Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-04-08

ridge almost as hard as ice right in the
middle of the road.
If the two grooves which have been worn
into the snow We're far enough apart for
the wagon wheels to track In they would
form fairly satisfactory road while they
lasted, being so hard that the wheels
wouldn't break through But being mar
rover than the wagons these grooves
could not be more admirably suited to
spreading the wheels if they had been de-
signed for that particular purpose.
AS has been said, wise men who live In
bottomless road districts don't go abroad
in the spring breakup season II there is
any possible way of avoiding IT, but once,
when certain New York man was In ms
early twenties he thought 1t necessary
to drive in a borrowed buggy some SIX or
eight miles from home to see his best girl
He was warned that he might smiN'h
the buggy, and that II he got MS morse
home safe and sound he would be lucky,
but he just laughed and went ahead. The
beginning of his journey was on an east
and west road from which the snow mad
all dfSappeared and on which the mud was
not yet more than five or six inches deep.
He had no trouble, therefore, for the first
two or three miles. Then he had to turn
into a north and south road. famous
throughout that region for its deep drifts.
The first half mile he drove with the
wheels on one side OF the buggy IN tne
snowpath, while those on the other side were
in the deep snow. This tilted the buggy at
an angle of about thirty degrees and was
bad enough; his progress was slow and his
horse had great difficulty in maintaining
footing. Suddenly the wheels on the
nigh" side of the buggy sank even deeper
than before into the soft snow; In trice
he was overturned and sprawling In five or
six feet OF dirty wet snow. Fortunately.
the horse was too exhausted to run away
and the Young man picked himself up,
righted the buggy after struggle CLIMBED
into it and continued his journey.
Didn't Call on the Girl.
He couldn't have been a very pretty OBJ
fect to look at for he was fairly well
soaked from his immersion in snow and
water, but he persisted all the same But
now instead of driving with one set OF
wheels in the snow path he decided 10
"straddle" it. He had often been told that
sspreading' lay that way, but he didn't
propose to be overturned again and he did
propose to make the call on the girl;
But he didn't, for the next half mile nm
ished him and his buggy. His now thor
ouehIy tired horse progressed slower than
ever The darkness came on and 1t began
TO rain. A mile away he could see tne
lights of the house he was bound TOR
tWinkling dimly through the gloom, now
ever, and he didn't mind the rain or the
discomfort of the horse , o,.
Then suddenly he heard ripping, crack
Inv sound the nigh hind corner OF the
buggy body settled ominously ana ne
knew he was the victim of spread ana
highly unlikely to make call on MS girl
'i lust what to do he didn't know for though
born and bred in the land of the spring
braal,Tn he had never suffered spread be-
fore Maybe he would have sloshed around
In the cold rain and dirty snow all night
nd not a fellow wayfarer happened along
Tbis man was on foot being too wise, TOO
axnerienced and too considerate to risk
either wagon or horse In the melting orllts'
He knew Just what 70 do, and being good
natured he turned Samaritan.
"Going ahead. or going to turn around
and go home again? Home again? wan,
inhItch yer boss first; blanket him, or he II
perish Now we'll get your buggy headed
the other way"
After fifteen or twenty minutes OF pulling
and hauling and heaving. both men being
more than knee deep in the slush. the buggy
was swung about.
Next thing is to get rail off the fence
and make 81 drag of It..
1t took another twenty minutes, during
much of which they were waist deep in the
disIntegrating drifts and of course, wet to
the skin to get the rail and adjust 1t so
that the rear axle would be lifted above the
snow level Then the rail had to be bound
TO the two axles SO that 1t wouldn't slip.
with the Zines" Of the harness. That took
ten or fifteen minutes more.
Now, young man." said the Samaritan,
you'll have to get home without my help.
You'll have to lead your horse, for he can [
haul you. first through the drifts and then
through the mud. and, besides. you have no