Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1896-01-17
MISCELLANY.
A PILLAR OF FIRE.

n
sbone with a weak and watery lustre, the
air was bitter cold. But tive-year.old Ned
and little Alice, aged three, only clapped
their hands and laughed the louder, as the
keen north wind swept down upon them
from the bleak prairie. For their father
was going to town with a message for
Santa Claus, and this time they were sure
that they would not be forgotten.
The door opened, and John Richards
appeared a tall and stalwart young Ameri-
can, with all the good humor and courage
of his race in his merry blue eyes and
straight mouth. lie turned and kissed his
wife affectionately.
"Do hurry, John, and get back as soon
as YOU can" she said. 'lf it wasn't for dis
appointing the children, | couldn't let you
60. How cold and dreary the sky looks J"
Don't worry, little one" laughed the
husband, as he hoisted child upon either
shoulder. "The roads are good and cant
be gone more than three hours. 1t won't
storm before night"
''Be sure to tell Santa Claus that l want
a great big rocking horse cried little Ned.
IAN member my dolly, pease papa"
lisped Alice, rubbing her cheek softly
against her fathers.
'I'll tell him, and he Il be a pretty mean
old scamp if he doesn't bring them Now,
into the house with you, little ones-good-
by" and, with a crack of his whip, the
farmer started smartly off over the long,
level road which ran south TO Defiance, the
nearest village and the county seat.
Tomorrow was to be a happy Christ
mas. At least, fortune had smiled upon
them, and they could afford to show the
children how generous the good Christmas
saint might really be. 1t had Jared hard
with the family at first. They had come
from Vermont home, with barely money
enough to build rude house and buy a
COW or two and few tools. Grasshop-
pers had ruined their crops one season, and
drouth the next. Even the barest necess-
ties of life had at times been wanting, and
as for Christmas-wel, the mother had
told her little ones that Santa Claus could
not come to them for a long time, they
lived so far away. But now, the tide had
turned. There had been rain, which caused
the Nebraska prairie to bud and blossom as
the rose; the ample barns and corn cribs
could not hold the golden grain; the mows
were bursting with hay, while huge rick
in the field contained as much again; and
there were fruits and vegetables in prodi-
gal abundance. All this meant money,
comfort and hope to the Richards family,
as well as to the other scattered settlers in
the neighborhood. Consequently, Ned and
Alice had been assured that Santa Claus
was coming West this year, and their little
hearts were as full as none but children S
hearts can be of joyful uncertainty and
delicious expectation.
In less than an hour Richards stopped
his stsaming horses before the one general
store of which the little hamlet boosted
The family groceries were soon bought.
Then, with smiling face, the father turned
to inspect the stock of cheap toys and
trites which constituted the dealers pro
vision for the holiday time. He bought
candy of various kinds and colors, several
little presents for each of the babies, and
finally selected the largest rocking horse
and the finest doll that the collection af
forded.
Money hahn no object to ye this year, y
chuckled the grocer, as he handed back the
change of ten-dollar bill.
mo, not when the children come in, -
answered Richards; They've roughed il
with the rest of us, and they shall have a
genuine Christmas for once in their lives
at any rate"
"That's right; we're all serene now Ne
braska's going to boom, and no mistake
Here, take these to EN-" and the kind
hearted grocer handed two jumping jacks
across the counter.
Thank ye, Bill, ;" said the father CRATE
fully-it was pleasant to know that Others
wanted TO please his children. They'll
like to have something from ye. Merry
Christmas!" And he bundled his pur.
chases into the wagon and started fol
home.
He was hardly out of the village when
the off horse cast a shoe. There was nc
help for it; back he went to the black
smiths. Here he had to wait for the mar
to finish piece of work, and it was full
hour before he was again on his way. II
was now four o'clock, and the faint rays Of
light which forced way through the dur
coating of cloud barely served to render the
darkness visible. 1t was intensely cold
Richards could hardly repress sigh Of
vexation as he thought that he would al
ready have reached home had it not beer
for that unlucky shoe. But he drew his
great coat close about him, spoke sharply
to his horses, and they were off on the ruI
out into the plain and the night, home
ward bound.
Richards had gone perhaps a mile, wheI
wheels sounded behind him, and a mar
with sulky and fast horse came up. i
was Jabe Williams, his nearest neighbor
Better hurry up Jack" was the newcom
er's comment as he drove past; sits going
to snow"
Just stop and tell Sarah that I'm com
ing, will you, and will be home by sly
O'clock" shouted Richards; and hi
friends "all right" barely reached him az
he disappeared in the darkness In hal
an hour the message vas delivered. Blu
1t only doubled the alarm of the anxiou.
wife. For it had begun to snow.
Impressed by his neighbours warning, the
farmer had recklessly urged on his horses.
But the storm, like a malicious fury, wa.
on the watch for its prey, and when he wa.
still five miles from home John Richard.
found himself in the very heart of winter
blizzard. As by precOncerted signal, the
ugly gray clouds suddenly resolved them.
selves into snow masses, which swooped
down upon the weary earth as though tc
smother the very life out of it in their ma
lignant embrace.
The air was not merely full of snow; il
was snow. The snow did not fall in flakes
it plunged down in drifts, pitiless, relent
less, overpowering shroud of cold and dark
ness and death. Then the north wind
which had moaned uncertainty through the
day now blew gale, with quick, furious
gusts, which shook and tossed and whirled
and distorted the white smother into vague
and fantastic shapes, and, when the sport
was done, packed it down in solid and i'm
penetrable drifts.
Richards knew in a moment his deadly
peril, and with words of announcement
urged on his frantic horses. The animals