The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1899-12-23

Rails down. at Fordyce Pass. For
Gods sake, stop train.
ELSIE DUNMoRE."
"There. there take it, Fredal II
will go with you-you shall not face the
darkness alone"
"Mademoiselle, no, no, mol" said the
| girls, excitedly. You cannot take the
road. l must go, and, besides-there
are men watching, watching every
where Anton Beyer's Freda can pass.
but you, MademoiselIe, no no! Stay
here and pray, pray that God may
guide me, help me to save, to save!''
And with ci1oked sob the girl sprang
out of the window that opened on the
porch without and was gone.
Truly Freda had said that Elsie could
not follow the path she must take to-
night. for though it was but five miles
/ to Newton, a SnowSlide had choked the
1 usual road, and she knew her way must
| lead around old Manitou's dizziest
! ledge. Strong -limbed and strong
nerVed as she was, Freda dared not
think of the task before her. but sped
along over the drifted SHOWS, the little
prayer-book cl2sped like a talisman to
her breast A cold new moon had risen
amid banks of ragged clouds: now the
heights were silvered in ghostly radi-
ance, now lost in blacklist gloom
Three TONES dark figures started out
from the shadows of bare rocks and
withered shrubbery and barred her
way. But Anton Beyers Freda had
only to give her name and pass un7
questioned Higher and higher wound
the path, now deep in snowdrifts, now
| crusted with treacherous ice-now
black and bare, a mere thread around
old Manitou's frowning brow. now
now-ah; Heaven, it was gone, gone ut
terly, for the moon had yelled herself
in the storm clouds, and all was inky
darkness-darkness in which it would
be madness to brave that narrow, dir
zy way. Poor Freda! She could only
cling to the rough wall of icy rock be-
side her. and pray, pray with the sim
pie faith and fervor learned in her far
off home.
80, sweet Christ Child, have mercy
on me, guide me, help me, give me
light to keep on my way, for dear Ma
demoiselle's sake. Good angels, help
me, show me the. way" And then,
then, even as she prayed, a sudden
rosy light famed out of the darkness,
and through the silence came a rich,
full chorus:
''Adeste, fdelis,
Laeti tTiumphantes;
Venite, Venite in Bethlehem"
The Christmas hymn-dear to the
Christian of every cline, the grand old
hymn that Freda herself had so often
sung in her own old home. Clearer and
louder it swelled through the night,
while the rosy light famed higher and
higher, showing the narrow path she
must tread along the mountain brow.
And with a glow of strange rapture
warming her heart Freda darted
fearlessly along the dizzy ledge, that
taxed the boldest cragsman in the
MONDAY light, and in ten minutes
stood breathless and triumphant in the
Newton telegraph station, holding her
prayer-book with its message to the
operator.
Great heavens!" said the man, with
blanching face, as he looked from book
to girl; twenty minutes more and you
would have been too late. How did i
you get here?"
But F'reda only shook her head, point |
ed to heaven, and fell at his feet in |
dead faint.
And the train was saved, of course;
and after the ringleaders, including !
Anton Boyer, fled the country, Elsie's |
tender pleading obtained a general am
nesty, and all those who were willing
to return to work were received on |
juster and more generous terms; while
Freda, with littde Otto, left orphaned |,
by their fathers flight, became Mr..
Dunmore's care forever after. And
though the young hunters, who had
camped out all night on the opposite
ridge, insisted that it was their camp
fire and college hymns that had guided
Freda ON her perilous way, she never
or accepted any such pro-
sale explanation. 1t was the Christ
Child who had heard her prayer, it was
he Christmas angels who, with hea-
yenly light and music, had guided her
over old Manitou's dizzy edge, and
brought peace and good will to Dun
more. And as Christmas angels work
n many ways doubtless simple little
Freda was right.