The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-11-22

the SNOW, sue forgot M lhlHf HHu AANNh
pIse thnt WINS mundane and frivolous ~
the impressive and majestic solitude thnt
seemed 20 descend tIpon her from the OBJ
aeurity above At FIRST II was accotrl'ae
MED with slight thrill Of vague fear,
but this passed presently into That pro
found pence which the mountains alone
can give their lonely or perturbcd chill
drcn. II aeemcd To her That nature wHa
never the sume on the great plains where
men and cities always doomed into such
ridiculous proportions when Oh" Great
Mother raised herself 90 comfort them
with smiling hillsidcs. or cnconpAsscd
them and drew them close in il.c loving
ARMS OF mountains The long white can
ada stretched before her in purity that
did not seem OF the earth. the vague bulk
OF the mountain rose on either side or her
in Il mystery that was not OF this life.
Yet ii was not oppressive, ncither was its
restfulness and quiet suggestive or obi
yiousncss and slumber; on the contrary,
the highly rarifed air seemed to give
additional keenness TO her senses; her
hearing had become singularly acute; her
eyesght pierced the uttermost extremity
OF the gorge, lii by the full moon that oc-
casionally shone through slowly drifting
clouds. Her nerves filed with delicious
sense Of freedom and strange desire to
run or climb It seemed TO her in her eX-
allied fancy. that these solitudes should
be peopled only by kingly race, and not
by such gross and material churs ms this
mountaineer who helped them. And, |
grieve to say~-writing Of a sentimentalist
that was and heroine that is to be
she was getting outrageously hungry.
There were a few biscuits in her tray
eling-bag, and she rendered that she
had been presented with n small jar of
California honey at San Jose. This
she took out and opened on the seat
before her, and spreading the honey on
the biscuits, ate them with keen
schoolgirl relish and pleasant sugges-
ton of a sylvan picnic, in spite Of the cold.
II was all very strange; quite an expert
ence for her to speak of afterwards. Peo-
pie would hardly believe that she had
spent an hour or two, all alone, in de-
serted wagon in mountain snow pass
It was an adventure such as one reads of
in the magazines. Only something
was wanting which the maya
zines always upplied-something
heroic-aomething done by somebody.
IL that awful-looking mOuntaineer-
that man with the long hair and NOUS
tache-and that horrible gold ring-wh5'
such a thing? -was only Indifferent:
But ne was probably gorging beefsteak
or yenison with her father and Mr.. Wa
tcrhouse-Inen were always such self
ish creatures! land had quite forgotten
all about her 1t would only have been
decent for them to have brought her
down something hot; biscuits and hon
ey were certainly cloying, and somehow
didn't agree with the temperature. She
was really half starved, And much they
caredl 1t would just serve them right
il something did happen to her-or seem
to happen to her-if only to brighten
them And the pretty face that was
turned up in the moonlight wore a charm
g but decided pout.
Good gracious! What was that? The
horses were either struggling or lighting
in their snow shelters. Then one with
frightened neigh broke from it's halter
and dashed into the road, only 10 be
plunged snorting and helpless into the
drifts. Then the other followed How
silly Something had frightened them
Perhaps only rabbit or mole; horses
were such absurdly nervous creatures.
However, it was just rs well-somebody
would see them or hear them-that
neigh was really quite human and awful
and they would hurry down to see what
was the matter. She couldn't be expected
to get out and look after the horses in the
snow. Anyhow, she wouldn't! She was
a good deal safer where she vast might
have been rats or mice about that fright
ened them. Goodness!
She was still watching with curious
Az of
mails when suddenly she felt the wagon
half bumped, half lifted from behind. II
was such a lazy, deliberate movement
that for q moment she thought 1t came
from the party who had returned noise
lessly with the runners. She scrambled
over to the back seat, unbuttoned the
leather curtain, lifted it, but nothing was
to be seen. Consequently, with femi-
nine duickness, she said, Il see you per
fectly, Mr. Waterhouse-dont be silly!
But at this moment there was announcer
shock to the wagon and from it arose
what at first seemed to her to be an up
lifting of the drift itself, but as the snow
was shaken away from its heavy bulk,
proved to be the enormous head anu
shoulders of q bear!
Yet even then she was not wholly
frightened, for the snout that confronted
her had feeble inoffensiveness; the
small eyes were bright with an eager, al
most childish, curiosity rather than saw
age ardor, and the whole attitude of the
creature lifted upon his hind legs was
circus-like and ludicrous rather than ag-
gressive. She was enabled to say with
some dignity, go away-shoo! and to
wave her luncheon basket at it with ex-
emplary frmness. But here the creature
laid one paw on the back seat as if to
steady itself, with the singular effect OF
collapsing the whole side of the wagon,
and then opened its mouth as if in some
sort of inarticulate reply. But the reve-
lation of its red tongue, its glistening
teeth, and above all, the hot, carnivorous
fume OF its breath, brought the first
scream from the lips of Miss Amy. 1t
was real and convincing; the horses join
ed in it; the three screamed together!
The bear hesitated for an instant, then,
catching sight of the honey-pot on the
Snh eI1rin Iinp haQ Of