The San Francisco call., 1903-12-20

iberia, that dread scourge Of a wet win
ter, was epidemic Many, many chill
dren, both in the town Of NJ and
In the country adjacent. had died from
tts ravages, for It was before the days Of
anti-toxin treatment. A pail seemed to
hang over the whole country. deepened
by the dreary weather. The mournful
winds sighed among the leafiess trees.
and the gloomy skies almost continual
ly dripped their moisture, as though
weeping over the misery which their
tears augmented.
AS Christmas approached. the people
were 80 depressed over their broken
family circles that they had no heart
for festivities. There were so many
vacant chairs and empty cradles that
the thoug--t Of seeing the empty stock
tngS hung I'D with many missing was
more than they could bear. So but lit
tie preparation was made to celebrate
the day.
In the town, the only unmarried min
ister was the young MethodiBt preach
ar, Mr.. Taylor. 1t was his first charge
and was an old-fashioned circuit, con-
sisting Of the little church in the town
and several preaching places in the
country, some of them quito distant. a.
the region was but sparsely settled
Because he had no family to be en-
6Angered, all the burials Of the diph-
liberia cases fell to this young pastor.
Being thus made pGrtaker Of the grief
OF the stricken homes his own heart
was sorsly distressed. He had never
sean such q harvest Of death, and
knowing that nothing but the coming
Of cold weather could stay it's progress.
he prayed daily for ice and snow az the
greatest boon heaven could send.
Christmas, that year, came on Tues
day and on the Sunday preceding. md
Ing the people too Sorrowful to engage
in the usual commemoration Of the oc-
casion, the preacher asked them at
each service to unite with him In pray
ing God to send winter storm as their
Christmas Eift.
The last service Of that day was at 4
point twenty-five miles southeast from
the town. On Monday morning the
young preacher, wearied from the hard
labor Of the day previous, and with a
heart heavy at thought of the misery
he had seen among his people. mounted
his horse to ride back to the town The
dim road lay In q northwest direction
ever unfenced prairiea, with only q few
scattered cabins, miles apart
Shortly after he started q driving
mist rolled In from the northwest; this
soon changed to sleet and then to snow,
while the force Of the wind constantly
increased.
All signs pointed to the approach Of
. genuine Iowa blizzard As the, storm
thickened. the heart of the man beat
answer to his prayers, and that the
people were to have the Christmas gift
they had asked. He was warmly clad.
and though compelled to face the
storm, had no thought OF personal dan
ger, for his had been a life Of much
exposure.
But, a. though Fastening to make up
for the long delay in its coming. the
storm gathered fury with great rapid
ity. The road was soon obliterated, the
snow took on an icy character and was
driven like fine shot into the faces Of
the preacher and his faithful beast. The
animal continually strove to avoid the
blast by turning from 1t, and as the
eye could pierce the sheets Of whirling
white for few rods only, the way was
lost and tho general directions were dis
cernible only by the known direction Of
the storm.
The cold increased IN q short time to
an intense degree, 30 that by noon the
situation was desperate. The preacher
had been compelled to dismount and
walk In order to avoid freezing; the
snow was nearly knee deep and
blowing In binding pillows. the horse
could only be pulled along with dim
Guilty against the roaring blizzard, now
fully developed. They had wandered
far out OF their course and knew not
which way to 20. Hungry, chilled