Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1897-12-25


I STUMBLED Up THE MoUNT'NsIDE A-HoL-
LERING.
ems fellers eating no more and try TO I'LL !
myself up on salt horse and slops III git +
one good feed II it takes leg or costs a
life.
at will be the latter, 4" he says. sober !
enough. ''You couldn't make a walking
market Of yourself over three feet OF snow /
on the edge OF precipice I"
I'm light and easy on snowshoes.
"But. he interrupts. whats the mat
ter with my goings"
You amt" 1 answers bringing TO
mind his attempts to walk on snowshOes
and his wabblings you amt no bird on
EN-, pard.
He laughed then like boy.
Its a deal" l says. and tomorrer !
the gath. III set of early and git back by
night and well set up and eat till morn
ing III git brandy for the pudding sass,
but pard. l finishes anxious how is
them buildings NADER
why -four raisinA lard or butter
something that's rich
Butter. l puts In. lis 80 cents
pound at Ouray and guess that's rich
enough
Butter, currants molasses Co make It
brown, and spice mixed and cooked 4"
Il cal late I'll get it mixed to the store,
says. land my travelling will beat it up"
"Then you sew it up IN a bag which
You boil and make a sauce of brandy that
you pour over and set afire, and 1t burns
blue flame. This 10 the way we used to
have it at home. His face grew sad, and
knew he was going into them glooms
ag'in.
Waste OF good liquor" says under
my breath. but he didn't note me.
set out early the next morning. leaving
him and the pup at home 1t WASH t bad
going and the air was fresh and full OF
sunshine They was s'prised TO see me at
Ouray, and laughed deal at the truck 1
bought and paid for with gold dust
found the pudding stuff so heavy that /
really had 1t mixed In pail l went over
| to a saloon for awhile, and 1t was bout 3
| in the afternoon when come back for my
things. had asked the storekeeper who
was also postmaster II there were any let
| tiers for pard, but there want. i tied the
| eight pound turkey round my neck with
the pudding pail. the vegetables and n
| squash-that seemed to weigh ton before
was four miles on my way. / filed my
| pockets with papers and books and bot
| tie OF brandy and tobacco. AS fixed my
snowshoes, the storekeeper came out
Queer thing, Bige," he says Bout
4
loon an Englishman named Ingalls, was
here asking il knowed your pard. Ed.
told him where he was and off he goes
| Impatient and stuck up enough wouldn't
/ listen to no caution. Thought mebbe our
| mount'in trail was bolerward where he
could find boss keers and them two wheeled
cabs with Jay up behind OF he jumps
like fash ! says, Try it young Teller,
you II be back in an hour or two. ] clean
III bot
I'm meet him, says and starts The
crowd give three cheers for me and wished
me a Merry Chris'musl' Keep some
Of that pudding for me till spring 1t win
be hard enough" yells the storekeeper
"for you wouldn't take no soda IN it T"
Pard hadn mentioned soda and
wouldnt put it in. though 1t was argued
! 1t oughter be done - longr ] calls and
goes on For three or four miles / could
see tracks quite plain in the snow and /
kept lookout for Ingalls,. but my progress
was awful slow ] was so beat out that l
swore at the vittles, pard and Chris mus
straight along The turkey growed heav-
fer and heavier. and once l lost it and
had TO 20 back half mile / want a
likely pictur' as ! fioundered along and was
ugly enough to fight my best friend Curl
Gus enough put ali my mad on that Teller
ahead THE idee." I'd say, of him dar-
ing to climb this mount'in alone in snow
time.
Bout ten miles on my way just as
| was straight ming up my back after max
ing another hitch on the turkey, l felt
something sharp strike my face. / knowed
| was in for 1t. for snow at Chris mus time
in these mount ms means darkness, drifts
and death But that didn't stump me.
Every inch of that road was plain as
a map in my mind and blunted by
cold. stunned by the snow and dark
ness. / forgot Ingalls, entirely and
must have passed close by him. l had
enough 10 do to fight for my own life. On
l goes and game enough to hang to the
truck 1 wan going TO be beat outer
that dinner for al the snow in Colorado
Everv now and then when ! got kinder
sleepy and a sly Idee KEEP coming how slick
It would be to lie down and take nap
that means never git up, but freeze to death
the old turkey would sling around and
fetch me a smart slap in the face kinder
Rrowed TO think the old bird wanted to b
roasted and git up to the cabin to give hi
remains for the celebration.
got along all right till got to wher
ought to turn Off to the trail, and Their
I dassent leave the road. wasn't sur
where it Law. I listened and heard tn
mufled sound of gun, and this follered
wondering where pard got his sense.
stumbled up the mount'in side a-holleI
l ing, and soon get answer and the haI
piest sight of my life--I see big yale
glare. 1t was pard a-burning kerosene.
''Glad it's cheap" says ironical, for
amt He laughs and takes all the true
and founders on ahead distance, wher
J. by the bowling 1 knowed Doc was TIED
and then the house was all lit up.
10 made three stations down the path,
70 he explains; "house first dog next, myse
% with the gun and bonfire last. "
Is you'll do I says He flew aroun
,, looking at the stuff I'd brought, fOun
81 some cloth and made a bag into which
d put the pudding mixture, tied it and stun
II the same into kittle o. boiling waite
1t which he hung over the fire.
1T 1.-THE water'l git in it, . says The
m stitches is too loose
ys ut cooks out, he answers. beginnir
Of to cut up the squash. Now sit dow
ys Bige and get Strengthened out, " he go
III on, bringing me a glass of brandy.
er Il asked for a letter for you, but the
want none" says beginning to dra
so of my boots.
'it "You were very kind but there is
k one to write. .
p Land of the livingI" I yells, jumpir
We up. them tracks ahead-that teller.
II come to me all of a sudden. Where W
hOt
he what did you sayf" asks pard. kec
lsss like.
ay "rngalls, " gasps.
yit ingalls," he repeats. Citing whit
les "for PHYS sake whs-what do you kno
" Of himl'
e / tOldhin. Ra- listened 0nite n mip