Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1913-02-20
The PattOnS Continue
Trip to California

" HANNANAb Nr%n
Reflector: When we received our
mail from Los Angeles some thought
I wasn't very charitable 70 leave
the readers in snow storm. Well,
II didn't ssow very much so we
might as well back up and bid Mag
delena goodbye. and start on our
journey. We now come to the road
house at Datils. We might as we'll
eat our dinner although 1t isr't din
ner time. But you see we. have the
Datil mountains to climb and we
may not have another chance to get
by the fire as It is forty miles to
the next house. Dinner over we now
start to climb the mountain which
marks the continental divide for
this region. We now start up through
as fine pine forests as any one need
wish to see. II seems as though we
are going straight up into the clouds.
I guess we are and in the ones old
Mother Goose inhabits. We have
driven about six miles since dinner
and now It IL showing as large
snow flakes as ever saw. They are
coming straight down with that
slow, lazy manner that very large
snow flakes generally fall. II had
been home would like nothing bet
ter than to sit down by the window
and watch them fall. But out here
what shall we do? Well, we will
have to travel just as long as we
can and when we can't go any far
ther we will pitch our tent and stay
here for awhile as we have provi-
sions enough for two weeks. And II
we then run out and are liable to
starve, we'll, tell you on the sly
though, woods are full of as nice
Hereford cattle as one need wish
to see and / can think OF nothing
that would be better eating than
lone OF those fat calves that has been
running with its mother for abouj
tsix months. ss~'- -''r se.ss'
I We have travelled seven miles
Isince dinner and the snow Is two
inches deep, eight miles and snow
three inches deep, nine miles and
snow four inches deep, ten miles
and snow six inches deep, II miles
and snow eight inches. Well, we
can't go much farther. oh there II
man horseback. Maybe he lives
in that large building we see ahead
No he doesn't live there. 1t Is de-
serted but he Is the owner and we
are welcome to it. Drive on and ne
will show US the way in. After we
got inside of the fence and up to
the house we saw dug out, ! guess
that is what 1t would be called az
| 1t was dug out Of bank We de-
cided that we would rather have the
dugout with fire place than the
house, as the house was two story
log house with eleven rooms but
neither doors nor windows. The
rancher dragged a couple Of large
pine trees down to the door and
Mr.. Patton and our California friend
chopped them up. Then we rolled
the Oakland car next to the door as
our friends sleep in it and then our
car just as close to theirs as we
could. Then we covered both cars
and the door way with the tent. We
used the canvas that goes on the
floor of the tent as door. Thank
you, with our big pile Of wood, more
than we would burn in the stove at
home In four weeks, piled in one
corner, provisions enough for two
weeks. We feel better provided for
than we know good many less fav-
ored ones at home. We sure feel
that we have dry place
to sleep and plenty of bedding.
Well let's hurry around and get
supper out of the way before dark.
We sit on our camp stools and re-
hearse ghost stories? No, as we
have babies who are not large enough
yet to understand such rubbish. But