The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1900-12-11
.AAN-NAN-N-ANAN
THEMAN FROM LARAMIE
And the Lies
He Told.
AAAA&AAN%A

WHICH was uLIle out OF the OfuIHaFy.
He spoke with sleepy drawl that
piqued curiosity, and asked him to
tell us what happened if it wouldn't in
terfere with his nap.
He smiled and yawned and said:
II was born and brought up in Lara
mie, Wy, and so was Arabella. Ara
bella is my wife l 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 to
marry her, and the day was set for
April 25, and we invited all our friends
and looked forward to happy but
commonplace wedding.
"Just one week before the ceremony
was called up to North Dakota on
business matter which did not think
would detain me more than three or
four days.
"Arabella did a little weeping on my
shoulder, womanlike, and said What |
If you never come backY But said: |
Now, you know perfectly we'll that l
always have been as regular as clock
IL.
away and I'll be back and we'll be
married exactly at o'clock on April |
%, and it will be the least exciting and |
yet happiest wedding that ever took
place.
II went up to North Dakota, and the
last ten miles of my journey l had to
make on foot While l was walking
- - l. - nd inc ~
an hour blizzard was raging, and
had 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 go
any farther; that a Dakota blizzard,
the last one Of the season, but perhaps |
the worst, was upon us.
"'When can l returnY said l. He |
told me that if the blizzard was real
energetic one it would be two weeks
before | saw home and mamma. You
may imagine my feelings. Hundreds of
miles from Arabella with less than a
week intervening before our marriage, |
and no way of getting word to her! OF
course she would think me faithless.
81 told the stranger my troubles, and
he sympathized with me- but said that
no human being could live out in that
storm, and when l looked out of the |
window / believed him. 1t was terrific.
l had been in the New York blizzard of |
1888, and it was a sultry summers day
to this one.
"There was nothing to do but to grin
~ ctr
err than my friend thought. He might |
be an alarmist, but it grew worse, and
by next morning it seemed to be only |
just beginning to get in its fine work.
The mercury went so low that I'd hest
tate to say just what the thermometer |
recorded for fear of being considered /
an exaggerator. The snow fell at the !
rate of foot an hour on the level. The |
house was soon covered up, and we
would have smothered in time if my |
friend had not happened to have a tin
ventilator that ran so feet up in the air |
for just such occasions.
mot to make long story, it was five |
days before the snow stopped, and then
we were showed in to the depth of 80 |
loaf of bread. But.the thing that wor-
ried me most was the fact that it was
my wedding day. l sat in the pitch |
darkness, for our oil had given out, |
wondering what Arabella would do |
when didn't turn up. Suddenly we |
heard a voice coming down the venti- |
lator. Smithson CROPPED his way to it.
GXUbo,o tho1.o said hp
cts the parson. Have you food !
enoughY
"'No, indeed said Smithson. We're |
down to our last loaf. How are you
able to be about parsonY
"'Why, this is the queerest storm
that ever happened. All Dakota north
Of us is covered, but yours is the last
house In the track of the storm. South |
of here the ground is perfectly bare, so
hitched up and brought some provi-
sions along and drove to the edge OF
this mighty snowbank and then put
on my snowshoes and climbed up. It's
lucky you had such long ventilating
pipe. How are you going to get out!
Shall drop some food down the piper
"Smithson told him that we had not
eaten anything for ten hours, and we
were beginning to get up an appetite,
and the next minute a bundle of pork
and beans was dropped down to u.s.
eff you can tunnel south of your
house for 20 feet, you'll come out on
clear country. I'll go home and get
my shovel and dig toward you, ana you
ought to get out soon.'
"Smithson thanked the dominic, and
we tackled the baked beans, and they
tasted like Neapolitan Ice cream. Then
we felt like working. But l was feel
ing pretty serious, because knew that
Arabella was beginning to worry. How
ever, fell to with good will, and art
err two hours Of hard work we met IN
rne snow tunnel, the minister and me.
and minute afterward we walked
out to open air and saw the strangest
sight that could be imagined.
"North as far as the eye could reach
the country lay covered 90 feet deep
with an arctic snowfall. South OF us
the grass was just beginning to show
green, and skunk cabbages were al
ready pushing up through the earth.
And In front of us stood the parsons
lonely house, with a box of a church
next door to it and not another build
ing in sight
1--WE grasped the parsons hand and
told him he was a white man If ever
there was one, and then l asked him
what chances there were of my being
able to get back to Laramie.
"He told me that the road to the sta
ton was completely blocked, and 1t
would be two days before l could get
through. Two daysI l instinctively
pulled out my watch. 1t was $3.50. In
ten minutes, parson,' said l, my we'd
ding will be due in Laramie, and Ara
bella is even now waiting for me-
"He was expressing his sympathy
when we heard roaring noise. and
Smithson said: Run for your lives! A
cyclone!
"The three of us instinctively dived
into the snow. Then we heard a muf-
fed roar, and the earth shook, and 1t
was all over Just to make sure, we
lay in the snow for few minutes, and
then we crept out. Such a scene as
met our gael The church and the par
! sons house. were the only. movable