Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1901-03-12
CHAPTER YI.-lContinnedD

1t was hardly day at all, and it certain
" was not good day. Night, of the or
binary sort, was not due for a good half
hour yet, but a gray night had already
set in. The air was full of nlyeous
brightness, from the white, icy crystals
that filed it. Light could not penetrate
it more than few yards in any dFec-
ton steadily, but there were momentary
glimpses afforded, through the wildly
whirling mass of snow fakes, of objects
far away, that, so seen, lOomed up IN
exaggerated proportions, with a weird eff
feet of obvious unrei atty. The wind was
violent and unceasing, blowing, as SAIL
ors say, from all quarters at once, ana
the dry, sharp snow, dashed and swept
by it in vast pillows and swirls, stung
like needle points, the thin, white face
of the little colporteur. a myriad OF I'M
seen hands seemed clutching his thln,
tapping cloak and striving to drag 1t
from his shoulders.
Stumbling, sliding, shielding his eyes
as well as he could and grooming beneath
the weight of his load, which seemed TO
grow heavier at every moment, he shuf-
fed along down the slope into the valley,
now and then CHANGING furtively back
over his shoulder Until he had left the
little grove of naples well behind him,
the air above and around was full of
tones, as if from a great aeolian harpi
but in the open valley, oppressive still
ness, broken only by an occasional an
CRY scream of the wind high overhead,
surrounded him.
a queer-looking little Dick, that" re-
marked big Constable Sim Mulveil, when
the door closed behind the book vender;
"and not overly well fixed to be- out in
an all-tarnation storm like this"
He is unfortunate"
Yes; and so are we. It's cOnsumedly
unfortunate that this consumed snowfall
should come on the first night Of the
spellin' school this season"
"Oh, the young folks will not mind it
or, perhaps l should rather say, they
will like it. since it will bring sleigh
riding, which they esteem a pleasure"
We'll, guess we'd better be gettin'
ready for EN-. 1 brung along lot of
candles, and L suppose the old candle
sticks we used last winter have got TO
be fetched down from the loft"
NO; had them taken down and clean
w StNttl udSs my dit pltSN pN444i4N 4iiJ
desk"
Good. I'll put them up. Guess you're
right. Raccoon Greek gals will turn out
well, no matter whether there's a snow
storm or not. and we want to get the
place bright and cheerful, SOS they'll
want to come again"
The little colporteur had struggled on
until the mighty wall of the Devils Back
bone stood squarely up before him, bleak
and black, seeming vast and inaccessible.
It's head was far up in the very home of
the tempest; its front covered with a
writing, twisting. quivering mass of
arms the leafiess branches of the trees,
that threatened and fought with the
storm The highway he was on ran
along the creek to a little bridge half a
mile farther down stream, across which
lay the road that assembled the activity
at its end. Each moment, as he trudged
steadily toward the bridge, he glanced up
at the frowning mountain. More and
more repellent, even aggressive, it SEEM
ed. He grew afraid of it. At length he
turned suddenly and ran down a cross
road that took him directly away from it,
sobhing as he went:
NO! No. | can't do it! Not to save
my life! Not even for their sakes"