Out from the Blizzard

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 378, 6 August 1903, Page 8

Out from the Blizzard

1 By Hflar S. BradWy. |

tc« prrtt »*. i •», Ky «»• Autb«T»* ly Ddi» u.) I . MIS. SUTHVEN, tall, brilliantly dark, with the breath of the prairtM in har carriage, swept out of the dining-room, and her husband, George xVa *t«h, and I turned to oar coffas aod "vsorge, how aid you gain that mmbj;ciCctut woman for a wife?" Not at all discomposed at the broadset* of my compliment to his wife, George smilingly responded: "Tou remember the great blizzard watch swept over the western prairie • lavs, particularly Nebraska, during January of 18S7? Yes? Well, it was from that blizzard that 1 was rescued by the moat beautiful woman it has «T»r been the happy lot of man to possess. **l was at that time, as you know, embarking in the practice of law, and bad, to uae an old-time.phrase, 'articled' myself to one of the most prominent legal firms in this city. I grew ateadily in favor of my superiors, whe •re now my partners, so it happened that when an occasion arose in an important land suit, requiring that a man be tent to Ainsworth, Neb., to obtain noawasary information from the recorft, I was selected for the duty. *T reached Ainsworth without incident and spent a couple of days there examining the' court records, until I discovered that one link of evidence was missing. I shortly learned that it could be replaced by certain affidavits which a banker at Atkinson. 35 miles down the road could give, if he should be so disposed. Unfortunately only one passenger a day was then running and I found that had just left and that no other train would start untill late in the night. That would be a alow freight, which would not get me in Atkinson much before the passenger the next morning. So I concluded to drive the 55 miles. "flurrying to the Uvery stable I induced the proprietor to take me as far as Long Fine, the next station, where I could and did obtain a relay of broncho? and another driver to Bassett. There I obtained another relay and started for Newport, the next stop, and by the time we reached there, the snow was falling quite fast, but still there was no indication of the horrible storm in which so many lives were lost and in which the cattle ranches suffered almost to bankruptcy by thousands of head of cattle being destroyed. As we proceeded, the storm increased in virulence and I was glad, indeed, when I could toast my chilled feet at the blazing hearth in the small hotel the place afforded, while my driver was Seeing about an exchange of horses. "The liveryman returned and informed me that he bad not been able to" induce the local stable keeper to undertake a journey, even to the next %own, Stuart, though he said, if the case was very urgent, he would let me have a team to drive through myself, provided I would assure him against loss. Unaccustomed as I was fo western blizzards, I jumped at this chance, and quickly closed a deal with him. . "He produced the scrawniest-look-■tajng team of bronchos one ever saw, •ntr-hitched them to a ramshackle sort of slat-bottomed buekboard |||jjp!ggy and bid me godspeed with an raujpression on his face dearly showing he never again expected to see •ither his team or myself alive. As fo the team, he never did see it, as Hm|h the animals gave up the ghost— Hpt I am anticipating. sjpEjgr this time the storm had asSOnied terrific proportions. The snow, had been falling softly and lazily, now pelted down in solid masses, SgEpced with flakes of ice, cutting with jfowuug force against my face, while Baps soughing of the wind had risen to Egipriefcs and howls and came with a Ipjmce that at times seemed powerful to lift bronchos, buggy and Bpmer into the next county. My course lay along the railroad track. waa no road worthy of the pame to follow, as the level character .if the country and entire absence of r ~ -fences permitted one taking a'straight :-shoot* from one point to another, I With only the possibility of meeting a "with some small slough that would reI quire a little careful driving to cross. "Driving along with my head downB wards to shelter my face from the M pelting sleet and ice, I quite forgot to cf-"'look for my landmarks, the telegraph „ poles, but a more ugly blast than any J 1 had experienced caused me to take "t * quick glance about over my muffler. "Instantly I awoke to my danger. The poles had disappeared! I ?v--had turned from my road and was f-idriving across the wild, desolate, uninhabited prairies, on which a house was not to be met for miles. "The storm now swirled and pounded apd Toared with ferocious power about me. Already I was passing through drifts so deep as to compel ijoiy small bronchos to tug and snort in :.*""fhe effort required to pull the buggy them. Heavy darkness was iapjdly taking the place of the grayish HgbMhe doll, whirling snowbanks L of clouds lowering and plunging about k until it seemed that they and the »lua?scs of snow .ind slept beating •tgainsl me were one. The cold, too, Kruri become inT?nse, and the stinging pafn in my fi:.<;rrs tnbl me my hands bad been fr.»sr -bitten, while my feet seemed mere chunks of ice, no power cf motion. I*

my nearly frozrn feet, nn»l lirnr' »d away with my hand the srow wi.icii was packing' in front of Ihe buggy.

"I was horrified to see that \\w bronchos hat! parsed over one if thv many graves which mark the failure of some hardy pioneer on these interminable prairies, and my bujrgy had crashed against the small trmiiu ment that some mourning friend orelative had places! at this savage, soli tary resting place; . "I tell you. Harry, my boy. 1 never want again to experience sueh an un•osftfortable feeling as that which IsAio arar me on my discovery I%is obstruction renlly appeared t« me to be the mark of my own end. am willing «ta admit that it ww v.iisomething of the unreasoning ;" • • of a maniac that I lifted and pn.'e. at the backboard, until with a sbou of wildest joy. 1 raisrd it ever thi obstruction and jumping. into \\ whipped tip the fat.nj.ing Iponebosnnt" I had driven for away from the loue ly. soul-harrowing locality. "But now I saw the strength of my bronchoa was fast ' waning. a : • threatened by this new,difficulty, rand ly urged them on.' shouting and cursing, crying iq my ('despair. Slower slower became their pace, while r.b- time the storm raged and snarled, re ceded anil attacked, .hurling the battering ram of its power dead in the breasts of the mean, little, feeble team, and many, many times bringing fhem to'a dead stop. "I think 1 must have become r. maniac at last I saw one stumble and fall, with his hoof caught in sorot orifice in the ground, while the ether sank slowly, patiently, into the snow, bis life going out in his last struggb to rise. ' ' ""-* "I remember indistinctly of sitting by the side of the bronchos with th'a« awful storm beating about me. am' laughing and chattering as 1 toye»' with their ears, or playfully tickler their sides with the broken butt o*" the whip. Then I remember ot springing to my feet and gibbering a- [ ran. making wide circles aboil' them, dashing up to their bends as 1 have done in my school days, waving my arms to scare them into a scamper. "Then as the fatal warmth began stealing over me, ± sank into the snow and tossed handfuls of it at the scurrying clouds and flying sleet. "When T opened my eyes I believed myself in dreamland. About me was every evidence of eomfort and refinement. The delicious sense of warm fur coverings impressed me, and I raised myself slightly to take in more Of my surroundings. As Ij lifted m\ eyes they feasted on the fairy who had provided my dreamland with al! thesa comforts. She was darkly, radiantly beautiful, ano I reached out my arms to bestow a shower of affectionate gratitude upon her. Then 1 recalled the storm, saw again my dead team, myself running in madness about them, and how I had sunk in exhaustion into the snow. 'And is this death?" i cried to the beautiful spirit hanging over me. 'No,' she.answered, 'you have been saved, and will, I hope, soon be able to arise.',.

"It is useless to dwell on my recovery to full consciousness, "the nryriad of questions asked and the answers returned 'to them. My escape is easily explained. You know, Harry, how it was almost impossible in these days to obtain lumber for the construction of houses on the immense prairie lands of the west, and how, even in the-present day, houses are built by cutting, long strips of sod from the buffalo-tramped earth, laid in layers to the desired height, and covered with a roof of thatch so closely woven as to be impermeable to the rains of summer or the snow* of winter. , Rough as they are in exterior, many of teem are the homes of wealthy ranch owners, and are filled with all the comforts to be found in the most palatial residences of the city. "Well, in . plunging through the drifts my bronchos had at last fallen in the yard of one of these sod dwellings. Frank Coleman, the proprietor of the ranch, pushing from the barn through. the banks of snow heaped before the door, saw the dead team. Shouting encouragement to the driver he knew must be somewhere near, he worked his way about until he discovered my unconscious form partially covered by the drift. Then, -with the fairy upon whom my eyes had opened, he carried me into the house.

. "You now know enough. I am not going to tell you how my 'fairy' became my wife. We occasionally visit the ranch on which my father-in-law, Mr. Coleman, has since constructed one of. the most handsome residences in the west, and then we live over those scenes. "Well, going, old boy? Glad to see you at any time, and my 'fairy* may herself tell you the rest of our story. "Oh, yes. I obtained the affidavits I went after hi; time', and the result of my adventure was my present partnership." - ?! .' r —. Xot I.lke Llniitninf. "Jimmy." exelajraed the first hoy, "tcaehtr jumped on you pretty quick. Yanked you up and walloped you like Hirhtning, didn't be?" "No. ' replied, the other boy, ruefully, "not like lightning. He hit me too often in the same place."—Family Herald. *:.':! A Sure Core. A New York man cured himself of tls grippe by merely f;i-ling. This treatment, however, says the Chicago Tribune, if continued long enough, will put a stop to any disease.