Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1895-03-28
SHE SAVED HIS LIFE.

the country inn entered the room, rub
binS his hands in an awkward man.
ner. as If he did not know just what
to say.
Still continuing his rubbing, thing
which always exaspcatcd me, he re-
piled to my exclamation by saying:
1T is an odd request have to make
sir. considering the state Of the roads,
but"
Say on. What is it?"
There is lady here tonight who is
desperately anxious to get to Rrcnton
by tomorrow morning."
why doesn't She go?'
"Tllat's the point, sir; she can't. All
my horses are storm-staid somewhere
in the country. and you cannot hire Il
team hereabouts, us you may Know"
How did the lady get here in heay-
ems name?"
SHE came just before you did, SIR,
with ono horse"
Driving. hcrsclf?"
No: young fellow drove for hcr-a
silly looking chap"
AS liz brought her here ii seems TO
me he might drive hcr thcre--ch?"
Well, so he might. sir. but he's al
most killed the horse, and it would fin
sSh il for certain TO send it out again
on these roads III wouldn't be human,
wouli it?"
am not naturally disoblig,ng; hut to
be asked to take a lady in your sleigh
when tho snow is deep and likely to
be driftcd is not pleasant. and n woman
Is ap; to be burden in case of any
difficulty ON the WHY.
Moreover. since Kate Mcdonald and
had quarreled over the attentions
paid her by her handsome. rich cousin.
which she either could lm or would
not explain, never cared for womuns
society.
Where was Kate now, I often Won
<iered At her home In Kentucky. per-
haps. and married to the rich cousin.
A lot of things may happen in two
years.
The drive I was now taking was on
special business for my head contrac-
TOR. who said that certain papers just
received from England must reach his
partner. a confirmed invalid living
near the little town of Brcnton, by a
certain day.
'She really seems to be in great
trouble. sir. because she can't get on"
said the landlord. as | paused to con-
slider.
We'll. tell her to get ready. sup
pose / must say yes"
by the way, sir. il You have not
been over the road before, you want,
when you get near the burned land,
Sen miles from here, to keep sharp
turns Off there; take that. The straight
road leads to Brcnton, but nobody
lives on it,"
"All right. But tell the lady to
hurry; the horses are coming"
When had donned my ovcrcoat. fur
cap and comforter l caught glimpse
of myself in tie glass and laughed ut
the thought that my intending paSscn-
ger would be able to tell whether she
had young man or an old one for a
COMPLIMENTARY, indeed, whether
I was black or n white man.
Going out to the sleigh, arranged
The robes to my liking and was inst
beginning to get impatient to go when
an animated bundle Of clothes, with
suggestion Of femininity about it, came
out, followed by the landlord.
The lady took her place in the sleigh;
sprang in beside her. the landlord
and hostler tucked in the robes, babe
us goodnight and we were off under
the shining stars with much tinkling
of bells. the sleigh runners singing
over the frosty snow. 1t was twenty
four miles to Brcnton, and the lone
licst road in the state.
The going was heavy. but not os-
pccially So for the Way lay through
the forest and was not driltcd.
1t soon appeared that the road here
was succession of drifts. not deep.
but solid. and that if any teams had
been over it during the day their tracks
had long since been filled in.
The horses could no longer trot, but
settled down to q walk, the wind
whistling through their harness and
blowing their names and tails till they
projected almost horizontally.
How cold it was! The bright disk
Of Venus shonc with wonderful splen-
dor and the pitiless wind seemed to
come straight from that star. There
seemed to be a mercilcss glare in the
splendid planet, and l longed for Il
cloud to cover it from sight.
care you cold?" l shouted, for the
wind rendered it useless to speak in
an ordinary tone, mutiled as we were
and not facing each other.
She answered that she was. where
upon told her to get as low down in
the sleigh as possible. which she did.
and | pulled the robes over her head,
she nesting very close to me.
Somehow this was not altogether
disagrccablc. and in my Imagination I
began to picture what my companion
was like.
The wind-swepf stretch of road was
six miles long, and when we had gone
about 4 third Of the distance the horses
stopped.
Looking ahead l found that the drift
lad deepcncd and that they We're
standing in it up to their bodies. l
urged them Il little, but saw that it
was of no use. They only plunged in
Il manner to endanger themselves and
tilc sleigh.
There was but one thing to do--to
get out and break Il road. Telling my
companion to crouch low in the sleigh,
1 covered her wei! With the robes and.
going in front of the horses, began to
tramp down the snow.
! worked With all speed. yet it was
n. =