The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-02-26
! IN Snow People.

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A BLIZZARD on the nlains-T har,
seen one never wish 70 Zee another
All day hat terrible wAirl Of snow /,
it bad cased occasionally to give n,
brain d rest, 1t would not havo haar
50 hard to bear, but 1t never ceased
We saw only ourselves; there wa.
nothing else to see but the bopndles.
plain, and that was shut from, 81,
vision by the snow. We were prepared
for the storm. having wagons tents
and the wherewithal to mako hot ~.
fee, and should have considered osr.
selves well OFT We would have heep
had It not been for that terrible never
ceasing whirI.
The next morning the storm ahated
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 campfire In the center, we
brushed the snow from the heans and
uncovered i've men and woman.
The woman was wrapped in all the
blankets that the party had possessed
put a pocket mirror to the mouth Of
each person, and the woman alone re-
sponded showing 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 p US. but we waited till the
next dab for her story:
I'VE shad horses and wagon. i
don't know where the horses are now.
When Ve saw the storm coming we
thought the 6rst thing to do was to
get firekood, but since there was none
we broEe up the wagon.
Il dott remember much Of what hap
pened. All I know is that now and
again by husband came to me with
blanket I closed my eyes to shut out
the willing snow that was making
my br9n sick, but they wouldn't let
me keep them closed. They kept shak-
ing md to keep me awake. saw
them phtting on the fire the pieces OF
the wagon, but they used them spar
ingly.
''Pre$ntly saw a flock OF white
wolves drcling around us, and 1t seem
ed that the men were keeping up the
fire to PREVENT their closing in and de-
youring u.s. Occasionally one of the
men would seize firebrand and hurl
1t at alwolf They were circling, al /
ways circling, to tire our brains.
closed my eyes again, and when \
opened them the wolves were gone.
but something far more terrible had I
taken their places. Snow people were
whirlins where the wolves had whirl- 4
ed Oh. how cold they looked out Of
their dreadful eyes! They instead OF
the wolves we're now trying to tire US.
Every now and again one Of the
snow people would try to seize one
of our men, but he would take up a
frebrand, and that was enough The
snow man would withdraw. saw
one Of cur men stagger away from the
fire. A snow woman took him and
pressed her lips tight to his 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 1t was to
protect me from the wind and the
drift. No: it was to keep OF the snow
people. | was sitting by the fire. SO
that the men inclosed both me and the
fire. fancied the snow people want
ed me, for they were all looking at
me out Of their fey eyes and beckoning
to me. There we're four Of our men
around me, and each seized flrebrand
and advanced few PAGES back TO !
back. The snow people could not
stand the heat of the brands and ned
with a shrek.
$50 wild, so weird. SO terrible. was
the shrek that closed my eyes and Z
put my hands to my ears. When ! I
looked again the men had lowered the
brands, and the snow people were
whirling more frantic than ever. n
"a horrible old snow bag beckoned s
10 one Of the men. leering ait him. He
went toward her. She seized him. and
saw him whirIed Off up into the sky. +.
Another woman sang beautiful song
no such heavenly melody have ever 4
leard-fxing her eyes on one Of the a
men who were left. He, too, sue t
,umbed and went toward her. She I
folded him In an embrace. and | saw !
hat he had been frozen. Another Of
,nr men went a short distance from
he fire to bring some spokes to burn
1 snow man seized him, touched his
,eart with his icy finger. and he fell
Ike the rest. without bending joint.
sFrou this time the snow people seem I
"A changed They were no longer hor-
-ibIe. They were beautiful The mems
apparel seemed to glisten like iciclas in +
ne sun: the women's dresses traiied i
ar behind them. each a myriad Of
Inowdakes. / saw now only one Of our F
nen. tie came to me and threw a B
blanket over me. He was my husband. I
rhen he stopped and kissed me. saw :
i'm soon after standing by the fire, =
which vas now nearly out. The snow \
,eople were watching It. and ! knew r
hat when the last ember died the end d
vould come Nearer they came fill | a
ould feel their breaths on my face. s
hough 1t seemed to me that | had been f
! fever and they were cooling me. a
hen saw them gather around my ;
nsband. and be fell Into their arms. r