Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1908-12-24

beautiful girl just blooming ineo
| womanhOod.
Lets have it." came in chorus
from the party.
We'll, fill your pipes, and III tell
you my story. You see, fifteen years
ago, l wasn't as prosperous as I am
now l was just starting out ranch
ing, had only been here some three
years. then, and where this house now
stands we only had a small log cabin.
Young Jack over there was only six
years old at the time, and Miss Ruth
was trotting round, a young three
year-old. The winter had opened bad
ly: snow had come very early, and
with it bitter cold weather. We had
plenty of fuel, so we managed to keep
warm enough. The cabin was in the
the two big rocks helped to keep off
the fierceness of the wind; but we
were completely buried under the
snow, so that we had to dig tunnel
from the frCnt door Out into the open
air. Myself and all the boys were
to spots where the cattle could get it,
, and so not starve to death. Well,
one morning, about two weeks before
! Christmas, after a heavy snowfall, l
started out with all hands on one of
these trips, intending to gather all the
cattle tOgther as much as possible,
and TO build some laree hay-stacks,
so that they would have plenty of food
for some time; also, as our grub was
getting pretty low, we we're going to
! push through to Dolores to provision
up for the rest Of the winter in case
we couldn't set through again for
some time. | also wanted to get the
Christmas presents for the kids; so
told the little wife not to be anxious
if I didn't show up for several days.
We'll, we all started, only leaving
one of the boys behind, who had been
sick and wasn't quite well yet. We
had the deuce's own job fixing up the
cattle and getting through to Dolores.
It took US over week, and several of
the boys were badly fr0st-bitten. We
again, but another heavy snowfall
came, and another. and another, until
really it seemed to be showing all the
time. The days slipped by, one by
one, until Christmas came, and there [
was sEoW-bound in Dolores, getting
more and more anxious about the
10 ks at home. | knew their grub
must be getting low; and, besides.
here was Christmas day, and nothing
for the kids. | was nearly wild, | can
tell YOU, Well, two days before New
Years there was a let-up, and | made
up my mind to push through at any
cost. I could only induce one of my
men 10 come with me; the others fiat
ly refused. They said it would be sure
death; that another storm was com
ing up-this time a regular blizzard.
At any rate, we started on our fifty
| mile ride. The trails were simply
| one succession of immense drifts, so
we made mighty slow progress, as we
had to lead a packhorse. After one
days riding we had only gone twenty
! five miles, and a new storm was COM
ing up; and it proved a regular snort
| er, too. We dug a hole in the snow
and lay down for few hours sleep,
for we were dead beat; but it was so
cold that we were only able to get
| about forty winls, and started again,
! so as not to freeze 10 death.
| 'The storm increased, getting worse
| and worse as we went on; the snow,
! driven by the fierce wind, cut our
/ faces like so many needles, while the
! bitter cold seemed to numb every
! faculty and to be slowly freezing out
| our very lives. My horse then gave
! out-couldn't Move another step, SO
| l let him go and mounted the pack
| horse Night then came on, and our
! whisky, that had given us some
strength and warmth, gave out. We
! didn't know where we were, but
! thought We couldn't be many miles
/ from home if only we were on the
right trail My mans horse next gave
out, and, as I was stronger than he,
made him get On my horse and hold
! ing on to the saddle, walked along by
! his side; but only mile or so further