The Press., 1899-12-28

ly," he said slowly, as If gathering his
memories together. after lighting a
big fat cigar, was passed at the home
Of old Deacon Mallory. | was & or Z
years old. and by the same token 1t
must have been 40 years or more ago.
"You must know that l was a coun-
try minister's son. My fathers charge
included a wooden meeting house.
built on the Greek temple pattern. and
half a dozen little red schoolhouses
perched on the steep hillsides and mes
Ting in the deep valleys of one of the
most northeasterly counties Of Penn
sylvania. All through that region the
pater was known as the elder. and the
deacons of the church organizations to
which he ministered took turns enter
tanning the elder and his family on
Christmas. AS rule. our Christmas
visits included Christmas eve and two
or three days thereafter. and so 1t was
this time.
Deacon Mallory lived ten good miles
away from the story and half brown
house that stood in the edge of a tire
mendous big piece of pine and hem
lock timber where we lived. and. there
being two feet of snow on the ground.
we had to cover the ten miles in cut
ter hauled by Crookfoot. as my father
called the ungainly looking young
horse he drove ip making his widely
scattered pastoral calls. The day be
fore Christmas was clear and sun
shiny. but bitter cold. that year. and ]
shall never forget the ride to the dea-
cons.
| AT first our road was on the lee side
Of great tree crowned ridge Shelter
| ed, as we then were. from the biting
wind, we scarcely realized how low the
temperature was. and, the path being
well packed, Crookfoot took us oven
the snow at a lively clip. the bells jim
Cling merrily with every step. Here
and there the road passed through deep
cuts in the drifts between pure white
frigid walls of snow. sometimes eight
and ten feet high. These walls had
been inscribed with many curious in
scriptions and rude pictures, which i'll
| terested me very much as we drove
along. though ] had never heard a
word of the newly named science OF
grattitology.
81 was intently studying some OF
the pictures and Inscriptions when my
| father told me to look ahead and then
get ready for what saw coming. ~
he spoke he pointed to the brow of the
hill up which we were driving. There
| saw the snow drifting in a fine
white. sandlike state.
| "'The wind il blowing up there,
sonny. and it won't be as pleasant
when we get to the top as it is by any
means. Wrap your comforter close
shout your ears, my boy, or they'll be
frozen sure
"By the time ! was ready for the
drifting snow we were In the midst of
| 1t, and for the next three-quarters OF
| an hour we all. including Crookfoot
had plenty to do to keep the breath OF
life agoing. The snow was drifting
wildly. and of the track. SO we'll beat
en- in the sheltered part of the road
not vestige was to be seen. By the
time we had got over the broad back
Of the hill and down into the valley in
which the deacon's house was situated
the human beings in the party were
more than half frozen. while Crook.
! foot was nearly exhausted. Once in the
shelter again. however. we quickly
thawed out and by the time we reach
ed the deacon's we were all In fairly
comfortable shape again.
"Our stay at the deacon's made quite
as great an impression on my memory
as the journey there. The deacon