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

-Ettli staa. UoIGClt.
LONG BARTON'S RACE.
!, In gloomy room, made still mere dis.
nal by suffering candle set in bot
tie, the sides of which We're covered Wit,
copious overflow of tallow, young
man sat. attempting to decipher tie
words On small piece of paper. Near
him, with ner head bent forward, in an
anxious. na1f-expectant attitude. wis his
mother, OIL whose not unattractlve face
We're the lines of toll and suffering.
"Well, George she finally said, why
Il can hardly make it out; mother"
her son replied; but it's new, and he
says he got the receipt from one of the
greatest pianomaEers In .>ew York: its
Think Of it! II could get such polish
on my skis. why, I'd win that two hun
dred dollars and pay off the mortgage
and get you a thick cloak, and ali tie
things you need
s,; mYYes; ., GEORGE: said the woman, a
you've tried SO many kinds Of dope and
they. all failed. I'm afraid it's your way
Of riding, dear"
My way OF riding" exclaimed the
young man, and he looked up and ran
his hands through his curly hair. why,
there isn't a man in Plumas county who
can toss more snow in q day, lift more
stand more than can I.
His mother said nothing; she sighed as
she look ed up at the snow-covered win
doWs. then glanced at her companion
with an expression that combined pride
and pity. The young man had not over
stated his prowess; he was giant, a
colossus IN strength-seven feet tall, bu.
so thin. 50 long Of limb. so strangely
drawn ont that for miles around he was
known as Long Barton and ''Tange-
foot He was a miner, like his father,
who had been killed in an avalanche two
seasons before.
The winter had set in early, and a sue
cesslon of snowstorms had buried the lit
the snow that around the Barton home
1t was nearly thirty feet on the level, and
the hamlet. so far as appearances wenr,
had been wiped out Of existence. and lay
With all its domestic life under the snow
The entire male population had dug the
operation consisting in beginning a chu.e
fifty feet from the front OF the house, or
where it was supposed to be, and sinking
q burr0W or chute at an angle Of forty!
five degrees in the direction Of the second
story. 1t took some time to accomplish
this after the last storm. but finally the
miners reached the attic window, giving
rousing cheer as Mrs. Barton and her
son appeared to welcome them. From
this time the attic window had been the
front door. George had cut steps up the
burrow, and the Bartons, as the post
master re,marked. were lin society
again" The chimney had been splcei.
the top reached the surface of the snow;
and as George had piled a plentiful sup
ply of wood in the house in September.
and there was an abundance of candles,
Oil and provisions, things were as COM
Portable in the Barton home as in any
mouse IN the place, twenty or more feet
under the snow.
But there is a skeleton in every house.
hold. it is said, and in the Barton home
1t was pride and DEBT. The elder Barton
had left mortgage on the house, which
was soon to expire. and the mortgage
wished the money. He lived in the city,
5o0 miles distant, and did not care for Il
crushed beneath thirty feet of snow, as
both Plumas and Sierra counties were
famous for heavy snowfails. George
Barton had not been able to save enough
money for the mortgage. Avaanches
had covered the mines and kept him
from from work; then one night. in rel turning
home. he could not find the chute, and
had wandered off, and when discovered
was badly frozen. 1t was the custom in
the village for the miners. when going tc
work, to plant staff with rag stream.
or at the entrance Of the chutes, so that
they could find their homes if a storm
came up; but the wind had blown Bar
tons flag down.
Then there was another trouble For
a number Of years George Barton had
been a contestant in the ski races. which
are the principal amusement of the people
of these counties Of California in winter;
but in every; one ne had been defeated
control his long legs, he had at first wah-
bled. then slipped, and gone down the
slide upon his back. amid the roars of
laughter and gibes Of the crowd of spec
tators.
Tho, funniest thing about it, re.
thinks he can ride. and always lays it tc
his skis, or the dope But bless your
heart! man might jest as we'll try to to
ride on stills as them legs of his'n: thew
amt built for skim: they'd make good
skid for bridge. My! now he did tangle
up, legs and arms all in knots Why
didn't intend him to ride skis:"
"Why don't You tell him?' retorted a
listener. laughing
wall. it amt my business, an l get
heaps OF fun out Of him; but it's tho
truln, ne am got any sense.
Hes entered ror next week." said
one Of the group.
What for? the sweepstakes?' asked
the storekeeper.
"You bet was the reply. Hes go:
some dope that's like creased lightning,
and you can't get the secret out of him
with a team Of wild horses Gus Lind
berg. offered him $40 for a cupful, but he
wouldn't look at him, and he's given i
out that he expects to win"
Hell win if the prize is for tying his
HE can't equal the time he went to Miss
Bates' party, and slipped at the head Of
it was a foot, and he went sliding down
like a log Of redwood, a mi:e minute.
The front door was shut, and he struck
it feet first, and landed right in the
party, his legs all in knots.''
The ski races had been announced for
week. and Long Barton had entered.
The grand prize was $3.50, and he be-
!ieved he could win it; but on the morn
ing of the event his mother made some
excuse for remaining home, and was the
only woman in the hamlet not present at
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