The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-12-28
A HoLD-UP ON CHRISTMAS EVE.


chilly and the furna ce-heated houses
not quite so oYerwarm as Is their won't
But such cold as the northwest encoun-
ters on the prairie when the thermome-
ter has frozen at forty degrees below
zero, and men cease to reckon the in
creased iciness of the atmosphere.
The Bismarck stage, during the win
ter season that long-ago year, made but
one weekly journey to Zenith City, and
was due at its destination on Christmas
eve. Conner, the driver, possessed an
endurance admired through all the
frontier and a reverence for certain an
cient customs unsupported by his closest
intimates. Among the dugouts of the
yearling town, and the infant Fort
Fletcher, it's neighbor he knew that his
arrival was anticipated with the sick
longing that exiles feel for tokens from
the distant homes where they fain
would be. And he intended to arrive
promptly for the sake Of a package
tucked into his safest pocket. A pack
age on which an old lady down in Yer
mont had written shakily, "To be
opened on Christmas morning."
But to the ranchman, his host of the
previous night, who prophesied biz
zard, he uttered this intention, minus
sentiment:
There will be no blizzard unless the
wind changes" he said decisively.
We've got no passengers to kick about
freezing their noses. Me and Morris
have contracted to deliver our goods to-
night, and if we don't do 1t yon may
look for us in drift somewhere be-
tween here and the town when he job
! takes your fancy"
Norris, the express messenger, who
was new to the frontier, grinned an en-
| thusiastic assent. The ranchman de-
clared gruffly that Conner rusted too
much in his luck, and pressed upon
| them the loan Of an extra buffalo robe
each.
| They set forth. The road was not
| bad, judged by prairie midwinter stand
ards. The sky was f1awless sapphire,
| and the icy air. which whitened the
flesh like hot iron where it touched, was
| forbidden access to any feature Of these
| professional voyagers. except their we'll
| trained eyes. They had a journey of
six hours before them without change of
horses, but Conner opined that with
his cattle feeling as prime as they did,
| he might cut the record down to five.
Upon which Morris exclaimed that it
would be pity to shorten such a glori-
Gus sleigh ride.
| Conner, however, vouchsafed no reply
to this ignorant hardihood, except a
| glance; which it was fortunate that his
fur collar intercepted, as it conveyed a
rebuke yet more scathing to youthful
high spirits than Talleyrand's famous
point de zele."
They had been about three hours on
the way, when, about noon, the messen-
ger suggested that he would walk half
a mile to warm himself bit.
waste time and the wind is chang
| ing" Conner answered briefly, and
Morris was aware of a sudden thulnp at
his heart. But he sought mutely to dis.
regard it by humping his chill hands.
An hour later Morris produced whis-
| key fash, which his companion brskly
snatched from his grasp.
mot If know It," he said grimly.
"I am near frozen!"
"You would be past thawing when we
get to the town if let you swallow this
stuff now lad!" Conner added with q
gigantic slap on the messengers bowed
shoulders; IT amt a temperance teach
err I'll share more drinks with you
than you can stand up for within two
hours"
But
But don't propose to drive into Zen
it'll City sitting beside a corpse-it woult
kind of spoil my Christmas dinner
Conner asserted and Morris was silent
silence which the owner ended BY
shaking him roughly.
,1,ofo ba oynJaiD1od HV0i1 ar
forgetting mylast remark
There was only an indistinct mur1nur
Common drew in his horses.
"Git down, you young fool" HI
roared. "You are bound to have tina
tramp anyhow
Then as Morris scrambled to his fee
half asleep he ordered him again to de
scend.
Run hundred yards or so, as i
you was sprinting," he commanded.
Stumblingly Morris obeyed at first
but as the stagnant blood stirred in hi
veins with the enforced motion his pac
increased. A quarter of mile furthe
on he overlook the stage at racins
speed.
"That is better" Connor said cheeri
ly, as Morris prepared to climb back t.
his place. mo, you don't come III
here, I'm tired keeping one eye on yo,
when I want both for the scenery! Jus
take these robes of yours, and crawl in
|, side among them mailbags. You viii
need more than an hour to freeze stiff
under cover, and reckon on getting t.
town within that limit"
A stage DRIVER is as absolute sover
eign as a. ships captain, and travel wa
resumed upon, these prescribed -cond
: tons.
Some time elapsed. A mass of cloud
: had risen in the west through whicI
the sun cleaned a fiery ball tina
Knocked the cold, while a f1tful wint
promised fulflment of the ranchman'
prophesied blizzard
The pOnderous sleigh scraped an,
, creaked to the top Of a slight ascent
which dipped into a ''coolie" whose fur
Their side rose higher and sleeper
Down the first declivity the horse
, rushed. and midway Conner set hi
teeth with a mighty oath.
There, in the narrow bottom of tn
: ''coolie," on either side of a space worr
between snow-drifts and called tn