The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1911-12-09
BLIZZARD FOLKS.
BY ?. A. mitchell.

A DllZZaru on tne pihlHS = udNe
seen one; never wish to see another
all day that terrible whirl OF snow. II
it had ceased occasionally to give the
brain a rest 1t would not have been
so hard to bear, but 1t never ceased.
We saw only ourselves. There was
nothing else to see but the boundless
plain, and that was shut from our
vision by the snow. We were prepared
for the storm, having wagons. tents
and the wherewithal to make hot cot.
fee, and should have considered our.
selves well of. We would have been
had It not been for that terrible, never
ceasing whlrl.
The next morning the storm abated,
and we moved on. About noon we
came upon sight to freeze the mar.
row in our bones-six heaps Of snow,
a body underneath each, the remains
Of campfire in the center. We brush.
ed the snow from the heaps and un.
covered FIVE men and a woman. The
woman was wrapped in all the blan.
kets the party had possessed. put
a pocket mirror to the mouth Of each
person, ana the woman alone respond.
ed, showing faint film on the glass.
We poured whisky down her throat
and chafed her. She opened her eyes
and In a short time could speak to us,
but we waited till the next day for her
story:
"We had horses and a wagon.
don't know where the horses are now.
When we saw the storm coming we
thought the first thing to do was to
get firewood, but since there was none
we broke up the wagon.
II don't remember much Of what
happened. All know is that now and
ugain my husband came to me with a
blanket. closed my eyes to shut out
the whirling snow that was making
my brain sick, but they wouldn't let
me keep them closed. They kept shak.
ing me to keep me awake. l saw
them putting on the fire the pieces of
the wagon, but they used them spar.
ingly.
Presently I saw flock of white
wolves clrcling around us, and 1t seem.
ed that the men were keeping up the
fire to prevent their closing In and de.
vourlng us. Occasionally one Of the
men would seize firebrand and hurl
1t at wolf. They were circling, al
ways clrcling, to tire our brains.
closed my eyes again, and when I
opened them the wolves were gone, but
something far more terrible had taken
their places. Snow people were whirl-
Ing where the wolves had whirled. oh,
how cold they looked out Of their dread
full eyes! They instead Of the wolves
were now trying to tire us.
Every now and again one Of the
snow people would try to seize one of
our men, but he would take up a fire.
brand, and that was enough. The snow
man would withdraw. l saw one of
our men stagger away from the fire. A
snow woman took him and pressed her
lips tight to his. Then she opened her
arms, and he fell frozen stif.
After that the snow people circled
nearer l saw our men come and stand
around me. You may think 1t was to
protect me from the wind and the drift.
NO; 1t was to keep OF the snow people
l was sitting by the fire. so that the
men inclosed both me and the fire.
fancied the snow people wanted me- for
they were all looking at me out of their
Icy eyes and reckoning to me. There
were four Of our men around me, and
each seized a flrebrand and advanced a
Few PAGES back to back. The snow
people could not stand the heat OF the
brands and fed with shrek.
so wild, so weird, so terrible, was
the Shrek that closed my eyes and
put my hands to my ears. When I
looked again the men had lowered the
brands. and the snow people were whirl.
Ing more frantic than ever.
"A horrible old snow bag beckoned
to one Of the men, leerlng mt him. III,
went toward her. She seized him, and
l saw him whirled off up into the sky
Another woman sang a beautiful sons
mo such heavenly melody have I eve,
heard-fxing her eyes on one Of the
men who were left. He, too, succumb
ed and went toward her. She folded
MIN In an embrace. and | saw that he
had been frozen. Another of our mer
went short distance from the fire t.
bring some spokes to burn. A snow
man seized him, touched his heart with
his Icy finger, and he fell, like the rest
without bending joint.
From this time the snow people seem
ed changed. They were no longer bor
rible. They were beautiful. The men,
apparel seemed to glisten like icicles ir
the sun; the womens dresses trailed
far behind them each myriad O,
snowfakes. l saw now only one of on,
men. He came to me and threw
blanket over Inc. He was my husband
Then he stopped and kissed me. saw
him soon after. standing by the fire.
which was now nearly out. The snow
people were watching II. and knew
that when the last ember died the end
would come. Nearer they came TIL
could feel their breaths on my face
though II seemed to me that had beer
I'm n