The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1897-09-23
IN A COATING OF ICE.
Flock of Fowls Entirely Encased
in the Crystals.

''The Last Three Soldiers" W. III.
Shelton's story in st. Nicholas, contains
many unusual situations that develop
from the unique plot. Three Union sol
] diers, who are on a mountain top in the
| South, cut off from all communication
with the rest of the world, lead regu-
lar Crusoe existence.
| On the evening of the fourth day the
thaw was followed by light rain,
which froze as it fell, and developed
into regular ice storm during the
/ night. When the three soldiers looked
out on the morning Of the nineteenth
| they found their house coated with ice,
| and the mountain top scene Of glitter
Ing enchantment. Every tree and
] bush was coated with a transparent
armor of glass. The 1.-THE limbs Of the
| birches and young chestnuts were bent
| downward in graceful curves by the
weight Of the ice, which, under the
rays Of the rising sun, glittered and
| scintillated with all the colors of the
rainbow. Every rock and stone had its
| separate casing, and every weed and
| blade of grass was stiffened with
tiny shining overcoat. The stalks on
| the plantation stood up like a glittering
| field Of pixies.
Despite the difficulty Of walking
| over the uneven ground and the slip
perry rocks, they made their way, not
| without occasional falls, to the western
side of the plateau to observe the effect
in the Cove. Philip was in raptures
over the prismatic variety Of cOlors,
picking out and naming the tints with
a childish glee and with a subtle ap
probation of color that far outran the
limited vision of his comrades, and
made them think that Sherman Terri
tory had possibly defrauded the world
below Of a frst-rate artist.
AS they turned back toward the
house Bromley remarked that it was
strange they had not been awakened
as usual by the growing of the cocks.
Indeed, the stiffness of the hour was
remarkable. 1t was strange that while
they had lain in their hunks after day
break they had not heard the cocks an
swering one another from one end of
the plateau to the other.
Usually they heard first the clear,
ringing note of some knowing old bird
burst loud and shrill from under the
very window, and then the pert reply
Of some upstart youngster who had not
yet learned to manage his crow, drift
ing family back from the rocks to the
west; then straightway all the growers
of all ages, and Of every condition of
shrillneSS and hoarSeness, tried for five
mortal minutes to crow one another
down; and when one weak, far-away
chicken seemed to have had the last
word, another would break the still
ness, and the strident contest would
begin again.
In leaving the house, they had been
so enchanted by the hues of the ice
storm that they now remembered that
they had not so much as turned their
eyes in the direction of the mill. When
they came upon the brow of the hill
which overlooked the mill-which was |
silver mill now-the limbs Of the |
trees which stretched along the bank |
beyond were crowded with the fowls, |
at least four hundred Of them, sitting |
still on their perches. Philip, who fell |
down in his eagerness, and rolled over |
on the ice, remarked as he got upon his |
feet that it was too knowing a flock Of |
birds to leave the sure hold it had on
the limbs, to come down ON to the
slippery ground.
AS the soldiers came nearer, how |
ever, they noticed that their fowls in
the sunlight We're quite the most brill
liant objects they had seen; for their
red combs and parti-colored feathers
made a rich showing through n trans
parent coating Of ice which enyeloped
them like shells and held them fast to
the limbs where they sat. Whether
they had been frozen stiff, or smoth-
cred by the icy envelope, they were
unable to determine; but they could see
that all the fowls had met with a very
beautiful death, except five or six of
the toughest old roosters, who had
to crack the icy winding
sheet about their bills. One of these,
who had more life in him than the 9th
ers, made q dismal attempt to crow
when he caught sight of the soldiers
coming to the rescue.