Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1902-07-03
II + II + + Il Il II II II Il
CONTINUED

u,
ana, the air growing keener, the flaps
or the leather side curtains were bat
tened down. Masterton gave himself
up to conflicting reflections. The infor-
nation that he had gathered was mea-
ger and unsatisfactory and he could
only trust to luck and circumstance to
fulfill his mission. The first glow Of
adventure having passed, he was un-
easily conscious that the mission was
not to his taste. The pretty, flushed
but defiant face Of Cissy that afternoon
haunted him. He had not known the
immediate cause of it, but made no
doubt that she had already heard the
news Of her fathers disgrace when he
met her. He regretted now that he
hadn't spoken to her, if only a few
formal words of sympathy. He had
always been half, tenderly amused at
her frank cOnceit and her .'airs'-the
innocent, undisguised pride of the
country belle, so different from the
hard aplomb Of the city girl! And now
the foolish little moth, dancing in the
sunshine of prosperity. had felt the
The contempt he had for the father
had hitherto showed itself in tolerant
pity for the daughter, so proud of her
fathers position and what it brought
her. In the revelation that his own
directors had availed themselves of
that fathers methods and the ignOble
character Of his present mission, he
fo1f Sfi Of ,olf
would become Of her? Of course, frivo-
lous as she was, she would not feel the
keenness Of this misfortune like anOth-
er nor yet rise superior to it. She would
succumb for the present, to revive an
other season in a DINNER glory else
where. His critical, cynical observa-
ton Of her had determined that any
filial affection she might have would
be merged and lost in the greater de-
privation Of her position.
A sudden darkening Of the landscape
below and singular opaque whitening
OF the air around them aroused him
from his thoughts. The driver drew up
the collar of his overcOat and laid the
whip smartly over the backs Of his cat
tie. The air grew gradually darker,
until suddenly it seemed to disintegrate
into invisible gritty particles that
swept through the wagon. Presently
these particles became heavier, more
perceptible and polished like small
shot, and a keen wind drove them
stingingly into the faces Of the passen-
gers or insidiously into their pockets,
~ Of 6oiy o1o
The leather curtains were battened
down, but the snow forced itself
through the smallest crevices.
We'll get over this when once we've
passed the bend. The road seems to
dip beyond" said Masterton cheerfully
from his seat beside the driver.
The driver gave him a single scornful
look and turned to the passenger who
occupied the seat on the other side Of
him. Il don't like the look of things
down there, but eff we are stuck Well
have to strike out for the next station
But" said Masterton as the wind
yolleyed the sharp snow pellets in their
faces and the leaders were scarcely dis
tinguishable through the smokelike dis
The driver did not speak. but the 9th
or passenger craned over his back and
said e1planatorily:
Il reckon you don't know these storms.
This kind of dry snow don't stick and
don't clog. Lookv'
Indeed, between the volleys Master
ton could see that the road was per-
fecrly bare and wind swept, and except
slight drifts and banks beside outlying
bushes and shrubs-which even then
were agaiL, Blown away before his eyes
the level landscape was unclothed
and unchanged. Where these mysteri.
Gus snow pellets went to puzzled and
confused him. They seemed to vanish
as they had appeared-into the all
about them.
I'D make straight rush to the next
station said the other passenger con.
fdently to the driver "If we are stuck.
we are that much on the way; if we
turn back, we'll have to take the grade
anyway when the storms over and
neither you nor I know when that'u be
It may be only a 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 it's domed leath.
er roof swayed and bent like the ribs
of an umbrella. At times it seemed as
if it would be lifted bodily off. Al
times the whole interior of the vehicle
was filed with a thin smoke by drifts
through every Granny. But presently,
to MYSTERIOUS 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 it's de-
scent to it's conflict with the storm.
The blasts grew less violent or became
4, ie,+n ~ -.