Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1901-09-10

It may be only squall just now, but
it's getting rather late in the season.
Just pitch in and drive all you know"
The driver laid his lash on the horses,
and for a few moments the heavy We
hicle dashed forward in violent conflict
| with the storm. At times the elastic
hickory framework Of its domed leath-
er roof swayed and bent like the ribs
| of an umbrella. At times 1t seemed as
II 1t would be lifted bodily of. AT
times the whole interior of the vehicle
was filled with thin smoke by drifts
through every Granny. But presently
to Masterton's great relief, the inter-
minable level seemed to end, and be-
tween the whitened blasts he could see
that the road was descending. Again
the horses were urged forward. and at
last he could feel that the vehicle be-
gan to add the 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 ces-
sation of the snow volleys and the
clearing Of the atmosphere the road be-
came more strongly defined as 1t plung-
ed downward to terrace on the noun
tain flank several hundred feet below.
Presently they came again upon a
thicker growth of bushes and here and
there a solitary fir. The wind died
away: the cold seemed to be less bitter.
Masterton, In his relief, glanced smil-
ingly 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 It
was singularly dark. What was more
singular, the darkness seemed to have
risen from below and to flow In upon
them rs they descended. A curtain 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 thunderstorm
was closing In upon them. An odd feel
Ing Of uneasiness crept over him.
A few fitful gusts now came from the
obscurity. One Of them was accompa-
MED by what seemed a flight Of small
startled birds crossing the road ahead
of them. A second larger and more
| sustained fight 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
clinging together, like the downfall
shaken from tree, striking the leath-
er roof and sides with dull thud,
scattering the road into which they de-
scended with large rosettes that melted
away, only to be followed by hundreds
more that stuck and staid. 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 overlaid with 1t as with coat
Ing Of plaster Of paris; the harness Of
the horses and even the reins stood out
over their steaming backs like white
trappings. In five minutes more the
steaming backs themselves were blan-
keted with 1t. the arms and legs OF the
outside passengers pinioned to the seats
with II, and the arms of the driver kept
free only by incessant motion. 1t was
no longer showing; 1t was snowballing;
1t was an avalanche out Of the slopes of
the sky. The exhausted horses floun-
dered In 1t, the clogging wheels drag
ged In 1t, the vehicle at last plunged
into blllow Of 1t and stopped.
The bewildered and half blinded pas
sengers hurried out into the road to as
sist the driver to unship the wheels
and fit the steel runners In their axles.
But It was too latel By the time the
heavy wagon was converted into a
sledge 1t was deeply imbedded In wet
and clinging snow. The narrow. long
handled shovels borrowed from the
"prospectors' kits were powerless be-
fore this heavy half liquid impediment.
At last the driver with an oath relin-
qulshed the attempt and, uniitching
his horses. collected the passengers and
led them forward by narrower and
more sheltered trail toward the next
station, now scarce mile away.
! The led horses broke path before
1 them. The snow fell less heavily. but It
was nearly an hour before the strag-
Cling procession reached the house and
| the snow coated and exhausted passen-
gers huddled and steamed around
| the redhot stove In the barroOm. The
driver had vanished with his team In
the shed. Masterton's fellow passen-
ger on the box seat, after few whis-
pered words to the landlord, also dis
appeared.
II see you've got Jake Poole with
your" said one of the barroom loungers
to Masterton, indicating the passenger
who had Just left. II reckon he's here
on the same fool business"
Masterton looked his surprise and
mystification.
Jake Poole, the deputy sheriff" re-
peated the other. II reckon he's here
pretendin to hunt for Montagu Trixit,
like the San Francisco detectives that
KEN up yesterday"
Masterton with difficulty repressed a
start. He had heard Of Poole, but did
not know him by sight. IT don't think
I understand" he said coolly.
II reckon you're stranger In these
parts" returned the lounger, looking
at Masterton curiously. "Ef you
warn't, you'd know that about the last
man San Francisco or Canada City
wanted to ketch ts Monty Trixit. he
knows too much, and they know II.
But they've got to keep up a show
chase-a kind Of cirkis ridin-up here
to satisfy the stockholders. You bet
that Jake Poole hez got his orders
they might kill him to shut his mouth
-ef they got an excuse-and he made
| fight-but he amt no such fool No,
sir! Why, the sickest man you ever
saw was that director that come up
here with a detective when he found
that Monty hadn't left the state"
"Then he Is hiding about here" SAID
Masterton, with assumed calmness.
The man paused, lowered his voice
and said: 81 wouldn't swear he wasn't
n mile from whar we're talkin now.