The Afro-American advance., 1900-03-24
LIKE FAIRY TALE.
A Dinner THAT Came 90 snow-BoanS
Soldiers when IL Was Least
Expected.

i ."You mightn't believe II" said On
army lieutenant, but once upon a
! time when three of us officers were out
! on the plains starving in the snow, so
miles from any town bigger than a
watertank. we were suddenly dropped
into a feast of champagne, oysters,
| turkey and roast beef. aud all the good
things you can imagine starving man
would like TO encompass. OF course,
you don't believe il, but let me tell
you.
"A force of so men with Ave officers
were doing detail work in Montana
one winter, aud as amusements of all
kinds were scarce, we were reHdy for
almost anything. One day three of us
started out on hunt and when night
came we were caught by snowstoTm
In an old cabin out ON the plains. There
was nothing to do but stop where we
were. and making fire with such
parts of the cabin as we could spare,
we made ourselves comfortable as pos
sible for the night. We had nothing
To eat. and as soon as morning came
we faced the storm which was still
pad and started to find headquarters.
We were in fairly good spirits at first,
but as we foundered around through
the snow. able 10 make very little prog
ress. and that in a direction we were
not certain Of, matters began TO look
serious, and when the shades of even
ing came on and we were completely
lost and without shelter OF any kind,
we began to droop and to wonder how
long il would be until our friends
found our bodies in the snow.
"Of course, we didn't mention any.
thing Of this kind to each other, but
] will admit that we were not very
cheerful, and when IL had become 80
dark that we held hands so that we
should not be lost from each other,
/. for one, felt that IL was our last
hand clasp on earth. We had become
very silent now, and were struggling
along aimlessly, growing n little
weaker all the time, and colder and
sleepier. As sudden blast stronger
than the others swept by, | turned
half round 20 shield myself, and M |
did so l saw of 10 the left the glimmeI
of "a light. II seemed 10 be rising from
the snow, and We thought II might he
some cabin half covered by the drift
with a roaring fire inside streaming
up through the chimney. In any event,
we let loose the strongest shout we
had left aud made for IL, still clinging
TO each other. II was not more than
n quarter of mile away--if il had
been farther we never would have seen
II through the storm and when we
got TO It we found IL was Northern
Pacific railroad train showed in. II
was digging Its way slowly through the
drift. aud when we came down over
the snowbank onto IL the trainmen
thought II was 'hold-up,' but we told
them pretty soon what the matter
WINS, and they hustled us aboard. 1t
was just after the second call for din.
ner. the dining-room car was in full
operation, and there in the midst OF
the cold. the desolation, the distance
from civilized homes and the bowling
storm, we sat down to dinner which
Is minutes before seemed TO be farther
away from us than heaven. II was
like a fairy tale. | tell You. We spent
the evening telling our story to all
the passengers went TO bed early,
slept like moles, aud the next morning
the train had worked through and we
got of At the first station 10 take the
next train back to headquarters. So
Washington Star.