The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1908-06-11
The Snow People.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
[OriJinal.]

All day that terrible whirl Of snow. If
1t had ceased occasionally to give the
brain rest, it would not have been
so hard to bear but it never ceased.
We saw only ourselves; there was
nothing else to see but the boundless
plain and that was shut from our
vision by the snow. We We're prepared
for the storm, having wagons. tents
and the wherewithal to make hot cof
fee, and should have considered our
selves well off. We would have been
had 1t not been for that terrible, never
ceasing whirl.
The next morning the storm abated,
and we moved on. About noon we
came upon a sight to freeze the mar
row in our bones-six heaps of snow,
body underneath each. the remains
of a campfire in the center. We
brushed the snow from the heaps and
uncovered I've men and a woman
The woman was wrapped in all the
blankets tina the party had possessed.
! put peck It mirror to the mouth of
each person. and the woman alone re-
sponded, she wing faint film on the
glass. We poured whisky down her
throat and chafed her. She opened
her eyes and in a short time could
speak to us. but we waited till the
next day fer her story:
1--WE had horses and a wagon.
don't know where the horses are now.
When we saw the storm coming we
thought the first thing to do was to
get firewood, but since there was none
we broke up the wagon.
81 don't remember much of what hap
again my husband came to me with
blanket. I closed my eyes to shut out
the whirling snow that was making
my brain sick. but they wouldn't let
me keep them closed. They kept shak-
ing me to keep me awake. l saw
them putting on the fire the pieces of
the wagon, but they used them spar
ingly.
Presently l saw flock of white
wolves circling around us, and it seem
ed that the men were keeping up the
fire to prevent their closing in and de-
vouring us. Occasionally one. of the
men would seize a firebrand and hurl
it at a wolf They were circling, al
ways circling,. to tire our brains |
closed my eyes again, and when I
opened them the wolves were gone,
but something far more terrible had
taken their places. Snow people were
whlrling where the wolves had whirl-
ed Oh. how cold they looked out of
their dreadful eyes! They instead of
the wolves were now trying to tire us.
Every now and again one of the
snow people. would try TO seize 'one
of our men, but be would take up a
flrebrand, and that. was enough, The
snow man would, withdraw. Il saw
one of our men stagger away from the
fire. a snow woman took him and
pressed her lips tight TO bis. Then
she opened her arms, and he fell frozen
stiff ~..,
After that the, snow people circled
nearer | saw our men come and stand
around me. You may think it was. to
protect Ine from the wind and the
drift No; 1t was to keep off the snow
people. l was sitting. by the fire, so
that the ,men!inclosed Doth me>ani the
fire. | fancied the snow people want !
ed me- for they were. all looking at
metout of their ley eyes and beckoping
to me- There We're four of our men
around me, and each seized ffrebrand
and ADVANCED a. few PAGES back to
back, The snow people could, not
stand the heat. Of the brands and fed
with shrek. = - 80
$50 wild, so weird SO terrible; was
the Shrek that l closed my eyes and
put my hands to my ears. When | |
looked again the men had lowered the
brands, and the snow, people were
whirling more frantic than ever
"A horrible old snow bag beckonad |
TO one of the, men, leering at HIM He |
went toward her. She seized him, end |
| saw him whirled Off up into the sky. |
Another woman sang n tbeautifu song
no such heavenly melody have ever
heard-fSing her eyes on one of the |
men who were left. He, too sue
cumbed and went toward her. She
folded him In an embrace. and | saw
that he had been frozen. Another of
our men went a short distance from |
the fire to bring some spokes to burn |
"A snow man seized him. touched his |
heart with his Icy finger, and he fell, |
like the rest without bending a, joint.
From this time the snow people seem
ed changed They were no longer hor-
rible. They were beautiful. The mems |
apparel seemed to glisten like icicles in
the sum- the woIpens dresses trailed |
far behind them, each myriad of I
snowfakes. ! saw now only one of our
men. He came to me and threw q
blanket over.me He was my husband.
Then he stopped and kissed me- saw
him soon after, standing by the fire,
which was now nearly out. The snow
DeODle were watching II on1 kpayv