Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1906-10-26

81 thought you had already so decided
when | saw the sleighs at the door"
said Mossel.
"sleighs, Mossel? ordered no
sleighs!"
"Well, they're there Two troikas
with three good horses apiece. Come and
see for yourself"
The policeman had spoken the truth.
On the leeward side of the porch two
sleighs were waiting. The light from the
open door behind us shimmered on the
drifting snow and flashed on the bells
about the horses necks. 1t was bitter
ly cold, and was turning to retreat into
the hall when a man wrapped in furs
moved out of the darkness. 1t was the
keeper of the inn, his face grey-white,
like the underslde of a SOLE
"Whose sleighs are these" asked
Graden sharply.
Mine, Mr.. Englishman, mine. l fol-
low to save my boy"
And the horses"
"The best in Lemsdorf. They are
private teams, lent by those who had
pity upon my sorrow"
May we come with you?"
81 would ask for nothing better, mein
Herr"
Inside OF ten minutes l was ready to
start, with a borrowed cloak flung over
my thckest clothes, and a huge hunch
of bread-and-meat in my hand. Quick
as | had been, Mossel and my cousin
were already dressed and in consultation.
We were to drive to the crossroads they
told me, and then separate, the one
sleigh, with Graden, Mossel and an ex-
perienced driver, taking the road to
Bromberg, which, being the shorter, was
more likely to be the one Marnac had
chosen; the other, containing the inn
keeper and myself, was to follow the
Gnesen road. l was not particularly
pleased at the prospect of parting with
my friends, but l made no objection tc
this plan. We entered our sleighs, roll
ing ourselves in the rugs.
"Are you armed" Graden called
across to the innkeeper in his little sea
before me.
'Yes, mein Herr. Do you go first, fo
you have the better team"
The chase was up indeed!
AS we passed on to the plain outsid
the town, the gale that came charging
out of frozen Russia leapt upon us witt
howl of furious joy. The fakes tina
rose from beneath the curved runners an
the beating hoofs fled spinning into tn
night. The sky hung low and black an
starless above the white sheet of rollin
, snow. The little sleigh bells grew. silen
t in the heavier drifts, breaking out agai
where the track was harder. A hur
! dred yards ahead the sparks of Gra
( den's pipe flashed as they kindled i
{ the wind. The fall had almost ceased.
5 My driver sat squarely before me, wit
. rein in each of his fur-gloved hands.
: could not see his face, but from his pre-
jecting head and hunched shoulders
could imagine how he looked, peerin
e over his horses into the night, with fea
gripping at his soul.
t l must admit that for myself was
= a conditioned petulant discomfort. TIL
= slightest movement seemed to give ell
e trance to some new draught that chile
b my arm or ran trickling down my spin
,. Now. and again a flake of snow lodged
= my neck or ear and melted icily. Tire,
cold and hungry, l lay amid my rug
:, cursing the folly that had led me to tax
= hand in business that should hay
u been left to the police. had the keene
e desire for a quarrel, but being to all col
versational purposes alone, that reli,
l was impossible.