Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1897-03-03

and Collinville and killed all the cattle
on the PuddIn' Bottom ranch. Well. il
struck the Cragie country, too. Came
up over the hill from back of the house
early in the morning, and long before
10 o'clock there wasn't n fence to he
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 at Cragie's off an on for
more'n eight years, and ! thought I'd
seen the worst the weather could do.
SO | went down the hill and before
got ten rods from the house the snow
had wiped it out, and all | could see
were the whrling drifts and the path
for dozen feet ahead of me. AMI
when ] reached the cut there WASH |
any cut there. 1t was filled to the top
with snow | wondered what the linn
tied bound down for Cragie's would do.
1t was pretty sharp and cold when !
rea ched the track this side Of the
bridge, and | had to get down on my
hands and knees and crawl along from
lie to tie just like a baby. | was strong
in those days, too. only the wind and
the snow were so terrible that !
couldn't stand. And first thing ! knew
had crossed the bare knoll at the
bridge approach, and there was hang
ing over the edge of the embankment
like a bat to rafter. Slipped before
knew 1t.
you're done for, Dolby | said to
myself when | 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, II | do say it, and hung there for
grim death, with the wind kicking and
beating me about like dead limb. |
knew well 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 a
ledge of rocks unless ii becomes abso-
iutely necessary.
pretty soon heard the limited
squealing down the cut. | knew that
Jim Crosby, the engineer, was founder
ing in the snow. | said to myself that
il Jim succeeded in roofing through
with his engine | might be saved, but
knew well enough that he wouldn't
succeed. 1t would take four engines
and two rotary plows to drive n tunnel
through such n blizzard. And there
she squealed and shrleked for hours, it
seemed to me, while my hands and
arms grew as numb as clubs.
'And Lettie-what was she doing all
this time? When the snow covered the
woodshed and began to creep up on the
windows she was frightened. I'm
afraid that father'll never get back
she told her mother, who's always been
fidgety and nervous like, began to
walk up and down and wiring her
hands not knowing what to do. Twelve
o'clock came, and then /. Lettie start
ed up and sad Mother, I'm going out
to see if | can't find father and in
spite of all her mother could do she
bundled into her cloak and hood and
opened the door.
The snow was up to her waist, but
the wind had mostly gone down. In
the cut Jimmie Crosby's engine was
calm and screechn' for mercy, and
Lettie. when she looked over the cliff
couldn't see the train at all-only a big
black hole where the smoke from the
stack had melted the snow. But Lettie
wasn't strong enough TO get down to
t,.n.. al 70, . l,n 1,,.r
full, and a slim girl like her couldn't
venture in without losing her life. She
knew well enough that ! was down the
section somewhere-perhaps out on the
bridge. But she didn't give up-not
Lettie. There wasn't man around the
place to help-only in the train. and the
train was at the bottom OF the cut
buried in the snow. She thought that
if only she could get word to Jim Cros.
by he'd help her, for she knew him we'll
SO she ran and got coil of rope and
tied one end of it to that stubby oak
there you can see it at the edge of the
hill-and then she took hold of it and
slid into the cut. That took grit-there
aren't many men who would have risk
ed it--let alone girls. OF course the
snow got into her eyes and nose. and
the rocky lodges cut and bruised her,
but she never stopped until she was at
the bottom. Jimmie Crosby said he saw
something noundering in the snow out
side of the cab and then somebody
called
Jim, oh, jim.
at was Lettie. They dragged her
into the cab, and as soon as she could
talk she told Jim that was Lost in the
blizzard.
well save him. said Jim. and the
fireman agreed to help. and SO did
dozen other men who had come down
from the train. And Jim, bein' a good
climber went up the rope hand over
hand and helped dozen or more men
TO follow him. BY this time II had STOP
ped showing. and the sun shone bright
in the west. They wallowed down
through the drifts TO the bridge. Lettie
following. They tried 10 leave her at
home but she wouldn't stay. If faith