Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1896-12-29

w VAC sSeAt. auu now une gentle hum
had died away and the clouds no longer
moved, but great mass of gray hung
overhead and large flakes of snow be-
gan to fall; they thickened rapidly, and
soon John Pauley found that feecy
blanket was spread all about him, and
under him and over him; and the wind
arose suddenly with shrek, and the
snow in binding masses was flung into
his face; he could no longer see his
hand when he held it before him, and
the truth came home to him that he was
lost on the prairie in a western bliz-
gard.
He stumbled against tree that grew
upright for a couple Of feet and then
bent at an angle; he placed his back to
1t and determined that the hut which
he had left half an hour before was
straight ahead; he tried to reach it;
stumbling, falling, creeping and strug-
Cling, he progressed painfully for hours,
as 1t seemed to him, and then, with out
stretched hand, he felt something hard
before him. 1.-THE hut, at lastl" he cried,
but 1t was the tree he had left so long
ago. He stumbled on again, this time
at random; he was growing drowsy,
and he knew that if he went to sleep
he would never wake again. On, on,
he dragged himself, and the fury Of the
storm began to abate; in little hollow
in the prairie he stumbled over some
thing and fell; with his hands he ex-
amined the something, and found IL
to be the form Of man, with something
large on his back. 1t was the italian,
with his organ.
Whether we live or die, Well stay
together" said John Pauley, and he
took from his pocket a pair of hand
cuffs; he snapped one iron loop on the
Italians wrist and the other on his
own, and then unable to struggle
longer against his fate, he went to sleep.
The New Years day was far gone
when the deputy's red face appeared at
the hole in the iron door, with smile
that was unusual. "a lady to see you,
Mr.. Morse" he said; "you may step into
the corridor"
Hugh accepted the invitation, and q
pair of arms were thrown about his
neck.
"You are free, Hugh" cried a glad
voice, and tears of happiness began to
flow. And when all the amazement and
tears were over Miriam explained how
1T came about. Only part Of her mar
rative is necessary to ours: "And that
noble detective, as he was sinking to
sleep, manacled to what he supposed
was corpse, thought he would make
one more effort to be saved; and he shot
of all the cartridges in his revolver,
and, do you know, he was within ten
feet of house and didn't know it; and
the people rushed out and found the
two and carried them into the house.
The Italian was revived, but his hours
We're numbered, and he confessed, and
he died an hour ago; and here is the
order for your release"
On the next day Miss Simmons went
to the bank without sigh to with
draw her little fortune for the detect.
i've; she took the roll of bills and went
to his hotel. Mr.. Pauley, the clerk said,
although very sick, had left by the mid.
night train; he had left a note for her
The note read as follows:
Miss Miriam Simmons: am a hard and
interruptions man; perhaps training and
circumstances have made me So But down
In the bottom OF my heart there is a little
human nature. You treated me like a
Christian. You thought of my comfort
when you had trouble Of your own, and
gave me the use of your brothers overcoat.
With your permission. will keep the coat,
and call our account square. leave the
town before my worse nature gets upper
most. Tomorrow might want the money:
for, as said, am hard and INSCRIPTIONS
man. JOHN PAULEY."