Smyrna times., 1900-12-26
THEMAN FROM LARAMIE
And the Lies
He Told.
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orally humdrum lives led by nine men
out of ten, and the sad eyed man who
had hitherto kept silent said as he set
tied back into his chair and put his
feet on the rail of the hotel piazza:
"From my birth to the present time
l have had but one thing happen to me
that was in the smallest degree unu-
sual, and that related to my marriage.
which was little out of the ordinary"
He spoke with a sleepy drawI that
piqued curiosity. and | asked him 70
tell us what happened if it wouldn't in
terfere with his nap.
He smiled and yawned and said:
l was born and brought up in Lara
mie, Wy, and so was Arabella. Ara
bella is my wife. | had known her all
her life and had always loved her. and
she had done the same by me. and the
course of our affections ran as smooth
as molten metal. In 1889 decided IN
marry her, and the day was set for
April %, and we invited all our friends
and looked forward to a happy but
commonplace wedding.
Just one week before the cprpmonv
l was called up to North Dakota on n
business matter which did not think
would detain me more than three or
four days.
"Arabella did little weeping on nv
shoulder. womanlike, and said. What
II you never come back? But | said.
Now, you know perfectly well that |
always have been as regular as clock
work. It's only few hundred miles
away. and I'll be back and we'u he
married exactly at 4 o'clock on April
20, and 1t will be the least exciting and
yet happiest wedding that ever took
place
4 went up to North Dakota, and the
last ten miles of my journey | had 70
make on foot. While | was WALKING
along it began to snow. and inside of
an hour a blizzard was raging. and I
mad to put in for shelter at the house Of
a lone stranger named SmithSon. who
kindly gave me supper and told me
that It would be suicidal for me to 90
any farther; that a Dakota blizzard.
the last one of the season, but perbaDs
the worst was upon us.
When can | return| said I He
told me that if the blizzard was n real
one it would be two weeks
before | saw home and mamma. You
may imagine my feelings. Hundreds Of /
miles from Arabella with less than n .
week intervening before our marriage.
and no way of getting word to her, OF !
course she would think me faithless.
i told the stranger my troubles, and
he sympathized with me. but said that
no human being could live out in that
Storm and when | looked out of the
window believed him. 1t was terrific.
had been in the New York blizzard of
1883, and it was sultry summers dav
20 this one.
There was nothing to do but to grin
ma bear 1t. Maybe it would stop soon
'r than my friend thought. He might
De an alarmist. but it grew worse. and
)y next morning it seemed to be only
ust beginning to get in its fine work.
The mercury went so low that I'd hest
ate to say just what the thermometer
'ecorded for fear of being considered
IN eXaggerator. The snow fell a. the
ATE OF foot an hour on the level. The
louse was soon covered up, and we
would have smOthered in time If nv
riend had not happened to have a tin
entilator that ran 80 feet up in the air
or just such occasions.
Not to make long story, it was five
ays before the snow stopped, and then
We were showed in to the depth of 80
eet And we were down to our last
1af OF bread. But the thing that wor-
led me most was the fact that il was
ny wedding day. | sat in the pitch ,
arkness' for our oil had given out.
what Arabella would do
'hen didn't turn up. Suddenly we
card voice coming down the ven+i.
ltor. Smithson CROPPED his way to it. ,
Who's thereT said he. :
lts the parsOn. Have you food :
nough? .
No, indeed said Smithson. We're :
own to our last loaf. How are Won
BILE to be about, parsonY I
Why, this is the queerest storm .
N'~A ANHpthtu All DHkOIH north -
us Is covered. but yours Is the last
ouse in the track of the storm. South
here the ground is perfectly bare. so
hltched up and brought some provi-
ons along and drove to the edge of :
lis mighty snowbank, and then | mt =
my snowshoes and climbed up. It's !.
cky you had such a long ventiIating :
pc. How are you going to get outP :,
lall drop some food down the pipeP :
Smithson told him that we had not :.
ten anything for ten hours. and we !,
ere beginning to get up an appetite. :,
ld the next minute a bundle OF porI, :
III Deans was dropped down T. us.
II you can tunnel south / your !,
'use FOR 20 feet, you'll cor!e out ON :.
ear country. I'll go home and get y
shovel and dig toward you, and YOU :
lght to get out SOON y.
'smithson thanked the dominic and :