The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1900-12-09

vice sounds like the kind that ought to
be taken. But right here let US observe
that notsvery many women are lifted TO
follow in Mrs. Seton-Thompson's foot
steps-pardon. her trail. she declares
that there are times under the spell of
the West when the whole business of
city life, the music, arts, drama, the
pleasant friends, equally with the plati-
tudes of things and people you care not
about-when all these fade from my
thoughts as far as. geographically, they
are, and in their place comes the JOY OF
being at least healthy II not an intelli-
gent animal. 1t is pleasure to eat when
the time comes round, good, old-fash-
toned pleasure. and you need no dainty
serving TO tempt you. 1t is another pleas
ure to use your muscles, TO buffet with
the elements, to endure long hours of rid
ing to run where walking would do, to
Jump an obstacle instead Of going round
It, to return physically at least to your
pinafore days when you played with
your brother Willie. Red blood means a
rose -colored world. Did you feel like that
last summer at Newport or Narragan-
sett?'
This, of course. is the good. the best
side of it, But Seton Thompson
is fair enough to admit that there
are other sides. She admits to read
ing Prof. William James and embracing
the idea that the accomplishment of
thing depends largely upon ones mental
attitude. She admits that she made up
her mind to "go through with 1t: she in
sists upon this rule of conduct. Think
wha. you like. but unless 1t is pleasant.
don't say it." and she confesses that her
enjoyment was principally a matter of
wil-power. As she had extreme discom-
fort with her daily. and faces the horror
of death In one form or another in al
most every chapter, 1t will be seen that
her will-power had plenty of exercise.
1t seems to be showing most OF the time
In the Rocky mountains. There was the
day they crossed the Wind River Divide.
"AIl that day We worked our way through
the forest with the silent snow deepening
around Us, ever up and up, 5000 5000.
10000 feet. 1t was an endless day of
freezing in the saddle and of snow show
ers In ones face from the overladen
branches. l was frghtfully cold and
miserable. Every minute seemed the last
! could endure without screeching. But
still our host pushed on. 1t was neces-
sary to get near enough to the top of the
continental divide so that we could cross
1t next day. 1t began to grow dark about
o'clock; the storm increased / kept say
ing over and over to myself what l was
determined should not say out loud.
. please stop and make camp, can
minnfn
MY left foot is frozen, know ii is and
the saddle-cramp is unbearablc. am AZ
hungry. so cold, so exhausted; oh, please
stopv' Then. having walled this out under
by breath. would answer It harshly:
you little fool, stop your whimpering.
Inc others are made of flesh and blood.
TOO We should be- snow bound II we
stopped here. Don't be a cry-baby. There
Is lots of good stun in you yet This
.N,1,.
ohiy seems terrible because you are not
used to It. so brace mp"
BY the end of the afternoon this nluckv
lady was "hst a numb thing on a horse
With hut one Thought I can and win
40 IT, They campsd In four feet of snow
ten THOUSAND feet above sea-level "Nim-
rcd came and pulled me off my horse I
Was too stifr and numb to get down nv
self Then I found that the snow was
SO deep could not go four feet. Not
TO be able to move about seemed TO me
70 be the end OF all things. I simply
dropped in the snow--it was impossible
10 ever be warm and happy again-and
prepared at las. to weep.
hnt looked around first. Nimrod was
eoaxing a pack animal through the snow
70 cofnrarstively level place where mr.
tent and bed things could be placed The
most was shoveiing pathway between
me and the spot where the cook was coax-
ing a hre The Horsewrangler was I'M
packing the horses alone $50 that I might
nave IRE tho soonerl. They were an
grim--douetless as weary as I-but thew
were all working for my ultimate com
tort, while | was about TO repay them
ny sitting In the snow and weeping
pictured them In four separate heaps in
the snow all weeping. This WINS too
much. I did not weep. Instead. BY great
effort, ! managed to get my horse near
the are, and after thswlng out a mo-
ment unsaddied tho tired animal, who
saliored OF gladly To ioin his comrades,
and thus became once more unit in the
economic force"