The silver messenger. (Challis, Idaho) 1890-1912, 1898-12-27

Where the clouds in the welkin break:
The ice foes crack as they meet the shore.
And the waters dash with an endless roar
Down, on the winding Snake.
But there's one who sleeps In her frozen grave
Dead to the roar Of the restless wave
Dead TO the Winters snow;
The rain may fall or the rain may not
The day may be cold or the day be hot,
Or the winds forever blow
II is all the same TO the girl who lies
Under the frown OF the Northern skies
Where never storm can wake,
And vain are the sounds that echo there
Over the grave of Mary Melair,
Down. on the winding Snake.
Mary Melair was rancher's child.
And dwelt in the heart of the prairie wild
Close by the serpent stream;
She lived in the past when the past was sweet,
And her heart was light and her joys complete
And her youth, golden dream:
But alas for the soul that knows no wrong
And alas. for the heart that sleeps too long -
And o, when that heart shall wake
For Cupid and Death claim all their own
And both were gwen another throne
Down, on the winding Snake.
"
Lou was a cowboy. reckless and rough,
And they called him wild" and they called
him tough,
But his heart was soft and true.
And ne staid by his friends till all was done
And never was guilty OF jilting one
This was the cowboy, Lou;
Once in year he would ride to town
And paint" the city -'Vandyke brown
Or shade of crimson lake,
And just for this the old man said
That Lou should die ere he could wed
The pride OF the. river Snake.
".
But Mary and Lou remained the same
Fer love. when opposed, is a growing fame
That burns to the very tomb;
And tine fathers threat was trifiing thing
To the fearless heart of the prairie king,
Who dashed. with a smile. to doom;
And oft in the night when the house was still
And the moon Shone bright DER the far-o1 hill
Through the clouds OF fleece and fake.
Mary would steal from her room. and glide
Over the rocks to the rivers side,-
Down, on the winding Snake.
VI.
It was there one night that the old man crept.
When the moon was hid and the river slept
And the plain was white with snow.
The banks we're steep, and the rocks were rough
And the ice was deep on the frozen bluff
And the stream lay far below
But the fathers heart was flied with wrath,
And he needed not the dangerous path
Over the porphyry- break:
And ne groped along until lost to sight
In the inky depths of the dismal night,
Down, on the winding Snake.
VII.
Above. on a table of porphyry stone.
Shiveriag and waiting, she sat alone
Mary. with heart so true;
From over the prairie she heard him ride
Nearer and nearer the rivers side
Her cowboy lover, Lou;
The gallop ceased, and she heard the sound
OF q horseman's step on the frozen ground
step she could not mistake;
The Gathering chaps and the lngling spur
How often their music was heard by her,
Down, on the winding Snake
VIII.
Below in the darkness. the old man stood
Grasping his gun in a nervous mood
Wondering If Lou was late;
And the look in the eyes OF the stern Melair
Had all of the gieam of devils glare,
Or fire of demons hate
The lightning flashed and the blizzard blew,
And the heavens frowned, as If Heaven knew
OF life, which man would take;
The gun was raised. and the thunder pealed,
And the form OF the cowboy stood revealed
High, o'er the winding Snake
TX.
Only second Of binding light
And all was black as Stygan night
As black as the rivers fiow
A loud report and a mufied cry
The sound OF bullet whiStling by
A splash in the waves below
The storm ragged ON and the wind increased
And the lightning flashed like lightning creased,
AND the heavens seemed to shake :
But louder than all, ana above the noise,
Mary could hear her fathers voice
Down, in the winding Snake.
X.
Up. on the porphyry, the cowboy stood,
binding current OF crimson blood
That flowed from his shattered arm;
And Mary Melair was by his side
Helping TO staunch the fatal tide
Crazed in her wild alarm;
Save him !" she cried, as the lightning flashed
''Save him - she cried. and the cowboy dashed
Over the porphyry break;
HELP :" the father was crying Still
or the noble man he had sought to kill
Down, on the winding Snake
XII
The gorge was black and the waters deep,
And the icy cliffs were high and steep,
But the lovers heart was brave
And up ou the precipice, cold and bare,
He caught glimpse of an angel there
Bidding him try and save;
And it cheered his heart and he felt, that night,
He could fight the world, and win the fight.
II fighting for Mary's sake
And his pains grew sweet and his cruel wound
In the laser of love. seemed tightly bound,
AS he coped with the raging Snake
XII
Over the precipice Mary hung,
Waiting for light with a lasSo swung
High in the frozen air:
Another hash and n warning Yell
Metdir tCds reached and the lasso fell
Over the struggling pair
Her arm was strong ana her aim was good,
And she handled rope as n cowboy would
when roping horse TO break:
And there that night. by the lightningS glare,
She saved the life of the stern Melair-
Down on the winding Snake.
XIII
But never again was the cowboy seen,
And never again did the prairie queen
EaZe at her lovers face;
With a broken arm he had fought the wave
Sinking at last to watery grave
Deep in the streams embrace
He had known fall well that the girl above,
To save them both lin her frenzied lovel
Was wont TO undertake,
But the hope was vain and he tied the moose
To the faint Melair-dad ASa-ief loose,
Out, in the winding Snake
XIV.
The years went by. aud the father died
And was laid to rest by the rivers side
Close hv the waters flow:
Never another to Mary came
Who woke Ia her heart the tender flame
That burned in the long ago.
For her heart was cold ami It's throbs were true.