New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-01-17
a FEW HOURS IN A BLIZZARD


IL nat IN a comfortable, old fashioned house in
the West End of Montreal The fact that it was
an old house delighted Dove she did not know
why Madame. VINO lived below, was 50 ready to
eXpatlatc on the many Inconvenience of an old
house. Why shonH she know? Herr was
this bright little Madame, like most French
canadians. full of resources and ready TO do any
thing for her lOcataircs, also Martha Madame
little servant, who thought il an honor to he
allowed TO enter the fiat upsairs. Nothing could
have been more comfortably arranged than this
same fiat in the old-tashioned house.
When the water froze downstairs, poor Mad
anne had to thaw the pipes Send for plumber {.
no., indeed Madame despised men; they were
dull, Slow creatures, thes. rlen and charged ex-
brilliantly. There was nothing Madame could
not do far better than man.
Madame rose every morning at an early hour and
nosecssly arranged the house below thus hold
ing herself ready at any moment 10 attend TO
the affairs Of her locatares
The early winter of 800 was unusually mild
Day ws PSsy too to be
naces. Ont Of doors the snow was melting in
the brilliant sunshine: the mountain lost its
dazzling Wilderness, and masses of snow and ice
Heated about the river. As yet there was no
sign Of road across the st. Lawrence.
The papers were full of records of the deadly
Grippe. which was making its way across the
already occurred in Montreal, but the doctors
held ont against calling these The Grippe"
Then suddenly the city stricken by the
enemy Docloitsi clergvmen. old and young
the mlseries and dangers of the hour. the mild
weather gave place 10 intense cold, and trav
cling blizzard capped lis earlier enormties by a
wholesale onslaught on the province OF Quebec
Dove rose that morning with limbs weighted
with Lead head aching and eyes streaming ;
every symptom, in fact. Of bad attack of grippe
| or influenza; but sheer fright drove all remem-
| brance that such was the case away. and she
really does not know if the disease ran its course
or not She found her mother i'll agonles of
pain, for the grippe showed itself in inf
mite variety OF forms, and this of heart-faure
was OF the most painful
Madame" she called. will yOu run down 10
the grocers aud telephone for the doctor? At
| once, please. dear Madame
There was no answer; only narsh, metal
| lie cough from Madames room. and Dove ran down
to find this rock of strength feeble as an infant,
| unable g. ft her head from the pillow.
And where was Mariha?'
Alas, Mademoisele. poor Martha could not
hold up her head last night. | fear she has the
Here's a situation" groaned Dove. as she put
on her furs and went out 10 telephone TO the
"rvc been mp all night" teephoned the doctor.
! hoarsely; and | have the Grippe myself. and
ought 10 be in bed. But I'll try and come round
in the course Of the morning
Dove found the wind SO high she returned
| that she could hardly make way against it.
The cold, too, was of the most penetrating quail
| ity: eNhausting 10 the vitality
| II know it's down 10 zero, said Dove. oh.
how | hate zero! Perhaps. however. We Shall
| feel nothing of il in our cosey fiat"
|
deep in the snow. and was stranded by the wind
| in drift At the foot Of the steps Dove was
| nothing II not active 50 she clamb, red up the
glitering mass, and slid down Ia the porch door.
| Presently the doctor arrived lie was very
cross; very tired and his opinion was not cheer
fu Of either invalid He said he had about 200
patients waiting for him and now here was the
| blizzard 10 make things worse for IL Is an
enemy that cannot be kept ont by brick and
stone il comes in like an icy ghost through the
walls and crculates round and round the rooms
| until il appears as though one stood out of doors
and stoves and furnaces gave no heat. The
! wind was pclting the snow like hard SIND against
| the Windows through which it sfted though the
outer pancs were sealed 70 keep out draughts.
Its regular blizzard. said the doctor.
| The thermometer has been falling all night. IL
| is ten below zero now You must cover the win
dows with blankets TO keep out the cold air.
Keep mp the temperature TO 80 degrees day and
| night
The doctor ran down stairs, ,'arted into his sleigh
| and drove up 10 some other one of his two nun
dred cases OF Grippe, hardly able to hold up his
| head for pain.
! Dove went TO work with blankets. stepadder.
hammer and nails. keeping anxious watch over
| the open stove where a huge IRE olazed eheer-
| ily burning in clear red glow. us coal always
does during Il spell Of zero weather To her dis
comhture she found the thermometer very obsti-
nate in clingng To the iitics. and she ran down
stairs 70 turn the hall stove full drive. v
| Then she closed all the doors except those be-
| longing TO the two invalids and passed the day
| in inccssant work for one or other The AFTER
|
| lied her very serious position. Not soul had
come 10 the house since the doctor left in tho
morning. 80 .,..
| She went into her room, opened the Nentilating
| nonc and for q second looked into the street.
There were no scighs, cars in fact, not human
| being was to be seen The street was simply q
snow drift, and il would be utter impossibility
for Dove TO get far the end of the block to tel
cphone for help.
The last of the coal was needed for the fire.
| and there was no one To get any more. Dove I'M
! der.tood now why Madame abused an old fashioned
house the coal had to be kept in shed some twenty
| feet from the kitchen door. She ran downstairs
70 look AT the selfcelng stove that, at any rate,
was rood for another twelve hours. but the supply
upstairs was utterly exhausted
The registering Thermometer by this time indi-
Gated thirty below zero, Fahr-i c., 80 degrees
the robust dare go out into and combat without en-
haustion The thermometer in the sick room was
Notwithstanding all Doves pains, still in tile Titles
and to permit the fire 10 so down would mean GER
tain death to the INVALID.
Mademoisee, where are you going" cried MAD
anne rs Dove passed her door
Madame. there Is no coal upstairs. am going
| ont 10 the she'd
But Mademoiselle shall not GO cried the kind
little woman only wait little moment and
shall 90. little patience, MadcmoIseile
"You 30 ont with bronchitis. and 30 dcgrecs
below zero. cried Dove: how dare you think OF
such u mad proceeding"
so Dove, with the largest coal box she could find
an her arm went stnrdily downstairs 10 the kitchen
regions 4 huge iron shovel lay close to the outer
| Kitchen door; Dove set the bucket down for a
| moment beside IT, This meant "A little pause TO get
M her courage, for the roar of the wind anu the
swirl Of the binding snow would have daunted a
| stronger heart than hers, even il braced up by a
vioorons physique Dove knew from sad experience.
that she must inevitably freeze at SO low record