The Dalles times-mountaineer. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1882-1904, 1898-05-17
n Spirit ofthe Cascades



as good as buried"
The white light of the snow intensl-
fed the strong lines of the mems faces ;
but falling upon the woman in the door
way revealed only marks of care and
hardship. A little in front stood the
mail-carrier, just bending to fasten his
snowshoes. With last lift and shake
of each to prove security, he turned to
answer his friends warnings. \ hearty
cOntented face looked out from the dark
fur cap drawn close over head and ears,
and his eyes held no trace of uneasinesS
as they glanced from sky to snow COW
cred earth.
'Bigger danger for me underfoot than
overhead today" he said with laugh.
''Yonder clouds black with storm"
said the woman as she pointed to the
eastern sky. 'You'd better let it pass
by before you start. There's a SNOW
bird frozen-see it fall When the
birds of the air are helpless men'll soon
be crying for sheltor.'
''No, no, Mother Crale, your clouds
no more than wind that'll lift me up
the mountain like a feather" answered
the carrier. "Never worry, my day'll
bring me back sound as ever
Tossing the mailbag over his Shoul-
der and winding the bright scarf close
u l. -nl
the glistening snow. The woman re-
turned to her work and the men, enter
ing the abin, tilted their chairs COM
fortably against the wall or drew them
to the open fire, which piled high with
juniper knots, blazed and sparkled, fill
ing the room with ruddy light.
''There's a hard trip ahead of him
this time," said old Joe as he gave his
time-worn pipe generous filling.
"But it'll take more than snow to
scare him." replied the man in the
corner. Then he told how, in the storm
a few years before, the mail-carrier had
ridden all day in binding snow, while
the cold froze his breath as it passed
from his nostrils, and left his eye-lashes
stiff with frost. On and on he had
urged his way until he had found the
object of his search-an old horse, use
less from age, but once his masters
boast a horse that raging cattle could
not bewilder that, unguided, over the
most dangerous trail and in blackest
night could carry his master home with
0ut Il falter. And his master had not
forgotten but had saved him from the
Jury of the storm.
AS the tale ended old Joe drew his
pipe from his mouth, gazed into it,
aughing silently for moment, and
began:
He us't to be forever helpin' Macs
Joy rig up firearms to play with. The
ad came in an inch o. KILN himself
lOZen times or more. Mac got worn
'ut at it and wanted to know of the fell
ow what he meant by putin such
mischief in the boys head
'The carrier studied bit, then turn
n on Mac, says he: You've seen 'em
ring in a wild magpie to train? You ;
now the foolish thing III bruise it's
cad and batter it's wings 'gainst the
ars, as if all it craved was just to man. {
lie itself out o. all shape. But let the
.orry run it's course an you'll see your
lightly bird settle down on its perch ,,
n prattle away, purity as a child.
But spose you shackle it up SOS it
ant futter a feather. why man, it'll
oon be stone dead on your hands, or if
pulls through it'll turn out witless as
chicken. An Mac, says he, human
ems take after magpies mighty close.
they're ever goin to be worth raisin' :
hey've got to get many a hard knock
ore you can get 'em to sit content on
heir perch in life. Don't grudge the
I'd his fun-the knocks ha' got to come
nd young bones III mend sooner N old I
nes.'"
Mac was so upset by the mans
arangue that he said if he'd known the =
oy was goin' to blow 'em all up that S
light he couldn't a said word"
Thus these idle men sat and gossiped
ntil the frost pencillings on the win +