The Washington herald., 1910-01-23
MOST FROZE!
Bill Hepburn Has Cold & CIammy e.
psTients Returning From the Co. Seat
& Bill Says He Wouldn't Be Able to
Tell the Tale il II Wasn't for licker
Which He Considers Is the Best
Friend He's Got

Bill Hepburn, our artistick blacksmith,
had a turrible experience on last Satuf-
day and Sunday. including a miraculous
excape from a cold and clammy death,
the memory OF which YOU would think
would llnger in Bills reCOliecshion the
longest day he lives and would scare
him so that he wouldn't never take
another drop OF ticker as long as he
lives, but on the contrary what Bill went
through don't seem 10 make no impress
shion on him whatever To the horror
and consternashion Of everybody IN
town, Bill saws that siust this expert
ence he considers that ticker IS still the
best friend he has got in the world.
Last Saturday was cold and raw and
the sky was overcast. betokening more
snow added to the three foot or more
Of snow which was already on the
ground. In spite OF this, however, Bill
made his regular weekly trip to the Co.
/ seat. He left early Saturday morning.
driving his old gray mare IN pung.
! When Bill left town he was perfectly
sober, but a empty jug was saw TO BE
rolling around under the seat Of the
pung.
When Bill reached the Co. seat, the
first thing he done was TO have the Jug
filled with one gal OF rye ticker which
he slowed away in the pung, to bring
/ back 10 Bingville for home Consump-
shion. Foilering this Bill tarried in the
/ various bar rooms OF the Co. seat and
| fingered over the flowing bowl. so that
when he started on his return trip to
Bingvile it was past p. m. and already
getting dark, with Bill long 10 mile
to drive. o..
Before Bill got fairly started on hi,
way home, it begin to snow and grow
colder-in fackt it might almost have
been called a blizzard. The old gray
slowed down to a walk and kept pOking
along the road, which was so dark thai
. Bill couldn't Of saw his hand before him
even if he had Of been sober, which ht
was not Bill says that the cold was al
most unbearabe and that the only way
he could keep from freezin to death wa
to communicate freely and frequently
with the Jug. After Bill had filled hi
system with about half of what the jug
contained, he reached that stage WHERE
he didn't know whether he was going
| or coming-he didn't know what hi:
dcstinashion was and he didn't seem t.
! care much. Bill finally slid often the sea
down among the fur robes and dropped
of to sleep. The noble mare with NJ
| hand to guide her finally stopped stock
still in her tracks and there she re
NAMED standing patiently, while tn
winds bowed and the snow descendet
the whole night through.
About daylight Sunday morning til
weather cleared up and the sun shinet
out bright. Deacon Andrews though
that instead Of going to church as ushua
he would hitch his old sorrel to his pun
and drive over to see his brother Morti
mer who lives on the road about hal
way to the Co. seat, being as Mortime
owes the Deacon some money which tn
/ Deacon has been trying to collect nov
for several years and never expects t
get.
Well, when the Deacon reached tn
t bottom of the east side Of Teck's Hi
who should he come across except Bi
, Hepburn's hitch standing there IN tn
S middle of the road. Bills horse wa
covered with snow and was standin
Y patiently still. As for Bill, he was SIT
Y asleep in the pung, but the Deacon thoi
at FIRST that Bill was dead, until !