Tombstone epitaph. (Tombstone, Ariz.) 1887-current, 1918-05-26

them as Drogheda.
Like many rough frontiersmen.
saltwater Pete was a diamond In the
raw. So far as could be he made a
hopeless and impossible situation COM
Portable. His judgment told him that
they were caught in a trap from which
there was no escape. but for the sake
of the women he put cheerful face on
things.
Lucky we found this cabin" he
growled amiably. by this time we'd
"a been up Salt creek II we hadn't.
Seeing as our luck has stood up so far.
I reckon well be all right. Mighty
kind Of Mr.. Last Tenant to leave us
this frewood. We amt SO worse on. .
IF we only had some food" Mrs.
Olson suggested.
'Food- Pete looked at her in as-
sumed surprise. "Huh! What about
all that live stock got in the stable!
I've heard tell. ma'am. that broncho
tenderloIu is a favorite dish with them
there French chiefs that do the cook
Ing. They kinder trim I: up SOS it's
most as good as frawgs' legs"
Sheba had never before slept on
bare boards with q sealskin coat for q
sleeping bag. But she was very tired
and dropped of almost instantly.
Twice she woke during the night. dis
turbed by the stiffness and the pain
of her body. When she awakened for
the third time II was morning.
II seemed to her that the hard. whip
sawed planks were pushing through
the soft flesh TO the bones. She was
cold. too. and crept closer to the stout
Swedish woman lying beside her. Pres
entity she fell asleep again to the
sound Of the blizzard bowling outside.
When she wakened for the third time
II was morning.
In the afternoon the blizzard died
away. As far as the eye could see
Sheba looked out upon a waste of
snow. Her eyes turned from the DESC
lation without to the bare and cheer.
less room in which they had found
shelter. In spite Of herself q little
shiver ran down the spine Of the girl
Had she come into this Arctic soil
tude to find her tomb?
As soon as the storm had moderated
enough to let him go out with safety
saltwater Pete had taken one Of the
horses for an attempt at trail break.
ing.
"Me. I'm after that plum pudding
I gotta get a feed Of oats from the
stage for my bronchs too. The scenery
here is sure fine, but 1t amt what
you would call nourishing. Huh
Watch our smoke when me and old
Baldface Git TO brcking them drifts
He had been gone two hours and the
dusk was already descending over the
white waste when Shetsa ventured out
TO see what had become Of the stage
driver. But the cold was so bitter
that she soon gave up the attempt to
fight her way through the drifts and
turned back to the cabin.
Some time later saltwater Pete
came stumbling into their temporary
home. He was tagged to exhaustion
but triumphant. Upon the table he
dropped from the crook Of his numbed
arm two packages.
THE makings for a Christmas din
ner." he said with grin.
Mrs. Olson thawed out the pudding
and the chocolates in the oven and
made kind Of mush out of some
oats Pete had saved from the horse
feed. They ate their one-sided meal
In high spirits. The freeze had saved
their lives. II 1t held clear till to
crossing on the crust of the snow.
saltwater broke up the chairs for
fuel and demolished the legs OF the
table. after which he lay down before
the stove and fell at once into q sod
den sleep.
Presently Mrs. Olson lay down on
the bed and begap to snore regularly
Sheba could not sleep. The board.
tired her bones and she was cold
Sometimes she slipped into cat nape
that were full Of bad dreams. Wher
she wakened with q start II was to fnd
that The IRE had died down. She wa
shIvering from lack Of cover. Qui
city the girl replenished the IRE and
lay down again.
When she wakened with q start Il
was morning. A faint light siftet
through the single window Of the
shack. Sheba whispered to the Older
woman that she was going out for {
little walk.
As she worked her way down the
gulch Sheba wondered whether thu
news Of their loss had reached Ku
siak. Were search parties out ALREADY
to rescue them? Colby Macdonald
had gone into the blizzard years ago Il
save her father. Perhaps he NIGH
have been out all night trying to saw,
her fathers daughter. Peter would 60
Of course-and Gordon Elliot. Tht
work In the mines would stop and
men would volunteer BY scores. Tha
was one nne thing about the North
II responded to the unwritten Law
that . man must risk his own life b
save other1
From o little knoll Sheba looket
down upon the top Of the stage thre,
hundred yards below her, and whil'
she stood there the promise Of tn
new day was blasoacd on the sky. !
came with amazing beauty Of sreeI
and primrose and amethyst, while tn,
atars Aicxered out and the heaven
took On the blue Of sunrise. She drew
Q dssN slow breath Of alteration an