Year: 1878

hickory latch and drew it towards her
The mass of snow which had been pilet
against it fell in and streamed across tn,
floor. The blast, driving in more snow
extinguished the candle.


"Hahp


In few moments she had managed t,
sweep away a part of the drift and clos,
the door. Then she relit the candle
Next she threw off her dress and petit
coats. Going now to an old horsehide
covered trunk in a corner she pulled
out of it her husbands spare suit-th,
clothes in which he won the $1,000 a
faro which led him to marry and star
with his bride across the Mississippi
She dressed herself in them, and put OF
the long rubber boots Jim wore when ht
worked in the sluices; then his old cap
tied close to her head with comforter
then her own thick shawl ana mittens
Lighting her lantern and taking shove
she opened the door again, and attacked
the drift until it yielded far enough te
let her latch the door behind her.


The night was awful. She could set
nothing through the skurry. She hardly
dared to turn her face to the yelling
blast. She thought of asking some one
to accompany her, but the camp lay
some distance out of her line. Moreover
she knew the country in every direction
She could feel her way anywhere i
necessary; besides she had her lantern
that would enable her to distinguish OBJ
jects within a small circle. Turning
resolutely in the direction of Wild
Swan Gulch she set out to find her hus
band and guide him home.


As she emerged from the canyon ano
gained the level of the surrounding
broken plain, strange pause came. i
seemed as though the. winds had sud
denly forsaken the neighborhood ane
gone roaring away into the mountains
She took advantage Of the sinister
calm to hurry onward at a run. Out
of breath, at last she stumbled and fell


The lantern went out.


She had no matchesl


Staggering to her feet she heard
the moan of the returning storm. She
shouted:


"JimP


Again, with all the might of her voice
she lifted the plainsman's call:


Zip, zip, yip-yo-hool Jiml"


No answer.


Then the tempest rushed round her in
a battling, ferocious whirl of sound and
wind and snow.


In the meantime Jim Oaks had been
at one of his old diversions. Having re.
turned from Wild Swan Gulch with q
splendid trophy in the shape of black
billed swan drake, he was lounging to
ward home when the storm came on
and stopped in at the last saloon as
usual to get a drink. 1t was always
warm and cozy in that liquor mill, and
on Christmas eve the place was par
ticularly inviting. The boys were as
sembling for night at poker. and jim
sat down and took hand.
sits kind O. rough on Minery," he
thought once about midnight, leayin'
her alone up there such night as this
Never mind; she'll worry it through, ]
reckon"


But when the man entered the cabin
next morning and started toward the
bed with peace offering (his winnings,
extended in his hand, he was completely
stunned by what he saw. The un
touched bed, the freless hearth, the
cold, untasted supper, his wife's clothes
strewn on the floor, the open trunk, the
absent cap and lantern-those flashed
the truth into his brain.


"She's gone to hunt for me! She's
been gone a long while. All nigh
p'raps-in the storm! o, Mineryp


Out he sprang through the doorway
The storm was over. The air was clear
still and bitterly cold. The sun wa
rising. He cast one strenuous lool
around the narrow horizon, theI
plunged through the drifts towards tht
camp.


Minery" he shouted. +" Have any
of you seen MineryF'


Immediately the camp reused itsel
from its aromatic slumbers. When i
was found that Mrs. Oaks was missing
the miners volunteered as one man to g,
to her rescue. A sled was prepared
some frewood, provisions, blankets ant
keg of whisky were roped fast to it
and, with Jim chafng by this time ant
far in front on the way toward Wild
Swan Gulch, the company started
Parties were assigned to search tn
whole prairie, east, west, and north tn
largest group followed Oaks's trail. I
was hard work foundering across tn
gullies and washouts, which were packe'
up to the edge with snow. Often tn
men shuddered to think of what nigh
be hidden under those heavy whit
masses.


The first "sign" was discovered b,
Jim Oaks's partner, one "Spick Jones
who kept to the left and signaled from
clump of timber. The bark was par
tally torn off about four feet from tn
ground, on the side of tree, not by tn
teeth or claws of wild beast, as wa
plainly to be seen, but by the hands of
human being. Almost every miner wa
familiar with the trick. 1t was trio
to keep from freezing, at the sacrifice o
nails and finger tips. 1t was desperat
method of exercise to arrest lethargy
One veteran of the camp remembered t
have climbed up and down a tree al
night one winter when he was ovel
taken without matches by a Montan
blizzard.


Jim Oaks set his teeth hard when h
saw the frozen blood spots on the tree


"Stay with me, boys" he sale
hoarsely; "help me find my wife,"


The men struggled on.


Some two hours later figure on dii
tant bluff was seen waving hat. A
sought the place where the wind ha
blown SO fiercely during the precedin
night that it had prevented the sno'
from lodging on the windward ridge!
Mrs. Oaks lay on her back there, hal
covered with snow, frozen to sleep. He
left hand was thrust inside the vest sh
wore; her right was extended above he
head and covered with blood from he
poor torn fingers.


Everybody made way for Jim.


He came up and knelt down revel
emily beside her, and kissed her rigi
lips.


"Minery," he said gently. Hereachet
trying to feel her heart.


Mineryp


He looked around on the faces of HI
fellow-miners with such an expressio
on his drawn and haggard yisage ths
they turned away.


He touched the cold hand in he