The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-01-06
HARRIS CORDIAL
By KENBY HElNAM

foopysishA lsse, By Tinotsoa and son-l
CHAPTER ].
A stupendous chaos Of whites and
browns csnopied by boundless frma'
ment of lead
A Rocky mountain solitude majestic
In iA awesoms desolation, with the icy
wind bowling wbiatling, roaring
through the goraes and the canyons and
dashing itself with a frensied fury
against the mighty rocks that rose on
all sidsA sheer and steep and black,
save where the flying snow had found
a ledge or q tree stem on which to fas-
ten its ghostly pail A mountain tor
rent, flinging itself headlong into space
from . dizzy height Of hundreds Of
yards, had become monstrous fantas.
tic sheet Of grayish ice. against which
the patches Of snow which it bore stood
out dazzling white. The forest giants
bent and cracked beneath the force Of
the tempest, and their bare branches,
reft from the mother STEMS whirlsd
through the snow soddsn air like huge
uncanny ravens.
No sound or sign Of man or beast o,
bird Of the air in tho midst Of thii
CHASTITY, waiting, raving. storm monot-
ony, save one figure that moved slowly
and painfully through the binding hur-
ricane.
Where the rough, snow covered pla-
teau inclined prairisward and the
mountain wilderness seemed to stretch
gigantic arms toward the vast plains
that lay like q white sea at itsfeot, barely
perceptible through tho thick, snowy
haze, a tall man climbed across the dan.
gerous broken ground. The suew lay q
yard deep everywhere, and every now
and then treacharous chasm between
the uneven powders threatened terri.
BILE death. Tho hidden tangle Of unseen
creepers. stripped Of all foliage, and the
naked briery network Of the underhrush
mingled in sharing pitfalls beneath the
covering snow, like vast web Of prick
covered whip cord, ready to punish each
unwary step.
The man appeared to be accustomed
to the dangers which would have af-
frighted many a stsnoh and stout heart.
He seemed to be fashioned Of iron, with
a face Of glass, against which the
whirling snow flakes dashed harmlessly.
His long hair chung to his neck and
shoulder like wave of snow, with here
and there patch Of black in the midst
of the white powdering foam. His
beard ressmbled the frozen waterfall
for its grotesque covering Of icioles, and
his brown buokskin clothing was cover
ed with brittle patches Of CLASSY gray.
There was naught visible Of his face
save his shining black eyes, for he had
tied red cotton handkerchief across
his nose and mouth. and it.had become
q frozen sheet like the rest Of his CLOTH
ing.
Tho man climbed on down hill m
daunted. Many time he slipped and
staggered and fell, but rose again, pant
ing and now and then suppressing q
low moan that srlrged to his throat in
spite Of him. The rags which he had
tied over his hands showed broad red
stains through their dingy frozen folda.
and he limped more and more painfully
as he proceeded on his awful journey,
but not sound escaped him. He might
have been suffering dumb creature
struggling for life against the murder
GUS fury Of the elements.
At last the ground sloped more even
ly, the fendish webwcrk of naked brieI
and creeper ceased to impede the foot,
and. save for the sheet of snow, yard
deep, througli-1aslen the man had ia
wade, progress was easy and unobstruct-
ed.
AT sudden turn of the mountain,
nestled against towering spur of the
foothill which sheltered it from the
fury Of the wind, and surrounded by
some threesoore of leafless oottonwoods,
the traveller espied the how, snow COW
cred roof Of human habitation. The
smoke curled away Justify from its clay
chimneys, and the warmth of the fire
beneath had melted the white shroud
which covered the rest Of its slopes, and
thus revealed tho brownish yellow lay
sr of clay and prairie grass which had
served for tiles in its construction.
The man strobe on, as with new
heart, as the near proximity Of life and
warmth strengthened his stiffening
nerves His failing sight grew keener,
and he even thought that sensation Of
existing presence, painful, yet reassur-
ing, returned to his nearly frozen hands
and arms. The huge projecting hillside
deadened to him the blast Of the tenn
pest, which still ragged and rioted over
head. to waste its now victimless fury
until, in its widening sweep, it touched
the barren, rolling plain far inland.
The desperate journeyer had reached
level ground. and some 800 or 400
strides brought him to the log hut that
lay so snugly ensconoed in the protect
ing shadow Of the mountain. The wind
had piled small hillock Of snow
against its side. and no window or OPEN
ing Of any kind was visible. The man
plodded his weary way around the back
Of the house where the warmth Of the
chimneys had transformed the snowy
covering of the plain into swamp of
freezing slush, and, again turning the
corner. reached the side where the
thickly clustered cottonwoods had af-
forded stanch screen against the drift
ing flakes. Here the rough bark covered
logs and the clay filled creviGes were
still in pristine greenish brown. save
for few white ridges and lines. The
wailing wind was denied its play
ground here. The daring pioneer had
10 cunningly planned and constructed
his house that he defied the elements to
bar ingress or egress to Or from his
wild home.
The rough plank door was open when
the shivering traveller at last reached it.
On the threshold stood tall and lean
old man, his grlyish, pale face sur
rounded by long gray beard and with
. veil Of sparse silvery hair struggling
behind him. On the wrinkled brow and
cheeks the skin lay in flabby streaks,
and the eyes shone with hungry lus-
ter.
When the old man saw the wanderer,
he stared at him for a few heart BEATS
space with feverishly flashing eyes, and
then strange little peal Of sickly laugh