Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-02-01
Lost IN a Snou Storm.

r the Annals of Iowa, July 1881
from 20 degrees to 40 degrees below
zero, the wind blew at rate of from
thirty to fifty miles an hour. Over
powered by the conviction that | could
ly hallooed, as my strength would
permit, in the hope of making myself
heard by someone. But the maddened
winds only seemed to mock my eff
forts
With death staring me in the face,
could not help specializing upon the
probable fate of my body. 1t flashed
thru my mind that the wolves would
be likely to pick my bones, and that
when my skeleton would be found in
the spring and my identity discovered
or surmised. the newspapers would
contain an item to the effect that
had been found dead on the prairie be-
tween Rochester and Winona. that pre-
sumably / had partaken too freely of
strong liquor and, straying from the
road, had frozen to death. AS | had
never even tasted of liquor, this thought
worried me greatly. and seemed to re-
vive my tagging energies. From that
ittS w llllS iIttSC p1V'i te'i VI VI NV "
ascribe any serious accident to intoxi-
cation unless indications clearly justi-
fed such a charge.
While these and similar thoughts
were still engaging my mind | came to
a partially constructed pioneer cabin.
The structure consisted only of four
walls OF roughly joined logs. 1t had
neither roof nor door, nor windows
and the logs were not even chinked.
Some one had probably commenced
building this cabin on his claim late
in the fall but had been compelled by
the approach OF winter to abandon it.
The discovery of this symbol Of
pioneer civilization in the snowy des-
eR greatly encouraged me and l at
once resolved to make it my head
quarters for further explorations. A
short survey of this airy resort fully
convinced me that to rest here was to
surrender to grim death without a
struggle. Remembering that there is
a we'll marked disposition among
pioneers to settle in clusters / determ-
ined to walk in a wide circle around
this embryo cabin in the hope of find
ing some human habitation near it.
Taking radius of about sixty or
eighty rods, l proceeded to carry out
my plan ! had passed not much more
than half around the circle when, after
surrounding a long swell in the prair-
he, discovered a small grove in the
distance | at once abandoned my Cor
mer base and quickened my steps, fully
assured that if there was a house any
where upon that wide prairie it would
be found in the shelter of the grove be-
fore me- I had not advanced very far
before / espied faint glilnmer of light
proceeding, as 1t seemed to me, from
snow bank across the small ravine.
Flying in the direction of this light as
fast as my benumbed feet would carry
me, / presently found myself before
small log cabin which was half buried
in a snow drift 1t had but one little
window. of which the lower portion
was hidden by the snow, while dts mp
per panes were SO thicNly covered with
frost that they scarcely permitted the
light to pass thru them.
The joy which / experienced at The
sight of this lowly cabin may be imag-
ined but cannot be described I raped
loudly on the door. and when 1t was
opened ] did not even wait for an invi-
tation to enter. but boldly stepped in.
The house was occupied by Mrs.
Foot, with her three sons. After they
had listened to the brief story Of my
cold adventure, the young men pulled