The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1894-02-02
A COLD RIDE.

"There Is a lady here tonight who is
desperately anxious to get to Brenton by
tomorrow morning."
"Why doesn't she goP"
'She can't. All my horses are storm
staid, and you can't hire a team herea-
bouts, as you may know"
am not naturally disobliging, but to
be asked to take lady in your sleigh
when the snow is deep and likely to be
drifted is not pleasant.
Moreover, since Kate Mcdonald and
had quarreled over the attentions paid her
by her handsome, rich cousin, which she
either could not or would not explain,
never cared for woman's society. Where
was Kate now? 1 often wondered.
''She really seems to be in great trouble,
sir, because she can't go on, said the
landlord as paused to consider.
"Well, tell her to get ready. suppose
| must say yes.
''By the way, sir, you want when you
get near the burned land, 10 miles from
here, to keep a sharp lookout to the right
for a road that turns off there. Take that.
The straight road leads to Brenton, but
nobody lives ON It.
"All right"
When | had donned my overcoat, fur
cap and comforter, l laughed at the thought
that my passenger would not be able to
tell whether she had young man or an
old one for companion.
AS / reached the sleigh au animated
bundle of clothes, with a suggestion OF
feminnity about it, came out
The lady took her place in the sleigh.
sprang in beside her. The landlord and
the hostler tucked in the robes, babe us
good night, and we were off.
1t was "a miles to Brenton. The going
was heavy. The horses could not trot, but
settled down to walk.
How cold it was The bright disk of
Venus shone with wonderful splendor, and
the pitiless wind seemed to come straight
from the star.
care you cold?" shouted, for the wind
rendered it useless to speak in an ordinary
tone. She answered that she was, where
upon / told her to get down in the sleigh.
She did, and l pulled the robes over hel
head, she nesting very close to me. Some
how this was not altogether disagreeable.
The wind swept stretch of road was six
miles long, and when we had gone about
third of the distance the horses stopped.
l urged them little, but soon saw that
it was of no use.
Telling my companion to crouch low in
the sleigh, covered her well with the
robes, and going in front of the horses be-
gan to trample down the snow.
\ worked with all my speed yet it was
more than an hour, judge, before had
track made for them.
When | returned to the sleigh, was
thoroughly heated and as wet from perspi-
I hoI to Of
Protecting myself as well as possible from
the blast, which seemed to grow in
strength, urged the horses along.
AS they proceeded slowly my companion
threw the covering from her head and
said:
"You must have got heated, working as
hard as you did. If you sit there till the
cold strikes you, you will die"
81 do not think there is any danger"
said.
"But l know there is, " answered she.
Then throwing down the robes she stood
up in the sleigh and added: "Give me the
reins. Get down there out of the wind and
cover yourself up"
At this moment shudder passed over
me, and realized what truth there might
be in her words.
A second shudder, worse than the first,
reused me thoroughly to my danger, and
protesting that it was only for a minute
or two crouched down and allowed hel
to cover me.
was soon shaking like one in an ague
fit, hot and cold by turns. How slow we
seemed to be going! Two or three times ]
tried to rise and take the reins, but was
quite unable, and my companion assured
me each time that she was not cold and
was doing faInously-the excitement kept
her warm, she said.
did not believe her She suffered ter
ribly, but did not know until they told
me, weeks afterward, at the hotel in Bren-
ton, that she took off her own wraps to
make my covering heavier, for l was in
sensible when they lifted me out of the
sleigh.
When, three weeks later weak from fe-
yer, / employed my first conscious moment
in asking after my companion, the nurse
told me that she had driven the horses in
to Brenton at gallop.
Not knowing about the roads, she had
naturally enough followed the straight
one and for IA miles had driven through
the forest, with me lying unconscious at
her feet.
AS they carried me in the lady fell be-
fore the fire in faint.
Strange to say, she was really not very
much the worse for her terrible expert
ence, but had walked up in a fever and
for three weeks had been delirious.
"Where is the lady nowg" l asked.
The nurse stepped aside without reply
ing. l looked up, when my eyes rested
upon Kate Mcdonald.
"Katie!' was all could say.
"Aleck" she replied and took my out
stretched hand in hers.
"Katie," said, after a moment of hap
piness too deep for words, sis it possible
that you were my companion and my sa-
vior?"
81 do not know about my being the last,
but l certainly was the first"
'And did not know it."
"But did," she said, with her merry
laugh, "And, what is more, knew you
after you first spoke to me-"
l looked at her hands. There was no
ring on the slim, white fingers.
"Katie," saiG, "they tell me you saved
my life, but you had better have let me
lose it unless you will promise to share it
with me-"
She did not speak, but the look in her
eyes was enough.-Waverly Magazine.
A Surprise supper