Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1903-01-28
THROUGH THREE FEET
OF SNOW.
BY WILLIAM r. LIGHTON.

lar air is torture.
Only the inexperienced try to make
way against blizzard, and in a few
minutes they find themselves benumbed
to the heart and quite helpless. Even
the beasts Of the plain and range know
that their only hope is to drift before
the storm until it abates. 1t may con-
tinue for few hours, or it may be un.
interrupted for two or three days, and
for those poor creatures that can find
no shelter its touch is the touch of
death. If it We're not for the blizzard
this story would not be told.
| Warren knew that he must make q
trip to the town, about twenty five
miles away, to buy the winters food !;
but thinking that it could be done
when the weather had grown too bad
for his plowing, he put the journey
Off from day to day until December
was near at Land and the ground was
frozen hard. Then, when he was get
ting ready for the trip his wife was
seized with a severe illness, and for q
week he was at her bedside as nurse.
When she was at last much better,
he worked late into the night prepar-
ing for his journey. The supply of
food was nearly eXhausted; the flour
was quite gone, and there was almost
nothing in the house which the invalid
could eat. Although his anxiety for
his wife was great, there was nothing
TO be done but to leave her and the
boy alone together while he went upon
his errand. He meant to start very
early in the morning. hoping to reach
the town and make his purchases be-
fore nightfall, and to return home in
the night.
But about midnight he heard n
sweeping gust OF wind roar in the
chimney. and then another, and with
in few minutes the roar was un-
broken. He rose and opened the door
to look out, and the harsh wind chilled
him through and through in n moment
II was sharp struggle TO get the door
closed again in the face OF the strong
blast. Dressing hurriedly, he went
outside to make sure of what was hap
pening. When he had gone to bed an
hour before. the stars were shining
brilliantly, but now there was no star
TO be seen-only dull black sky above
and the forlnless black prairie below.
The stable lay Il few yards away
from the house to the south, and as he
made his way to it. the north wind
upon his back forced him to run. The
horses were whinnying and stamping
uneaslly, as II their instincts warned
them of trouble. Warren closed the
stable door. lighted n lantern that hung
upon the wall, and busted himself in
putting the harness upon the two
horses he meant to drive to town, for
he thought he had better start at once
But when he opened the door again
to return to the house the fame of his
lantern went out, and he was thrown
violently to the ground. The wind had
greatly increased in strength, and his
face was StunG by tiny flying particles
of ice. He was half-stunned by the
force of his fall, and lay in the door
way way for moment before he could
rise. Then lie used all his strength to
pull the door shut behind him, and
tried to run to the house: but the
riotous night seemed to be making
sport of him, for instead of running he
could only stagger stiffiy, bending his
head and shoulders low and bracing
his feet upon the earth to keep himself
upright
Warren struggled so for several min
utes, unable to see where he was going,
but thinking hc was making his way
straight to the house, until at last he
turned his back to the wind. and
stopped to look about him. He could
see neither the house nor the stable
nothing but the unbroken level OF the
prairie that was now whitened with
SNOW. The air was so clouded that his
eyes did not serve him beyond the
range Of Il few yards.
lie shouted with all his strength, but
even while he did so lie knew that he
could not be heard through the tumult
of the storm. Although he could never
have been far from the house, he wan
dered round and round for many min
utes until at last. by the merest acct
dent, his foot stumbled upon the rising
dome Of his roof. He was so thorough
ly chilled aud exhausted that he must
very soon have given up the struggle
and lain down upon the ground to be
covered by the drifting snow. When
he got into the house an hour passed
before the benumbing chill left him.
In deep anxiety he and his wife
waited for tie morning. and heard the
storm increasing. The evening before
Warren had brought into the house a
plentiful supply OF tire-wood, and there
was enough wood piled outside 10 last
for -four or five days. The wood would
outlast the food.
The blizzard blew until darkness
came at the end of the second day.
When Warren opened the door he
found his house almost buried in a
drift, and in the doorway a solid wall
OF slow rising to the top. With much
labor lie forced his way out. until he
could stand with his head and shoul-