Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-06


| ter-so proud of her fathers position and
| what it brought her; in the revelation that
MS own directors had awaited themselves
| OF that fathers methods, and the ignoble
| Character of his present mission, he felt a
! stirring of Self-reproach. What would be-
| come of her? OF course, frivolous as she
! was, she would not feel the keenness of
/ TINS misfortune like another, nor yet rise
| superior to it. She would sucCumb for the
present. to revive another season in Dim
/ rEcr glory elsewhere. His critical, cynical
| observation of her had determined that any
| flal affection she might have would be
merged and lost in the greater deprivation
| of her position.
| y sudden darkening of the landscape be-
| low and singular opaque whitening of
/ The air around them aroused him from his
| thoughts. The driver drew up the collar
| o. his overcoat, and laid the whip smarty
over the backs of his cattle. The air grew
1 gradually darker. until suddenly it seemed
| 10 disintegrate into invisible gritty parti-
| cles that swept through the wagon. Pres
| emily these particles became heavier, more
pcrccptble and polished like small shot,
and Il keen wind drove them stingingly
| into the faces of the passengers, or insidi-
ously into their pockets. The leather cur
| tsilnS Were hattened down, but the snow
/ forced itself through the smallest crew
| ices.
Wen get over this when once we've
passed the bend, the road seems to dip
| beyond said Masterton cheerfully from
| his seat beside the driver
| The driver gave him a single scornful
| look, ana IurLcd to the passenger VINO
| occupied the seat on the other side of him.
! Il don't like the look o. things down there,
/ but ef We are stuck We'll have TO strike
| out for the next station"
But said Masterton, as the wind vol
| leyed the sharp snow pellets in their faces
| and the leaders were scarcely distinguish
| able through the snoke-like discharges.
lit can't be worse than here"
The driver did not speak, but the other
| passengers GRAINED over his back and said
explanatory:
Il reckon ye don't know these storms:
this kind o dry snow don't stick and don't
clog. Look,
Indeed, between the voleys Masterton
could see that the road was perfectly bare
and windswept. and except slight drifts
and banks beside outlying bushes and
sErubS-which even then were again blown
away before his eyes-the level landscape
was unclothed and unchanged. Where.
these mysterious snow pellets went to puz-
z!ed and confused him: they seemed to
vanish as they had appeared into the air
about them.
ia make a straight rush to the next
station, said the other passenger conf
IDENTIFY to the driver. IF We are stuck we
are that much the way: if turn
back we'll have to take the grade anyway
when the storms over, and neither you
Eor / know wnen thath be. 1t may be
only squall just now. but it's gettin
rather late in the season. Just pitch in
and drive all Sc know.
The driver laid his lash on the horses,
ana Tor a lew moments the ncaEy vehicle
dashed forward in violent conflict with the
storm AT times the elastic hickory frame
work of its domed leather roof swayed and
bent like the ribs of an umbrella AT times
it seemed as if it would be lifted bodily off;
at times the whole interior of the vehicle
was filled with a thin smoke by drifts
through every Granny. But presently, to
Masterton's great relief. the interminabe
level seemed to erd, and between the whit
ened blasts he could see that the road was
descending. Again the horses were urged
forward and at last he could feel that the
vehicle began to add momentum of its de-
scent to its conflict with the storm. The
blasts grew less violent, or became only
the natural resistance of the air to their
dominant rush. With the cessation of the
snow volleys, and the clearing of the at
mosphere, the road became more strongly
defined as it plunged downward to a ter
race on the mountain flank-several hum
dred feet below.
Presently they came again upon a thicker
growth of bushes. and here and there a SOL
itary fir. The wind died away; the cold
seemed to be less bitter. Masterton in his
relief. glanced smilingly at his companions
on the box. but the drivers mouth was
compressed as he urged his team forward.
and the other passengers looked hardly less
anxious. They were now upon the level
terrace. and the storm apparently spending
its fury high up and behind them. But, in
spite Of the clearing Of the air. he could
not but notice that 1t was singularly dark.
What was more singular, the darkness
flow in upon them as they descended. A
current of profound obscurity. darker even
than the mountain wall at their side. shut
out the horizon and the valley below. But
for the temperature, Masterton would have
thought a thunder storm closing in
upon them; odd feeling of uneasiness
crept over him.
A few fitful gusts now came from the OBJ
scurity one of them was accompanied by
what seemed a flight of small startled birds
crossing the road ahead of them. A second
larger and more sustained flight struck his
astonished eyes that they were white. and
each bird an enormous flake of snow! For
an instant the air was filed with these
disks. shreds, patches-two or three cling
ing tOgether-like the downfall shaken from
a tree. striking the leather roof and sides
with dun thud, scattering the road into
which they descended with large rosettes
that melted away, only to be followed by
hundreds more that stuck and stayed. In
five minutes the ground was white with it
the long road cleaning out ahead in the
darkness; the roof and sides of the wagon
| overlsid with 1T as with coating of plas-
ter of paris; the harness of the horses and
even the reinS stood out over their steam
| ing backs like white traDpings. In five min
utes more the SteaminS blacks themselves
were blanketed with it; the arms and legs
of the outside passengers pinioned to the
seats with it. and the arms of the driver
kept free only by incesSant motion. 1t WAS
| no longer showing: it was ''snowba ling
| 1t was an avalanche out of the slopes of
| the sky. The exhausted horses foundered
| III II. the tlOSSed WnetlS dragged in 1.-THE
vehicle at last plunged into a hollow of it
| and stopped
| The bewildered and half-blinded passen-
! gers hurried out into the road to assist the
| driver to unship the wheels and fit the
| steel runners in their axles. But it was too
| latei BY the time the heavy wagon was
| converted into sledge 1t was deeply i'm
| bedded in wet end clinging snow. The mar
| row, long handled shovels borrowed from
| the "prospec:Ors' - kits were powerless be-
| fore this heavy, half liquid impeachment AT
| last the driver. with an oath, relinuuished
| the attempt and, unhitching his horses
| collected the passengers and led them for
| ward by narrower and more sheltered
| trail toward the next station, now scarce
| a mile away. The led horses broke a path
| before them: the snow fell less heavily but
| 1t was nearly an hour before the Struggling
| procession reached the house, and the
| ShoW,coated and exhausted passengers
| huddIed and steamed around the red-hot
! stove in the bar ROOM The driver had van
| lshed with his team in the shed; Master
| tons fellow-passenger on the box seat
| after few whispered words to the land
| lord. also disappeared
| Il see you've got Jake Poole with you?,
| said one OF the bar room loungers to Mas
I terton, indicating the passenger who had
! just left. Il reckon he's here on the same