The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1897-03-04

""tChiHS Hlh lHteHtly. nen he
caught his eye the cripple leaned fer
ward and touched Baxter's knee.
There isn't pluckier girl be-
tween st. Paul and, Montana buttes,"
he said, "even if l do say it; who
shouldn't?"
81 don't see how she can manage
the section" replied Baxter
''Thats what ] say," exclaimed Dol
by; "it's wonderful" and his pinched
face lighted up with smile that was
beautiful to see. 'It would go hard
with all of us if it wasn't for Lettie. ="
"How did n girl happen no be APP
pointed to such place, anyway"
"She's deserved it," Dolby an
swered, getically; "she deserved
it. They mint many people that
know all the facts excep' the superin-
tendent--ho knows, and he says Let
tie can be keeper as long as she wants
to-"
"Course you remember the big
blizzard that we had last winter-the
one that showed in Evansburg and
Brockton and Collnyille and killed
all the cattle on the Puddin' Bottom
ranch. Well, it struck the Cragie
country too. Come up over the hill
from back of the house early in the
morning, and long before 10 o'clock
there wasn't fence to be seen in
the country. Lettie's mother said !
better not go down to the cut. She
was afraid | might get lost. But I'd
been to Cragie's on an on for more'n
eight years, and l thought I'd seen
the worst the weather could do. So
/ went down the hill, and before was
ten rods from the house the snow had
wiped it out, and all | could see were
the whirling drifts and the path
for dozen feet ahead of me.
And when | reached the cut there
wasn't any cut there. 1t was filled to
the top with snow. l wondered what
the limited bound down for Cragie
would do. 1t was pretty sharp and
cold when l reached the track this
side of the bridge, and had to get
down on my hands and knees and
crawl along from tie to tie just like
baby. / was strong in those days, too,
only the wind and snow were so ter
rible that l couldn't stand up. And
first thing / knew l had crossed the
bare knoll at the bridge approach, and
there 1 was hanging over the edge of
the embankment like bat to n rafter.
Slipped before / knew it.
you're done for, Dolly" l said to
myself when l saw how little held me
from falling into the chasm. 1t was
100 feet to the bottom, and jagged
rocks all the way down. But [ had
grit, if / do say it, and / hung there
for grim death, with the wind kicking
and beating me about like dead limb.
I knew we'll enough there would be no
one to help me, and that / couldn't
help myself; but still hung there.
A man doesn't like to be dashed to
pieces on ledge of rocks unless it
becomes absolutely necessary.
"Pretty soon l heard the limited
squealing down the cut. I knew that
Jim Crosby, the engineer. was floun-
dering in the snow. | said to myself
that if Jim succeeded in roofing
through with his engine l might be
saved, but l knew well enough he
wouldn't succeed, 1t would take
four engines and two rotary plows to
drive tunnel during such blizzard.
And there she squealed and shrie1ed
for hours, it seemed to me, while my
hands and arms grew as numb as
clubs.
"And Lettie-wllat was she doing
all this time? When the snow COW
cred the woodshed and began to
creep up on the windows she was
frightened. I'm afraid that fatherll
never come back, she told her
mother-I heard all about it after
ward-and her mother, who's always
been tidgety aud nervous like, began
to walk up and down and wiring her
hands, not knowing what to do.
Twelve o'clock came, and then one.
Lettie started up and said: Mother,
I'm going out to see If | cant find
father. and in spite of all her mother
could do she bundled into her cloak
and hood and opened the door.