The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1897-01-02
Selert Storp.
LOVE IN THE DIVIDE.
A Tale cf Western Pioneering and
Quick Romance.
Bret Harte. in Sew York sunday Sam.

With the lulling of the wind toward
evening it came on to snow-heatily, in
straight. quickly succeeding fakes, drop
ping like white lances from the sky. This
was followed by the usual Sierran phenom-
enon. The deep gorge, which, as the
sun went down, had lapsed into darkness,
presently began to reappear; at first the
vanished trail came back as yiyidly
whitening streak in the night; then the
larches and pines that assembled from it
like buttresses against the hillsides glim-
mered in ghostly distinctness, until at last
the two slopes curved out of the darkness
as if hewn in marble For the sudden
storm, which extended scarcely two miles,
had left no trace upon the steep granite
face of the high cliffs above, the snow
slipping silently from them left them still
hidden in the obscurity of night. In the
vanished landscape the gorge alone stood
out set in chaos of cloud and storm
through which the moonbeams struggled
Intellectually.
1t was this unexpected sight which burst
upon the occupants of large covered
e'station wagon who had CHANGED upon
the lower end of the gorge. Coming from
still lower altitude they had known moth
ing of the storm which had momentarily
ceased, but had left record Of intensity
in nearly two feet of snow. For some
moments the horses Aoppdered and strug-
gled on. in what the travellers believed to
be some old forgotten drift or avalanche,
until the extent and freshness of the fall
became apparent. To add to their diff
culties the storm recommended, and not
comprehending its real character and limit
they did not dare to attempt to return the
way they came. To go on, however, was
impossible In this quandary they looked
about them in vain for some other exit
from the gorge. The sides of that gigan-
tic white furrow terminated in darkness.
Hemmed in from the world in all direc-
tions, it might have been their tomb
But although they could see nothing
beyond their prison walls, they themselves
were perfectly visible from the heights
above them. And Jack Tenbrook, quartz
miner, who was sinking tunnel in the
rocky ledge of shelf above the gorge, step
ping out from his cabin at 10 o clock to
take look at the weather before turning
in, could observe distinctly the outline of
the black wagon, the foundering horses,
and the crouching figures by their side,
scarcely larger than pigmies on the white
surface of snow thousand feet below him.
Jack had courage and strength and the
| good humor that accompanies them, but
he contented himself for few moments
with lazily observing the travellers discom-
future. He had taken in the situation
with glance; he would have helped a
brother miner or mountaineer, although
he knew that it could only have been drink
or bravado that brought him into the
gorge in snowstorm, but it was very evil
| dent that these were ''greenhorns, or
Eastern tourists, and it served their stu
pidity and arrogance right! He remem-
bered also how he. having once helped an
Eastern visitor catch the mustang that had
..bucked' him, had been called ''my
man, and presented with So; he recalled
how he had once spread the humble re-
sources of his cabin before some straying
members of the San Francisco party who
were "opening' the new railroad, and
heard the audible wonder of lady that a
civilized being could live so ''cOarsely y
With these recollections in his mind he
managed to survey the distant struggling
horses with fine sense of humor, not un-
mixed with self righteousness There was
no real danger in the situation; it meant
at the worst delay and camping in the
snow till morning, when he would go down
to their assistance They had a spacious
travelling equipage, and were, no doubt,
well supplied with furs, robes, and provis-
ions for several hours journey; his OWL
pork barrel was quite empty and his blank
cts worn. He half smiled, extending hi
long arms in decided yawn, and turned
back into his cabin to go to bed. Then
he cast final glance around the interior.
Everything was all right; his loaded rife
stood against the wall; he had just rakec
ashes over the embers of his fire to keeI
it intact till morning. Only one thing
slightly troubled him; grizzly bear, two
thirds grown, but only half tanned, which
had been given to him by young lady
named "Miggles, when that charming
and historic girl had decided to accompany
her paralytic lover to the San Francisco
hospital was missing that evening L
had been Its regular habit to come to th'
door every night for some sweet biscuit O
sugar before going to its lair in the under
brush behind the cabin. Everybody knew
it along the length and breadth of Hem
lock Ridge Us we'll as the fact of its beins
legacy Of the fair exile No rife haC
ever yet been raised against his lazy bulk
or The stupid snnall-eyed head, and ruff o
circling hairs made more erect by its well
worn leather collar Consoling himself
with the thought that the storm had prob
ably delayed its return, Jack took off hi
coat and threw it on his bunk, But from
thinking of the storm his thoughts natu
rally returned again to the impeded travel
e1s belpw him, and he half mechanically
stepped out again in his shirt sleeves for /;
fiHal look at them.