The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1896-12-31

tangled up among the thick pine woods
of Minnesota or Wisconsin.
The day before may be delightful
December day, with bright sunshine and
a mildness in the air, caused by the
faint breath of the chinook, that almost
makes you think a bit of delayed In
dian summer has stolen in from last
fall. As a general thing the finest
weather of the winter precedes the hliz.
zard, but beautiful winter days do not
always indicate that a blizzard is com
ing. The mild spell may be followed by
nothing more serious than a common
freeze or just an ordinary snowstorm
when the white fakes come lazily down
and do no damage at all.
1t is under conditions such as these
that the ranoher is lured into making O
trip to the nearest town for supplies or
driving his herds far out on the range
for days fresh grazing in sheltered
bottoms, where the bunch grass is still
green and tender. Such treachery seems
almost fiendish. Sometimes women and
children are tempted by the assuring
skies to leave their homes for trips to
distant neighbors or to accompany Mr.
Rancher on his monthly visit to town.
The sun is shining brightly, the blue
jays are piping shrilly, soft breeze fans
the cheeks, when of sudden there will
come hush as if all nature stood still
with awe. The air becomes rarefied to
such an extent that the eye can sweep
over miles Of prairie. A portentous calm
seems to settle over everything. For a
few moments there is no apparent cause
for the transformation, and, although q
man feels instinctively that something
is about to happen, his superior wisdom
tells him that it is only nervousness.
But the animals know better. The
winter birds disappear. The jack rab.
bits that have been bounding gleefully
along vanish. The horses lay back their
ears and whinny mournfully. The oxen
sniff the air suspioiously, and the dogs
howl and crouch under the wagon.
Way Off in the northwest appears a
little gray cloud. At first it is so small
as hardly to be noticed, but when you
look that way again it has spread so
rapidly that you are amazed, and then
1t grows bigger and bigger until it's edge
extends way round to the west, chang
ing the golden glory of the sun into a
cold, gray light. For few moments this
process continues amid breathless si-
lence. In that brief period you are given
time to seek such shelter as may be at
'hand. If you are out on the open prairie,
with nothing but clumps Of sagebrush
In sight and the nearest house or shanty
miles behind you. then you are looking
into the face of death as squarely as
does the soldier who faces cannon
with an enemy at the lanyard.
The respite is brief. Before the hesi-
tating horses can be forced to go dozen
. Dds there comes out of the teeth Of that
'whitish gray cloud that is sweeping to-
ward you with railroad speed an un-
earthly, moaning sound, and your ears
become aware of deep monotone that
is best compared to the sound of dis
tant cataract. You feel chilling breath
on your check, and you know that the
mercury is tumbling down at the rate
Of degree second.
Now the sunlight has vanished COM
pletely and is succeeded by grayish
twilight. Another breath, colder than
the first, reaches You. A little spiral Of
,ddying dnst dances impishly across
your path. Another follows and an
other Then comes puff which makes
You start as IL whiplash had been
slapped Across your face. It was the