The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-02-28

the doorway and decided to make
rush for it. zone, two, threer' They
started. The last one slipped when she
reached the snowy sidewalk and fell in
a drift of snow. The rest kept on their
mad race. The one in the snow yelled
and begged them to stop, but they
heard her not. Finally they missed her,
and went back and pulled her out of the
snow drift
A man living in the west part of town
got out a pair of old snowshoes he used
in the White mountains before he came
west. He had not used them for years,
and his wife had them hung up on the
wall to use a s photograph holders But
the pictures were unceremoniously con-
signed to the floor and the ham-lil1e
webs We're strapped to his feet and he
sailed forth. He had somewhat for
gotten the art, and the first thing he
did was to land in a snow drift head
first with his snOwshoes badly tangled.
His wife swept a path from the door to
where he lay and extricated him, and
after few trials the lost art came back
to him and he was the envied of all as
he Skated along on top of the snow.
Everybody felt the effects of the storm.
Messenger boys had to abandon their
wheels and plod along in drifts half as
high as they. The policemen looked
into the alleys where the snow had not
been broken and wondered how they
would wade through in the dark in
specting back doors. They turned away
with a leaden feeling about their hearts,
The haclxmen were jubilant The livery
men smiled. The multitude had to get
home. They had corner on convey
ances Long before dark every hack
and vehicle that could navigate was
pressed into service. Those who were
going to the theater and were late in
ordering their carriages found them
selves facing a long walk or triple
prices. The trains were two and a half
hours late, and the "Oliver Goldsmith
company was late in arriving. The mail
carriers bemoaned their fate, but they
struggled through the drifts and mail
was delivered.
ness. High top boots of any descrip
tion were in demand and leggins went
like hot cakes. The hotels, already
crowded by visiting Worknen, were be-
sieged by business men who thought it
better to remain down town than to
go home. AS the hotels were full they
had to hunt other quarters. One mer-
chant stayed in his store all night
sleeping on a pile of blankets. An en-
terprising proprietor of a billiard hall
hung out a sign that billiard table
berths" could be had for so cents a
night.
The man who had been in Klondike
discarded his overcoat. lit a fresh cigar
and sailed forth. He told the people
he met, This is simply grand just
like old times" But he was scorned
The man who had sold" a few wheat
margins waiting for a fall in price was
jubilant. The snow would be so good
for winter wheat. It would grow so
luxuriantly that he would win. He was
suddenly rich. But no richer in reality
than the boys who applied for jobs
shoveling snow. They set their price,
and they received it.
There was a jam when the theaters
closed. The audience went bravely
forth until the last door was reached
and then stood and rallied at the snow.
The hacl1men were calling their num-
bers The owners of carriages were
calling their drivers. At least a hun
dred vehicles were trying to get up to
the entrance at the same time. The
people behind wanted to escape and
pushed the unfOrtunates on and forced
them into the snow, where they stood
like a flock of dazed sheep Some had
to walk home and took the center OF
the street The car tracks made the
best plodding, and people and carriages
both took the center of the street
Some of the snow had been cleared
left on each side. The hackmen stuck
to the tracks and forced pedestrians out
into the drifts There are several
scores to be settled.
Early this morning the street force
went to work clearing the streets and
crossings, but they will be able to
make but little headway. The street
car conductors and motorneers were
armed with shovels and sent out to dig
out the snowbound cars. The livery
men and hackmen made regular trips
between the resident districts and up
town There is a scarcity of milk. The
country roads are unbroken and the
milkmen snowbound. A few managed
TO reach town about noon, but con-
densed milk has been at a premium.