The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1908-08-15

|
dressed fowl for almost their weight
in gold, and were having a good SO
cial time with our few acquaintance
when the telegraph operator handed
my uncle dispatch. He read II
slowly, and read it again and again
then, looking at me, said: "a blizzard
is coming from the north at forty
{ miles an hour, and only seventy miles
away"
Though mcrtally afraid Of such a
thing, l almost laughed at the idea
Of a blizzard with the sky as clear
and the sun as bright and warm as
a day in June. Nevertheless | aided
Uncle Billy to hook up and get away.
! We logged along at a good steady
! gait, but uncle was silent as a tomb
/, stone.
DO you think we shall have a gen.
| uipe blizzard, uncle?" said ], ven
turing to break the silence.
You can't tell one minute what1l
happen the next" was his only re-
ply.
His next word was at the halfway
post, and that simply to mention the
fact that we were passing it, and
was spoken to the horses more than
to me.
A little gust Of wind caused him to
straighten up and look toward the
sun, and brought from him the sig
nificant remark: "All depends on the
team, my boy"
was ready to think the whole
thing a huge joke on a tenderfoct,
and was about to say so when my
eyes caught sight of long, dark wall
moving rapidly toward us. Already lis
western end was Cbscuring the sul
and the air was beginning to chill:
my blood.
Uncle laid on the whip till the
horses were en- the run. We passed
the last ridge hiding our home from
vision, and the long line Of cotton
weeds indicated that we were near
ing the ranch.
BY this time the sky was growing
so d.rF that hardly dare look back,
and the dark wall was rising higher
and higher, AID growing blacker and
blacker with the passing Ct every min
ute.
The tcrses were doing their best,
thei: furious driver apo!ogizing to
them for his unwc1ted cruelty, when
he Suddenly yelled with the ferocity
of a mailman: III that falls On us be-
fore we reach home, you freeze H.
the Buffalo robe and Doll, and Ill
take my chances with old Ned"
These were the last words l heard
till uncle pulled me out CT the robe
an hour later. The thing fell sure
enough, and yet the frightened team
would net step. They kept lunging
and plunginS and pulling one another
up by turns after fall.
As fer me, l could not endure the
snow for a seccad. There were NJ
fakes just snowbanks. These came
straight down, Cn.y to be whi:icd
about by the wind to make room for
more; SO l rolled me UP in the great
robe and lay down in the wagon-box,
awaiting orders from Uncle Billy.
Though we were no: more than
twenty rods from the barn when thai
wall fell en- US, it took the team an
interminable hour to reach that barn.
We had left the big double doors
open. that morning when we started
for town., and well for us that We
had done so; for no sooner had the
faithful hcrses landed en- the barn
floor than they dropped from sheer
exhaustion. Uncle closed the doors,
and then pulling me out, shouted: i
They made it all right, but look at !
EN-"
We set to rubbing them with all .
cur strength, and soon had them dry !
and warm and bedded in their stalls !
with hay to their backs.
Being confined in the corral the cat
tie and sheep had taken refuge in the !.
long, low sheds built for them, and
were comparatively safe and con-
Portable.
rhe next question was, How can
we get to the house,"
After tying long line to my wrist,
uncle took the other end and lunging
into the snow told me to follow when
he pulled. At the first Indication o:
tautness, l made a Decline for the
house without waiting for another
tug on the rope. To my surprise, |
ron nh oil tho kitohou door without fur.
Their assistance, only to find at once
that my uncle was not there.
Having thoughtlessly released the
rope from my wrist, a sudden jerk
drew it far out Of my reach and
Jared not follow.