Lincoln County times. (Jerome, Idaho) 1911-1919, 1918-06-27

stools, and the frame of bed. The
last occupant had Left little firewood
beside the stove, enough to last per-
haps for twenty-four hours. Sheba
did not need to be told that If the bliz-
zard lasted long enough, they would
starve to death. In the handbag left
In the stage were box of candy and
an Irish plum pudding. She had
brought the latter from the old coun-
try with her and was taking 1t and the
chocolates to the Hustled children. But
just now the stage was as far from
them as Drogheda.
Like many rough frontiersmen,
saltwater Pete was q 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 If we hadn't.
Seeing as our luck has stood up so far,
L.
kind Of Mr.. Last Tenant to leave us
this firewood. We amt so worse of"
If we only had some food" Mrs.
Olson suggested.
Food" Pete looked at her In as
sumed surprise. "Huhl What about
all that live stock got In the stable?
I've heard tell. ma'am, that broncho
tenderioin Is favorite dish with them
there French chiefs that do the cook
ing. They kinder trim 1t up SOS it's
most as good as frawgs' legs"
Sheba had never before slept on
bare boards with a sealskin coat for
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 1t was morning.
1t 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
emily 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 waste of
snow. Her eyes turned from the DESC
lntion without to the bare and cheer
less room In which they had found
shelter. In spite Of herself little
SILVER 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 hem 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.
l gotta get a feed Of oats from the
stage for my brOnchs too. The scenery
mere Is sure fine, but 1t amt what
you would call nourishing. Huh
Watch our smoke when me and old
baldface git to bucking them drifts"
he mad been gone two hours and the
1usk was already descending over the
white waste when Sheba ventured out
70 see what had become of the stage
1r1ver. But the cold was so bitter
mat she soon gave up the attempt to
nght 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
put 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 a grin.
Mrs. Olson thawed out the pudding
and the chocolates In the oven and
made a kind Of mush out of some |
pats Pete had saved from the horse
'eed. They ate their one-sided meal |
n high spirits. The freeze had saved |
'neir lives. If 1t held clear till to-
morrow they could reach Smiths
'rossing on the crust Of the snow.
saltwater broke up the chairs for
uel and demolished the legs of the
aole' after which he lay down before
ne stove and fell at once into a sod
len sleep.
Presently Mrs. Olson lay down on
ne Ded and began to snore regularly.
'heba could not sleep. The boards
ired her bones and she was cold.
sometimes she slipped into cat maps
nat were full Of bad dreams. When
ne wakened with a start 1t was to find
nat the fire had died down. She was
hiverfng from lack Of cover. Out
lily the girl replenished the fire and
ay down again.
When she wakened with a start II
'as morning. A faint light sIfted
hrough the single window of the
hack. Sheba whispered to the older
'oman that she was going out for a
tile walk.
As she worked her way down the
uicn Sheba wondered whether the
ews OF their loss had reached Ku-
lax Were search parties out already
? rescue themi COLBY Macdonald ,
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