Wallowa County chieftain. [volume] (Enterprise, Or.) 1909-1911, 1910-02-24

Innn10
Great pines heavy with sho" 'e""
above the narrow trail. -.
As bp crashed through the thin crust
with fiercely placed steps llgn' w.
sent the snow crystals in ICY s'ins
inc gusts against his face.
As ne Nodded upward the crust was
thicker. and when he reached tue 'oP
of Bald Knob walking was diincun.
lie naused ard looked around at Tue
mountains of snow glistening Win ICY
cans In the bright sunshine.
overhead was sky OF ueep p'ue.
Below nestled the village win nis
school in the center, and under tue
shoulder of Bald Knob was Luxe Coz
dard's comfortable home.
Addison could see the smoke pour
,, ing from the wide chimney 1t crept
like n blue mist up over the shoulder
and cured away into nothingness III
| the light air.
The house was long and low, ana IL
was built so snugly under the noun
tain that the kitchen opened dlrecly
info n great natural cave in the rocks
and that cave was Luke Goddards
woodshed.
Addison's strong arms had hewed
| vigorously that long autumn to Nil tue
woodshed. Every night after school
he had come up the mountain ana,
with Emily sitting near by to gladden.
his eyes. he had cheerily reduced the
| pile of cord wood to kindling.
In the spring he and Emily were to
be married and come to live with Luxe,
| and their plans for the future had been
! so long in making and so interviewer
| with love and little self sacrifices that
now, standing alone OH the mountain
top. with loveless future before him,
| Addison Dodge was very miserable.
His was Il nature that would never
| yield to an unjust claim. Neither
would he lie to save his soul.
Luke Goddard. in his own way, was
| obdurate. He loved Addison Dodge
as his own son. and yet his domineer-
| ing spirit would not concede one inch
| in the controversy which had separat-
ed them that morning and in which
| the old schoomaster believed himself
to be in the right.
Genealogy was his hobby. That any
one should dispute him upon his be-
| loved subject was unbearable.
Pretty Emily would have Jared hard
| ly between these two unrelenting men
she 50 dearly loved. but kind Provi-
| dence interviewed and made clear the
descent of Addison beyond all doubt
and quite to the satisfaction of his fu-
| ture father-in-aw.
Addison roamcd over the mountain
top all the afternoon, rejoicing in the
keen wind that arose and chilled him
to the bone.
His snOwshoes glided over the frozen
crust and bore him along against the
bitter wind with startling swiftness.
He always remembered that day on
| the mountain as one of pain and self
torture.
His love for Emily sent him toward
the trail dozen times, and his pride
sent him back again as many more.
At sunset, when the whole west was
glorious blaze of crimson and purple
and gold and the eXpanse of frozen
snow was binding in the glare, Addi-
son skirted the shoulder of Bald Knob,
seeking for short cut to the village
| below.
He had made up his mind. He
would not take back what he had said
to Luke Goddard.
When he reRhed point above the
| cottage of his sweetheart he paused
and looked down the glittering slope
to where the blue smoke curled up-
ward from the chimney.
While he gazed Emily and her father
came out of the cottage and looked
toward the west, as was their custom
at sunset. He could see the pink
shawl about Emiy's head, and in the
clear air he heard Luke Goddard's
sharp cough.
In another second they would see
| MN silhouetted against the sunset sl,v
and he turned abruptly away.
AS | said before, Providence iptor-
vened. The mass of snow upon which
ne stood suddenly slipped forward and
Detore the young man could throw
hlhlsef from the little avalanche be
1
was speeding downward, downward
with startling swiftness.
lie heard Luke's shout of dismov vona
Emilys frightened scream as he swant
down toward them - toward oooI
winch could be no other than the roof
OF their home
1t was growing larger, larger now
ana the stinging blue smoke Of tho
chimney smote his eyes, and then-tho
avalanche of snow struck the s,out
rooi and packed itself into n .bIoh
plateau about the tall chimney.
Addison clambered out of the .roo+
oank OF snow to find Luke Goddard
poised on tall ladder staring Of him
over the caves of the roof.
Boy, thought you We're knlad,
SAID the old man hoarsey as he halnad
Auuisol 10 descend to the ground.
Emily's arms We're around her ,ovo,
rather and came out to look ro,
you Father made mistaken sbo @
looked at Luke with loving, symnathet
| ic eyes. ~ "ipa'net-