The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1909-08-21

!
playing havoc with the snow fields.
1N was looking up at the great whit,
beds when suddenly the mass tha
choked the head of the ravine sank a.
II some support beneath it had beer
Knocked away, and puff of WING
travelled down the ravine
A band of black rim-rock showed
above the sunken snow, and then the
broad glistening beds above began to
crawl with slow, heaving movement,
1 conyerging upon the ravine.
4 The first movement was so noiseless
| and slow that Osgood did not realize
| that there was any threat in it. New
ertheless he halted and gazed ahead,
l undecided.
The snow crawled to the edge Of the
rim-rock, and its front crumbled and
fell. Then more was pushed over. The
ragged Jumps began to fall thick and
fast. Faster and faster they poured
over the rim rock, merging in a few
seconds into endless white sheets, that
Numbered into the ravine and came
roaring down its sloping bed, one boil
ing, resistless tongue of snow.
1t flashed across Osgood's mind that
PEBBLES would never have been caught
in such trap.
Then he turned and ran, cursing his
folly. He minght have known that
the ravine had been the scene of many
slides. The boulders and bleached
tree trunks and the worn walls were
eloquent Of the fact to which he had
been deaf Springing over the smaller
rocks, with many slips and stumbles
that left bleeding cuts on hands and
legs, he fed down the chute, while be-
hind him the Earring roar of the slide
swelled to greater volume.
Osgood knew that he could not reach
the mouth Of the ravine before he was
overtawken. He could not cover even
half the distance. Yet he kept on
running desperately, scrambling to his
feet like cat at every fall or stumble,
his eyes raking the walls for the sight
hold. But they were -clentlessly |
There was but one chance for him |
10 reach the great boulder, which |
oomed ahead of him like fortress of |
'efuge. He fixed his gaze on the big |
'ock as if to shorten the distance, and
strained his muscles to the cracking
Joint. The blood suddenly gushed
rom his nose and poured down over
lis hunting shirt. Strangely enough
t seemed to invigorate him. His con-
'ested eyes cleared and the violent
'ressure at his temples lightened. He
prang forward with fresh burst OF
peed, almost from under the curling,
burning front of the slide. Dodging
ound the rock. he fell headlong and
oiled across the bones into the little
ave.
The slide was upon him in an in
tant, with a breath of winter and the
BAR Of Niagara, as it hurled it's (
'ns upon tons of snow and grinding
builders against the obstruction. Two
'ssing streams shot by, one on each
de of the rock, which vibrated and Y
Tired in its bed. Would it withstand 6
le shock? Almost too exhausted TO t
ire. Osgood lay painting on his back
i'd the snow bell on his bloody face, a
Id the sunlight was blotted out.
When he was able to investigate his 4 e
tuation Osgood found himself a pris-
Ter. The two tongues of snow had
DIVIDED together after passing tho
ok, and squeezed back so that he
bod in funnel-shaped well, the mar
wer part Of which was above his n
ad. The opening, in fact. through
1fch he could see the sky, was only a
" feet wide and at least thirty feet ,e
owe him. He could not climb the a.
ping walls, and the rock offered a ~
eer face that was equally unscalable. r.
struck the snow with his hand and ~
Ind 1t packed almost to the consis- r.
ICY Of ice; but he was not the sort -,