
gcthcr. and both being good shots the raw.
airy, such as IL was. rather trengtfiened
than weakened their friendship. They
were very often together in HEAVIER, and
there, as was commonly rcmarkcsi, drank
ont of the same bottle.
As for the wives. they, too, became fast
and jolly. Mrs. Biasiow was rather above
medium height. slender, and viyacioais.
Mrs. Dunnclf could cook like a French
man and was proud of il. Mrs. Bigelow
could do fancy work tina anyone had u
right to he proud of. Each frequently ex-
crciscsl her skill i'm behalf of the other aud
~ path W the two claims was shortly
Main tn he sGs,n.
Here matters stood during all the time
the families have lived there. They were
January = Mr.. Bigclow drove UP the
trail past DunnclI's bound for Meade ON a
shopping expedition. IL was early In the
morning, and as Bigelow has u well-kept
team of Texas ponies hc was sure to
arrive at Meade by 3 o'clock. He stopped
before Dunnelrs ranch: Did he D%unneii-
They did. Mrs. Dunncll wanted n new
hat and "a new cloak very much, but Mr..
= he railroad town. of course Mr.. Bigeiow
could not buy such things to 1T. II was
perfectly natural and proper that Mrs.
with Mr.. Bigclow, and since the family
had relatives mt Meade. and were well
known besides. there. was no reason why
said. with the coiiscnt..vcry hearty, con-
sent il now appcars-of her husband.
II was u beautiful January day. The
i'm May in less favored latitudcs. The
air, warmed by the direct rays and by the
rays reflected from the gray buffalo grass,
two drove away on Mr.. Bigclow's com.
Portable blackboard. Mr.. Dnnnel1 stood
in front of the ranch and watched them
until the outfit began To assume grotcsquC
and even gigantic outlines under the rari'
fled air.
o'clock. Then u wavcring outline of the
horizon to the north hardened. and before
the people had noticed this fact the warm
southerly breeze had died and every one
out OF doors began to shivcr with a sud.
den and ominous fall of the temperature
Those who knew tls, country made haste
to get tn their homes and there shut every
crcvicc and pat such stacks of fuel d!
their stoves as would serve tn keep the
stoves RID hot for as long "a time AS possi-
horizon rapidly developed into a black
cloud that rose up and spread over th.
sky with booming speed. Then, when but
half the sky had been blotteL out of sight,
the cloud burst open and filed the gale
that came driving down before IL hnrSl
with an icy, fleece of snow. II was ire
early that day, but il shut out no more Of.
fectively ono ranch from another than thu
storm had already done. IL there was
anyone abroad In that storm no one else
noticed il.
With the morning the sun rose once
ina before. but this time to shine down on
"a dazzling waste of SNOW. The warm
wind came up from the south as soft ana
sWeet as II uo such tltItS Us suOW storbl
had ever been known there. Mr.. BiRelow
and Mrs. Dunnell, who had reachct
Meade just i'm time To gain shelter. has
tened their shopping, and, anxious to re-
lieve the suspense under which they sup
posed the companions at home would Tx
under. drove with oft-applied whip do NJ
the trail to No Mans Land. Hut the
roads were bad everywhere. After the,
had taken their hasty dinner OH the banks
OF the and the sun was sinking
out of sight, the Dunncll ranch at las
anne in view.
" was with no little apprehension tina
I. Dunncll noticed hat there was ns
of life about the house, for Dunnel
aid that he would very likely 20 hunt
Nr.SBigelow became nervous les
ug should have happened tn tho
,onie. n boy of 4. and that MIR
al been oblidged To go for u dos
he Dunnell ranch no one an
I, and u hasty glance showes
:. had not been occupied dur
Tired AS they were thu
'ad to gallopp down tn,
Bigelow claim. Befors
ponies SHE'D suddenl,
= trail ahead of then
board. tumblinR ou
q.
and Dunnell ran I.
them. The sigh
on the Hrouns
is home was TIN
Ne WINS wrappe<
WINS the Goa
Nunnell. b.
With one q
:. was TIN
al chile
nd ron,