The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1894-09-22
m THE STORM. :

MIN That she liked him quite as we'll as
anybody, hut she had certain ideas about
independence and winning her own way
In the world, and she wanted to be free to
follow those to their logical conclusion.
Ben Howard did his best to prove to her
the futility of these notions and wasted
good deal Of valuable time In tho effort
When no saw that no eloquence Of his
was likely to make Susie Barton change
her mind, he packed together his few be-
longings and started toward tho land on
which his eyes had long and longingly
been set--the Dakotas.
1t was hard task to which he had set
his hand to carve home from the broad
prairie, and to be alone In the doing of it.
He had not much money, and so went
where land was cheap, far beyond the out
post of settlers. He took up his claim and
paid his entry fee that gave him the right
to call tho land his own, and built rude
hut of sods.
Howards first years crops had done
WELL and after the winter was on he per-
mittcd himself TO add some comforts to
the bare equipment Of his homo and
bought some books and prepared to got
through the dreary, lonesome time as best
he could.
The long, cold winter Of the north was
fairly on when Howard, looking from his
door one morning, saw smoke ascending
from the schoolhouse chimney for the first
time.
$50 they have found teacher, he said
to himself. II suppose 1t is all right. But
] dare say it's gffl--they always get girls
out here--and she's bound to have hard
time of it. Girls that have to earn their
own living ought to stay east. It's bad
appuVh otxt hero for n man ~
The SHOWS came, and the whole rolling
plain lay white and glistening from hori-
zon to horizon. Tho cattle had been
brought in from tho fields and hidden In
the sheds that now were covered with the
snow, and so made only little hillocks In
the land.
One day Howard looked In his flour bar
rel and in his potato sack and found that
supplies were getting low. 1t was 10 miles
to the nearest town Early the next morn
ing he hitchcd up his team and started
off, On the way passing the schoolhouse
There a boy was Just startling the fires
lie had hardly completed his errands in
the town and started back when sudden
storm came up, n terrible blizzard, such as
only the wide plains of the frozen north
can know. 1t would have been the part
of wisdom for Howard to turn and get to
shelter as quickly us he could in the town.
But somehow the thought of the school.
mistress and her little charges had been
on his mind all day. He did not know
who sho was had never heard her name,
had seen her only across the distance of
tho white fields but lie knew she was u
woman who was struggling alone TO make
her way in the world This fact appealed
to him.
| The storm had come so suddenly that no
one would dare TO venture out until It's
fury was spent. The girl and her pupils
would be alone In the schoolhouse, prison
ers perhaps for many terrible hours. Even
the people nearest would not dare try to
make their way there, for they could not
hope to battle against the binding, driv-
Ing freezing storm. AS for Howard, lie
was already in the fight, and 1t was only
/ a question whether y, huuld try to re-
| turn to town or push on few miles far
! ther. He felt instinctively that man
I was needed at the schoolhouse He pushed
steadily forward
The snow drove about him and covered
the track and blinded him. 1t stung where
II struck his face and hands. II frozc upon
his beard and upon the harness OF his
horses. More than once he thought he had
lost the way and halted and CROPPED about
he could hardly move, could hardly guide
his horses Once he felt 1t was no use to
battle further and stopped, and the storm
ragged about him. But he knew it WINS COW
ardly to give up, so he urged the horses
forward again. Then lie sank into u leth-
argy, and the cold began to do its work
upon him. suddenly he was aroused. The
horses had stopped, und n house doomed
up before him, dimly seen through tho
storm. Howard drow up his stiffened
limbs and stumbled from the wagon and
threw himself against tho door. 1t opened,
and he half fell inside, carrying with him
great gusts of chilling wind and snow.
A3toon as he had brushed tho SNOW
from is eyes and become used TO the dim
ligh5 at the room this is what he saw: a
do2 n children huddled about a stove, iii
which there was only tho least spark of
fire, and woman standing upright, look
ing at him with white face, but with an
intensity of questioning that seemed to
ask If he We're man or ghost Half dRzod
with cold and suffering as he was, that
look brought him to himself He said but
ono word, "SSusiel' and opened his arms
And the next moment he held her to him
and was pressing his frozen beard against
her check.
|
well as from without. He forgot his hours
of suffering and battling with tho storm.
He put aside her questioning and all
thought of himself The fire in tho stove
gave out only the least glimmering of heat.
The fuel was all gone, and the children
shook with cold Howard seized the AK,
and going out Into the storm once more
began to dcmolish his wagon. From it he
made great urmful of firowood and
brought 1t in, and he added II on the fire
: Then he managed to get his horses out OF
the harness and brought them into the
schoolroom. Then no sat down with Susie
to falkland to wait. 1t was quite night
when the last stick from his wagon had
bcen burned and the storm abated. Then
, from all about anxious parents came
, streaming toward the schoolhousc, plow
ing their way through drifts, and finding
their children safe were glad to join ir
the congratulations that Howard frankly
told them were in order.
ltwas not very difficult now to persuade
Susie 10 give up her idea of making hel
|, own way in the world But the children
were not willing to give up their teacher
80 "a compromise was effected, after til,
wedding, by moving tho schOolhouse owe
i, Oh to Towards claim. And there TO
a many day Susie taught, while Howard
\ titled his land and together they built
!, homo that was in every way deserving O
n that nHmc which WIS much better l pro
d test, than if each had continued alone. =
James KNAPP Reeve in Cincinnati Post.
ENp