Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1894-06-30

we harel" opined cabby in detected
tones, as, pulling his horse up abruptly,
he opened the trap at the top of the
cab, and thus summarily aroused Dick
from slunber.
Dick, who, with his fur-lined ulster
buttoned up to his chin, his hands
thrust into seal-skin gloves, and a bear
skin rug wrapped round his legs, had
been dozing complacently for an hour
past, needless of the anxieties of his
Jehu. the relentless opposition of the
elements, and the difficulties OF pro
gression generally.
: "Hulloal you don't mean that?" as he
reused himself now with a start.
DRAW up the window, and let's have a
look where we are"
But Dick was scarcely prepared for
the scene which forthwith met his
gaze.
THE DEVIL" he calculated vaguely,
staring to right, TO left, before. behind;
"why 1t must have been showing ever
since we left town; and, judging from
the appearance Of things in general in
this quarter Of the globe, it is but fair
to conclude it has been showing here,
without intermission, Mt any rate since
the first of June. BY the living lingo,
cabbyl are you sure you've not taken a
mean advantage of my slumbers to
drive straight ahead to Siberia or the
Polar regionsp Here, jump down and
open these doors-I'm so cramped | can
scarcely movel-and when I've stretched
my legs on terra tirTad | shall be able to
hazard a suspicion OF where we may
happen to be!'
Dicks injunctions were obeyed, but
investigation only served TO prove the
hopelessness of the situation: for days
past, even in town, the snow had laid
and since noon to-day IL had been fall
ing heavily ergo, the country roads had
been converted into n trackless plain
OF untrodden snow. with here and there
"a stunted leafless tree, a buried hedge
row, or the topmast bars Of a wayside
gate, to diversity the prospect. White,
spotless white as far as the eye could
reach-aye. and how much farther. for
the snow was beating steadily earth
wards still, in a slanting sheet which as
effectually obscured the heavens above
as the surrounding world.
Are we across the commonP" ques-
toned Dick with genuine anxiety.
AYE, that we just are, sir, so far as
IL MANY Viils buk Il NO lONb my tkhRil
ing, Use free to confess. although as
man and boy I've knowed Barnes Com
mon an round about for a matter o.
twinty year,"
what a fool / was to go to sleep!."
soliloquized Dick in an undertone;
land You trust to-"
"Sleep or no sleep" interrupted cab
by Indignantly, Il suppose you've no
hattaN axfaa - ,.n,tr had than Athar
man, eh? an We al see devilish little
further l. Tn dark than tin best alnang
us. An whin snaw's drivin' like a
shower o live frogsi l. your face, a-whist-
lin i yer eyes. an a numbin' o tn
nape o. your neck. its uncommon hard.
/ can tell yer, { distinguish white from
black. or right from left for that mat
ter, when it's all straight fiat sailin'
like. Talk o Fleet-street blocks, or
Mansion House crowds o. Lord Mayors
day; give me dangers o. that sort to
grapple wi. say |, an keep yer country
roads an Cbrissermas snow-storms fur
SIGH as fancies thim-an' that's not
mel"
But Dick, having already arrived at
the conclusion that no amount of vitu-
peration directed either against the ele-
mentS, himself, fate, or the cabman,
would assist them in this emergency,
wisely refrained from being drawn into
argument even on so wide q subject as
the comparative merits of q City block
versus wayside ~desolation. He con-
tented himself By trying to discover
their present longitude and latitude by
n somewhat obstruse calculation as To
how long "a time had elapsed since they
had passed the Blue Boar, from the
portals Of which excellent hostelry cab
by declared a stream Of warmth and ra-
dance had issued, which had made an
indelible impression upon his mind.
Finally, having convinced the cab
man that they could not be more than
half q mile distant from the confines of
Burnham, Dick resumed his place in
side, lighted a cigar, wrapped the rugs
more closely round him, and. directing
cabby 10 bear well towards the right,
resigned himself to circumstances-Not
without serious misgivings. however,
for the evening was already dark az
midnight, and whilst the snow contIn-
ned TO descend in this pitiless fashion,
il was only by chance they could even
hope To stumble along in the right di-
rection.
Presently, however, the wretched
horse was urged forward at n trot, and
Dick could hear the unhappy driver al
ternately coaxing and anathematising
the poor beast, his lucky stars
"Cllrissermusses" in general, AN this
Chrissermus' Eve o all good an bad
ewes o. which he'd ever CHANGED TO hear
tell" and, indeed, the young man
could not wonder, his W plight
seemed oomfortless enough, but the
condition Of the man outside, he re-
Elected, must be pitiable in the extreme.
Dick had just arrived at the conclusion
that he must have been worse than
mad to have undertaken the journey
knowing the country was under snow,
when suddenly a jolt. n lunge, an indie
scribable shock, and behold the vehicle
landed on its side, the poor horse down,
struggling frantically between the
shafts, and buried up to the girths in
a snow-drift; Dick himself unhurt, only
somewhat stunned by the shock OF the
disaster, and bruised about the shout
ders by the force with which he had
been precipitated from u side OF the
cab to the other.
lie called aloud to cabby, but as there
was no response the young man fought
his way out as best he might, to find,
when landed on his feet. that the vebi-
Gle had shed a wheel. the horse had
stumbled beneath the shock of the con-
sequent overthrow, whilst the man was
not apparently, for Dick looked around
for him in vain.
The poor fellow had, indeed. been
roughly pitched out of his seat head
foremost. and now lay numbed, stun
..aI ntnl ,oapSthln a1Vn AZ httrtaH i'm thu
drifted snow, which treacherously COW
cred an adjacent ditch; but some long
moments elapsed before Dick even sue
ceeded in discovering his whereabouts;
meanwhile the horse plunged and strug-
gled frantically. vainly seeking to ex-
tricate itself from the traces and hrok-
en- shafts, to the imminent peril of life
and limb.
The young man glanced desparingly
around; then he laughed aloud. for des-
pite the undoubted terrors Of the situa-
ton. IL appeared TO him an element OF
the ludicrOus was not altogether want
ing. For he knew himself to be within
a few miles Of the great modern Baby
Ion on the one hand, and the snug vic,
arage on the other. The hour was not
yet six, and lat home" without doubt
fire blazed. the lights were lit, all things
wore a festive air. out of compliment
no less to the season than the a~nxiously
expected guest. Meanwhile Dick told
himself II was by no means improbable
this Christmas Eve would be his last ON
earth, for he felt convinced he should
never survive the long nights exposure
to the frost and snow il he were des-
tined to remain in present quarters un: