Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-03-01

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"Tdks Ais, porter"
In the Pullman car of the westward
und express, half way across the con-
|tinent, two passengers were gazing list
1eesly out over the wintry landscape. II
IVES bitter morning in February. North
|And south the treeless prairie rolled away
in successive ridge and depression. The
snow lay deep in the dry ravines and
Stfeaked the sea like surface with Jagged
lines Of foam, between which lay broad
spaces clean swept by the gale Heavy
masses Of cloud, dark and forbidding,
nraped the sky from zenith to horizon,
and the air was thick with spiteful gusts
and spits Of snow, cracking against the
window panes, making fierce dashcs
every time a car door was hurriedly
opened, and driving about the platforms
like myriad swarm of fleecy and ag-
gressive gnats raging for battle. Every
now and then, responsive to some wilder
blast. binding white cloud came whirl-
3g from the depths of the nearest gully
ID breaking like spray over the snow
nee along the line. Not sign of life
ns visible.
The tiny mounds In the villages of the
lirie dogs seemed blocked and frozen;
the trusty sentinel had "deserted
!" and huddled with his fellows for
tmth and shelter in the bowels of the
h. Fluttering owl and skulking
vte, too, had vanished from the face
MATURE. Tmid antelope = fleetest
ursers of the prairie - and stolid
prned cattle had gone, none knew
hither, nor cared to know until the
blizzard" had subsidized. Two heavy
hgines fought their way, painting, into
10 very teeth of the gale and slowly
|ound the long train after them up
Fade among the foothills of the great
ateau Of the Rockies. Once in q
lille, when stopping for q moment ut
PINE group Of brown painted sheds and
nth battened shanties, the wind moaned
I'D howled among the iron braces and
rake chains beneath the car, and made
hch mournful noise that it was relief
start once more and lose sound of its
ailing in the general rumble. As for
be scenery, only as a picture Of shiver
provoking monotony and desolation
U1pld one care to take second look.
And yet, some miles ahead, striving
ard to reach the railway in time to in
cept this very train, small battalion
cavalry was struggling through the
Lists, officers and men afoot and drag
Ing their own benumbed limbs and half
Pnumbed chargers through the drifts
Iat lay deep at the bottom of every
coulee." Some few soldiers remained
saddle; they were too frozen to walk
all. Some few fell behind, and would
ave thrown themselves flat upon the
Fsirie in the lethargy that is but premo-
Ition of death by freezing. Like men half
eadened by morphine. their rescue de-
ended on heroic measures, humane in
beir seeming brutality. Officers who at
her times were all gentleness now fell
pom the hapless stragglers with kicks
Id blows. As the train drew up at the
htform of q station in mid-prairie, a
rseman enveloped in fur ard frost and
cam from his painting steed refined up
side the leading engine and shouted to
occupants Of the cab:
For Gods sake hold on a few min
20. We've got dozen frozen men
th us we must send on to Fort War
ner." And the train was held.
Meantime, those far to the rear in the
|eeper knew nothing Of what was going
ahead. The car was warm and COM
table, and most of its occupants were
parently appreciative of its shelter and
iness in contrast with the cherries
ne without. A motherly looking
man had produced her knitting, and
b blithely clicking away at her needles,
lille her enterprising son, youth Of
III summers and undaunted confidence
human nature, tackled up and down
aisle and made impetuous incursions
the various sections by turns, receiv-
such modified welcome as could be
Rorded features streaked with mingled
dy and cinders, and fingers whose
pensity to cling to whatsoever they
,hed was due no more to instincts of
edatory nature than TO the adhesive
rites of the glucose which formed
&c a constituent of the confections
I'D been industriously consuming
early morning. Four men playing
70 commercial travellers, whose init
cy with the porter and airs of easy
prietorship told Of an apparent con
ling interest in the road, a young
y of reserved manners, reading in 9
ion all by himself, baby sleeping
etly upon the seat opposite the two
ssngers first mentioned, and Maltes,
bn curled up in the lap Of one o.
o, completed the list of occupants.
be proximity Of the baby and the
N furnishes strong presumptivs
ence of the sex and general condi
of the two passengers referred to
renders detail superfuous. A baby
travels without a woman, or ,
with a woman already encum
with baby. The baby belonged
elder passenger, the kitten to tn
ger. The one was buxom matron
her a slender maid. In their age
must have been difference Of fit
Fears; in feature there was still
disparity. The elder was fin
woman, and one who pride
upon the Junoesque proportion
he occasionally exhibited in
exercise up and down the aisle
pne would call her q beauty
were of somewhat fishy an
blue; the lids were tiDge
ornamental pink that told c
Z the adjacent interior SUI
possible irritability Of ten
omplexion was of that mo
iich is 30 sore trial to il
yet so inestimable con
rivals; but her feature
pc, her teeth fine, her dres,
emaanor thass of voma