Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1890-11-26


in dinner fer U.S.
stI'm sorry" she began, paused, and
continued: ssI'm sorry, but I promised
Cephas to 20 over to Galloway's with
him tomorrow
Seems like you an Cephas are havin'
a good deal to do with one another
o. late,a John muttered in hard voice.
Then he added: ssI've been thinkin' O.
you all mornin'." Judging from the
way he spoke this, it was not unlikely
thatahis thoughts of her had affected
him more than the weather.
! 81 hope you thought good things she
said, pleasantly.
II heard you an Cephas were goin' to
marry, Christmas-times," he said, alb
ruptly.
She glanced up at him quickly.
s'Who told that?" she asked.
The subject was suddenly dropped at
this point. Cephas Bludsoe came riding
up and blusteringly sa1uted them.
"Gloomy day, amt it, E1lsworth?' he
remarked. 'sHope it won't snow afore 1
get back from the station. Coin down
to-day, John?" .
s'To the station9 Yes, this afternoon"
John answered, quietly. ia.
"11l see you there, mebbe.'
''She didn'tdeny it," he muttered. ST
reckon it must be so.''
That afternoon he went to Houston
station, which was a good eight miles
from Rose ranch, and when the train
from the north came there was Carrie,
as radiant and gladstone as of cd.
AS the two started in the little spring
wagon for the ranch, John noticed Co.
phas entering the stations liquor resort
in company with two young fellows who
were notorious ne'er-do-wells. 1t proved
that this was the beginning of a great
Thanksgiving drunk on the part of the
three.
'Seems like he's forgot his promise
to take the black pony fer Jessie" John
thought. ,~s~
Brother and sister were rejoiced at
meeting again after their long sepa-
ration, and the miles were travelled
quickly.
However, they had hardly left the
station when John noticed peculiar
change in the atmosphere. Itgrew cold
and the sky was lowering. Evidently
STERN was near.
He whipped up the horses and they
sped along rapidly.
Darker and darker grew the heavens.
John thought he had never known
storm to approach so swiftly.
1t became bitterly cold, and the wind
blew from the north. Suddenly the sieet
and snow began to fall, and John knew
that they were in the midst of one of
| those terrible billiards. Of the South
| west
He made Carrie as comfortable as pos
| sible with his big buffalo robe and her
shawls, and bundled up himself all he
| could, but still they suffered from the
cold.
By the time they reached sassafras
school-house there were two feet of
snow on the ground, and it was falling
in a binding flood.
The building was deserted and locked.
John thought of Cephas in the saloon at
the station, and wondered if Jessie had
waited for the black pony.
They were still more than mile from
| Rose ranch, when human form, pros
| trate in the snow, caused the horses to
| shy and brought an exclamation from
John.
He drew the team to standstill, and,
passing the lines to his sister, 1eaped
| from his seat and bent over the storms
victim.
''Great Heavens, Carrier! he cried,
''it's Jessie-the school-ma 'am O. Sassa-
fras!'
Carrie did not hear him. Stung by the
driving sleet and the biting cold, and
| frightened perhaps by their masters
sudden spring from his seat. the spirited
! horses had plunged forward, and finding
no restraining hand at the bits, for
! Carries hands were stiff and numb with
! the cold, they dashed away over the
| prairie, leaving John standing helpless
| ly in the snow over the inanimate form
of the little teacherI
John lost not a moment in idle con-
temptation of the situation.
Gathering the little teacher in his
| strong arms, and holding her close
against his breast, that she might alb
sorb some of the warmth from his own
| person, he boldly struck through the
snow in the wake of the team, which
had now entirely disappeared in the
| storm.
At last Rose ranch was reached and
there at the gate stood the runaway
team, with heads down and their bodies
| qnivering with cold, and at the door
was Carrie, uninjured and half-warmed
by the fire which burned in the CRATE,
and in the act of dispatching Vasques,
the herder, to Johns relief.
John did not tell her where Cephas
was, but he remarked that she could not
go to Galloway's now, and after all would
be their Thanksgiving guest She was
glad of it, she said
The two had a long talk the next day
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