The Opelousas courier., 1897-04-17

blizzard that We had last winter-the
! one that showed in Evansburg and
Brockton and Collinville 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 a fence to be seen in
the country. Lettie's mother said /
better not go down to the cut. She
was afraid I might get lost. But I'd
been to Cragie's on m on for more
eight years, and I thought I'd seen
the worst the weather could DO. SO
l went down the hill, and before l was
ten rods from the house the snow had
wiped it out, and all I could see were
the whirling drifts and tho path
for a dozen feet ahead of me.
And when I reached the cut there
wasn't any cut there. 1t was filled to
the top with snow. I wondered what
the limited bound down for Cragie
would do. It WAS pretty sharp and
cold when I reached the track this
side of the bridge, and I hud to get
down on my hands and knees and
crawl along from tie to tie just like a
baby. l was strong in those days, too,
only the wind and snow were SO ter
rible that [ couldn't stand up. Aud
first thing I knew I had crossed tue
bare knoll at the bridge approach, and
there I was hanging over the edge of
the embankmcnt like a bat to a rafter.
Slipped before I knew it.
"You're done for, Dolly" T 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. Bat I had
grit. if l do say it, ana I hung there
for grim death, with the wind kicking,
and beating me about like a dead limb.
| knew we'll enough there would be no
Il to help me, and that [ couldn't
help myself; but sill L hung there.
A man doesn't like to he dashed to
pieces on a ledge Of rocks unless it
becomes absolutely necessary.
"Pretty soon I heard the limited
squealing down the cut. I knew that
Jim Crosby, the engineer. WAS foun-
dering in the snow. I said to myself
that If Jim succeeded in roofing
through with his engine I might be
saved, but I knew we'll enough he
wouldn't succeed. It would take |
four engines and two rotary plows to
drive a tunnel during such q blizzard.
And there she squealed and sLrieked
for hours, it seemed to me, while my
hands and arms grew as numb as
clubs.
"Anl Lettie-what was she doing
all this time? When the snow COW
cred the woodshea aud began to
creep up on tho windows she was
frightened. Sim afraid that father'll
never come back she told her
mother-I heard all about it after
ward-and her mother, who's always
been tidgety and nervous like, began
to walk up and down AMI wiring her
hands, not knowing what to do.
o'clock came, and then one.
started up and said: Mother,
Pm going out to see if I can't find
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
wind had mostly goue down. In
the cut Jimmie Crosby's engine was
callin' and s%creacLin' for mercy, and
wien she looked over the cliff
see the train at all-only a
big black hole where the smoke from
The stack had melted the snow. But
Lettic wasn't strong enough to get
down to the tracks, for tho path was
trifted full, and q slim girl like her
couldn't venture it without losing her
ife. She knew we'll enough that I
vas down the section somewhere
perhaps out on the bridge. But she
lidn't give up-not Lsttie. There
a man around the place to help {
in the train, and the train was
It the bottom of the cut buried in the
now. She thought if only she could
ret word to Jim Crosby he'd help her.
or she knew him we'll. SO she ran q
nd got a coil Of rope and tied one I
nd of it. to that stubby oak-thcre a
'ou can see it at the edge of the hill
and then she took hold Of it and 7
lid into the cut. That took grit =
here d>N many men who would :
ave risked %--let alone girls. OF \
o14se the snowrot into her eyes and /.
ose. and the rd@ey leages cut and $
rnisea her. bpS she never stopped G
ntil she was at the bottom. Jimmy f
said he saw something found .