The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1902-06-20

er no one knew; time was the essence Of
this rransa ction, "a and ina very. short
while le came up. the chute, clad lin his
fgrs, The baby wrapped in a fur bag
carried his staff in his hand, revolver
in his pocket, for wolves, and on his
booted eetaWeEe the skis. which the in
eompar able dope" had polished so that
he could hardly stand: a moment later
he was: lost to view.
The same logged peysistency which
had led Long Barton to believe, that he
that he could carry the baby to safety;
if he had been asked an hour before II
a man could do This he would have said
nc. He strobe UP the little valley, keep
ing i'll the cenfer, with the walls Of the
Sierras, snow-clad, trembling with ava
lanches on either side. and in an hour
struck the straggling forest. He knew
the trees well, and for five miles kept
the trail; then he came: to the first slope
BY. the aid of his staff he made a rapid
slide, reaching the bottom of the canyon
safely in few seconds: and this was to
he his experience-climbing and sliding
The next hill was so soft that he was
breathing hard when he reached half
way: then he felt a tremble a nanlcless
thrill, and the entire side Of the noun
tain seemed to give way, and he was
carried irresistibly down on the wings
of an avalanche. He made desperate
struggles, and by miracle kept near the
top, and after much labor dug himself
our.
1t had stopped showing as he started
down the canyon; now sliding, now leap
ing. the famous dope carrying him well
and fast. From a deep valley he must
cllmb the next range, but when he was
half way up the snow began to fall again
and he became bewildered. He could not
see the stars and uOY111 horo ~ +r,,,4 J. -
luck; SO. he swung himself over the ~di-
vide and rushed down the slopes. An
other range to climb, and still it showed :
and later the wind rose and tossed the
snow aloft in great spectral wraiths that
looked to his distorted vision like shrouds.
heart gave him courage, and he pushed
on.
Five hours he had been travelling
steadily. He could not remember how
many ranges he had passed; he had for
gotten how many ranges he was to cross
scents that egualed the famous race
course. narrowly escaping trees and
rocks, holding one arm about the bundle,
patting it as he heard fitful cries.. Again
he was caught in an avalanche, reaching
the bottom waist-deep in snow. the baby
almost buried, 1t was now daylight, and
after digging his feet out he unrolled the
ration of the milk, which had kept
warm against his body. 1t looked won
deringly at him the while, and George,
who knew very little about babies, made
up his mind that it must be very good
natured one.
He did not realize how weary he was
until he started up again: then he found
that his foot had been twisted and he
was lame. The cold was increasing, the
snow was finer and filled his eyes, and he
felt that this was the beginning of the
end. But Oh he pressed until in the aft
ernoon. when the baby cried, and he
stopped to give it thu, remainder Of the
and desperate eyes. On he went again:
now running, now limping, plunging
down the slopes until he began to expert
ence strange oppression. as though a
band OF iron was about his head II
Then he seemed to be at home. and he
= He suddenly stopped, trembling,
realizing that his mind was not clear,
and dashed snow upon his forehead: then
rushed on again like mailman.
How FAR ne Went no one knows to this
day, but it had been many miles in
laugh which frightened those who heard
it. Long Barton unsIung a bundle and
plunged into half-buried wickiup from
the top of which sparks were rising The
men reached for their firearms at sight
Of the gigantic and swild-eyed figure, but
, the blankets, with unerring instinct
caught the bundle from the hands of the
falling man, and Jim sGrayson's. baby
was saved. AZ sfor &RanglefoDt Barton,
one Of the half-breeds, who came to the
village from another wickiup, and who
understood English. said he was clean off
his head and thought he had won a race.
New York Evening Post. u. .E1E@s