The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-10-25
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IL the clouds had
gathered into one
dense mass, which drew closer to the
earth. contracting as it came, like the
palm of a huge, unclean hand, nearing
the point at which it could dart at and
grasp its prey. And still, as the gray mass
dropped, the cold became more acute, and
the prairie shrank and shivered, and
wind arose, whirling with intermittent
gusts the crisp snow over the plain.
He looked up from the trail which his
ragged shoes had trod all that day, and
many days before, and drew long breath,
while he scanned the surrounding coun-
try. Earlier on his journey he had noticed
fences and landmarks and telegraph poles,
and here and there a ranch. He had &C.
casionally met, and avoided, men riding
horses, busily and cheeriy, and he had
known he was in peopled land. Now, as
the cold, gray clouds fell in upon him, he
could see nothing, barely the faint tracks
of the wagon wheels upon the trail, al
ready becoming indistinct by reason of the
falling snow. Partly from the cold, but
more from a horrible ghostly conscious
ness that crept upon him of his entire iso-
lation, he moaned and whimpered, and
drew his ragged coat more tightly about
him and pressed more closely under his
arm a green baiZe-covered bundle he car
ried. And whenever he shifted the bum
die from one side to the other he per-
formed the action very carefully and
tenderly. A few ragged holes in the cloth
barred to the bitter air the slender shape
Z and strings of a violin.
AS he walked along with limping step
and wearied. haggard face, he heard the
lowing of herd of cattle, and soon large
number Of the brutes advanced dimly
from the gray distance, and crossed the
trail in front of him. The wind came from
the north and the man noticed dumbly
that the cattle moved steadily southwark,
never straying from the path, which kept
their hind quarters exposed to the coming
gale. They were running away from some
thing, but moved as if driven by an I'M
seen herdsman. The man looked toward
the north, and the gray mass was closer
than FIVE minutes before. He was terribly
wearied, and ready to fall down, but an
indefnable fear began to grow upon him,
and he Strengthened up with frightened,
alert eyes. and looked around him eagerly
for help and company.
Company or help there was none. The
wind began 10 whistle loudly, and the
whistle changed speedily TO a scream, and
the scream suddenly became CHASTITY, in
human shrieking. Hitherto the snow had
drifted by the man almost unnoticed, but
now the flakes came by the myriad and
were hurled on him in clouds. The cold
became in moment bitter enough to STAY
and tore at him and bit him through his
worn garments. The man turned from the
trail and pursued the cattle, more fororn
and helpless than they. And then it
seemed that the wind and snow pressed
more closely upon him and the gale yelled
more shrilly, even as the mob jeers and
pursues the more eagerly when once its
victim turns TO fly.
In the absence of all human sympathy
and OF friendly guidance, and in increas-
ing horror OF the devils behind him, a
horror which soon reached the height OF a
delirium, he began 10 cry wildly on the
oxen before him 10 stop and wait for him
to come up. He began to run furiously
and bGndIy, and screamed at sight of dis
torted faces glaring on him from the toss
ing gray shadows of the whirling drift.
But now the darkness was altogether upon
and around him, though no one could have
told whether il were that the normal night
had really fallen, or that the density of
tltC LAAGedtA tat'i smut OQl the living QaV-
light. The man ceased 10 cry ont. 1t was
cold. with more biting, rayening. insati-
able cold than that of the grave, but he no
longer fought against it. He ceased TO
draw his rags together; he ceased 10 heat
his frozen fingers; he ceased TO run. for his
limbs were very heavy. He gasped at the
air rushing past him as he would have
striven TO snatch at draught OF water
from stream rushing too swiftly past MS
lips, and plunged 0umbly on into the
drifts. Then suddenly everything gave
way beneath him, and he slipped and
rolled and fell down into the coolest dark
ness.
The night passed by in storm and tu-
mutt, but when the dawn drew near the
billiards. flight had sped. the shriekinc
voices OF the troubled air had died away
70 a moaning whisper, and then into ST.
se0ce, and quiet came with the light For
some hours there was complete stiffness.
broken only now and then bv the slide
and slip OF snow mass loosenins from
the edge and falling into the depths Of
the ravlne. 4 few turkey buzzards winged
heavily in the calm, clean. purified air far
above; 4 lean and starved coyote sneaked
stealthily in the shade Of the bluffs; a
iack-rabbit ran swiftly up their sides.
Suddenly an antelope, hshtest of foot and
altogether sound!ess, bounded over the
snowy plain aud stopped. alarmed and
wide-eyed, on the brink Of the cUlley. The
desert quietuGe of the prairie was broken
and scattered ny the sharp report of .
rifle shot, and the antelope leaped in the
air and rolled down 10 the bottom Of the
ravlue.
A moment afterward the face of s young
lad appeared above the ledge and peered
downward into the drifts below. For a
minute he gazed. then turned ami shouted
across the plain behind him. Soon he was