Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1895-10-16

oxen. What o tramp had back through
the snow and storm was very happy,
however, for knew my wife and party
were safely sheltered, and the excite
ment of action kept me from being
gloomy.
In due time we found our stray,
hitched to and started, but 1t was hard
pulling, and the exhausted oxen had to
come to frequent halts. At last, just as
I was beginning to feel tired, we came
to the fonda.
The snow had slackened, but the wind
was beginning to blow, SO Num- and l
carried all the luggage and traps into a
corner of the stable below, and tumbling
down into the hay we were soon in the
land Of dreams. In my dreams was On
O shoreless sea in bark that silently
and swiftly circled around. Dark clouds
closed in, the horizon drawing in on all
sides, while my boat sailed in an ever
narrowing circle, the clouds still closing
in, until giant hand grew out from q
ragged edge of the cloud wall, which,
seizing the Prov of my boat, pulled it
into the gloom and darkness. felt the
clouds brushing my cheek. heard the
roar of falling water and felt that my
doom was sealed. I thought of my wife,
and, trying to call her name, was dumb.
I looked behind Far off and far up
there was glow of rosy light, and
within the aureole was her face, full of
sorrow, looking at me with pity i'll ev-
ery feature. As looked her face was
slowly eclipsed by cloud. Then with
one cry I plunged into the sea and
awoke.
That dream would easily have joined
the long procession Of forgotten dreams,
but it was recalled many a time during
many years. And, try as might, I felt
it to be q portent and prophecy.
When I awoke in the morning I was
dumfounded to find blizzard blowing
that the cattle would not face and with
every appearance of continuance. In re-
ply to my inquiries I learned they some
times blew in those ATTITUDES for week.
This was pleasant news for me, and the
prospect made me nervous 1t was now
Thursday, the fourth day since our de-
parture from Paris And what might
not have happened in London in that
time! Here was I as completely isolat-
ed from the outside world and from all
news about my companions in England
as if on desert isle For all knew
discovery might have been made and
full details Of the fraud might be blaz-
ing in the press of Europe. I began to
fear I had run into trap. To make
matters worse, the steamer Ell Rey Fe-
lipe was advertised to sail Monday from
Cadiz, and to miss her seemed danger
GUS indeed.
Twas a prisoner in wretched inn in
defile of the Pyrenees, with civil
wal. raging and no telling what might
arise to detain US. Our objective point
was only some So miles away, but with
roads deep in snow, with wretched cat
tie and more wretched Spaniards for
drivers, there was poor prospect of max
ing headway. I felt it would never do
for me to suffer longer detention.
I determined to leave my wife and
baggage in charge Of Mum, to put the
$12O, 900 I had in bag and start back
to the French frontier, cross into France
and catch the Saturday steamer from
Havre to New York, explaining to my
wife that important business demanded
my presence in America; that she could
follow on the next steamer and that l
would meet her on arrival.
In the meantime my unlucky 18 were
happy. For were they not sheltered,
with plenty of food and high wages, all
out of the pocket of the great lord the
Virgin herself must have sent to them?
In fact, they were winning from me
what to them was fortune. Twas pay
ing each man 81 day and IS for each
team and cart.
All day long the blizzard blew. 1t
was novel situation, and how should
have enjoyed it had only possessed
that greatest of all blessings-a good
conscience! AS it was, was in misery
and could find no peace, not even in my
wife's smiles and evident content to be
anywhere with me.
At 5 o'clock had all hands up and
breakfast under way. I ordered the
drivers and hangers on to have the
teams hitched up and ready at day
break. They all ate breakfast heartily
enough, but were not Jealous about
starting out. They made all sorts Of
preteXts and excuses to avoid leaving
their comfortable quarters. Certainly
the road was not an inviting prospect,
there being quite IS inches Of snow, but
was determined to start one way or
the other, either south with the party
or north alone. After long argument
they, thinking they had me at their
mercy, refused to hitch up the cattle to
make the attempt. delivered a speech
to my lucky-unlucky 13, telling them
in the best way could that I was 60
ing in order to deliver them all over to
the vengeance Of the mill ltary chief Of
the district; that should accuse them
as robbers and thieves and that they
might look for anguish that would
wiring their hearts and souls.
They were greatly moved, and, pull
ing out my watch, I informed them by
pantomime and bad Spanish that if they
got the teams in harness and the lug
gage all packed on the carts in 20 min-
utes I would take them into my favor
and resume our journey southward.
Spaniards are proverbially slow. But
these Spaniards were not slow this time,
and a very few minutes saw us all once
more mounted OH our cart, with the two
baggage carts following, and on our
rocky way southwark.
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