The Coalville times. [volume] (Coalville, Utah) 1894-1923, 1897-06-18

Some years ago Fort Benton had
daily mail from Helena. Tho stage
coach brought Il three days OF the week
and on the alternating days the mail
sack was brought ON horseback or In
a light wagon. The wagon was driven
by younE boy. Bob Casey by name,
This boy knew the road perfectly. aud
was warmly dressed. and perhaps his
people were not old enough to the
country to know that he could be In
danger from billiards.
ono Friday morning. nm hour after
Bob had left sun River Landing for
Benton. q blizzard Of the widest de-
eoriptlon set In. In few moments the
road was obllteratcd and rendered ex-
actly like all the rest Of the boundleaa
plain. Bob had no idea which way no
was going. and decided that his only
chance was to give the horse his head
and lot him 40 where he would Tho
mail was small and the wagon light
and 80 was Bob-and he had no doubt
tho animal would pull through some
whore.
but before long tho horse was as
hopolesaly lost as tho boy. lie wan
dered and wandered. and found no way
out OF the desert. The blizzard In
recascd in intensity. and as Bob was
well wrapped on his seat. he could do
no better than continue to Hit there
and keep the horse going.
This he lid throughout the whole
OF a dreadful day. that seemed TO Bob,
and doubtless TO horse. too. longer
than an ordinary week. Al last night
came on; and Just at this time Bob
and his horse struck considerable
/ patch OF tall grass. the tops OF which
came up through the snow Here Bob
/ decided TO camp for the night. lie
could at least feed the horse with the
grass. though there was no food for
him.
Though the storm still RACED with
unbatlng fury. Bob succeeded In max
ing firo by pulling and mating the
tall grass, and got through the night
alive. In the morning the sun shono
brightly. though the fine. powdery
snow still iilled the air Bob could not
make out where he was; nothing was
plain TO him except that he was far
from the road TO Benton, and that mol
q single familiar object met his gaze
but no still trusted 10 the horse "a
ind the way. Mounting his seat. cold
and very hungry. he gave the relns tc
the horse a1d babe him go on"
on he did 10. but not In the right
direction. The endless march OF the
day before was repeated. The weather
was frlghtfully cold. Here and there
where n bunch OF tall grass cam,
through the snow the horse stopped &c
browse. and Bob let him do 80 az Otter
as he wished
Another night came. and another
day. and days and nights after these
and stlll Bob and tho horse and wagon
wandered. getting farther and farther
away from civilization all the time; IN,
horse supporting life by browsing IN,
grass. but Bob slowly growing weaker
and freezing. for the weather continue.
intensely cold.
! NNhhNANA' NAAN H'NNAN VI ANiHANA I'M
started out 10 search for the MISSING
boy. The whole region between Sur
River and Benton was thoroughly
searched. but no trace OF either hors,
or boy. A week after the disappear
nnce the search was abandoned. Thu
people had no doubt that boy and hors,
had persisted In the storm. and beef
covered up by the drifting snow.
But valuable letters belonging 10
mining corporation were In the NAL
bag, and ten days after Bob had dis
appeared some OF the parties lnteroste,
In these letter employed Billy Rowe 4
go out IN search Of the bag-not o
Bob.
Billy went on horseback and rod
Ear and wide. Passing over some rls
Ing ground. no thought he percelye
/, A moving object In a distant couleC
and went toward Il. AS he approachs
+ he saw that II was a horse, slowl
drawing a light wagon. and that In IN
wagon was seated small human flF
uro. At length Billy saw that Il wa
, Bob Casey and the mail wagon.
Bob seemed 10 have settled down /
sleep; but now and then he woul
straighten up. grab the relns. and al
, tempt to guide the horse. only to dro
: back into his Eeat moment later az
= parently unconscious.
Rowe oyerhauled them and shoe