LITERATURE.

Globe, Volume I, Issue 24, 27 June 1874, Page 4

LITERATURE.

JUST HIS DUTY, A STORY OP THE GREAT MINNESOTA SNOWSTORM. Continued. Only a light sprinkling of snow had fallen since bis departure; so that he was able to retrace the journey by his own track, and was tolling heavily up a steepish hill, when, of a sudden, his ear was caught by the dismal howling of a dog far away. He paid no heed, thinking it came from the settlement ; and presently it ceased, then changed to a bark, growing nearer and nearer ; till finally, a large black dog came in sight round a point of rock, and, bound’ing upon him, began a series of fawning and whining, running away a few steps, and returning to look up in his face with all a dog’s frenzy of impotent eloquence. Men soon grow to understand these signs in the far West. Hugh knew, as well as if he had been told, that somewhere within hail that dog’s master was lying in strait so great as to need help ; and help accordingly he set out to give. The dog led the way and he followed; now stumbling, now falling outright ; sometimes letting the handle of the sled slip from his half-frozen fingers, and often determing to give up the attempt and get home while he could ; but always urged on, as much by that inflexibility which made part of the man’s character as by of leaving a fellowcreature to perish within reach. So on and on, for half a mile or so ; and then the dog topped beside a big, motionless mound of snow, and Hugh, bending forward, found himself staring into the white and rigid face of his bid enemy, Miles Pearson. Independent of rivalry, this man had. always been peculiarly obnoxious to Hugh e He was a big, burly fellow, foul in his tongaq and loose in his living, with a rooted hatre a . to “ Britishers ” —which he took every occ c * sion of testifying by the coarsest offen ! which could be conveyed into words an a manner—and an amount of brutal good look 8 and flash attire, which found him favor wit* 1 the White Waters women, and were mor e offensive to Garston than any insults. Tha 1 * such a man should dare to admire, Malva Keith, and not be repulsed with loathing, had certainly lowered that young lady in her lover’s eyes ; and of late the two men had hardly even met without exhibiting a manifest animosity, which White Waters, looking on with cheerful anticipation, predicted would soon “ end in shooting.” Pearson was a dead bullet within a hundred yards, and had killed his man before. White Waters considered it safe to lay ten to two against the schoolmaster, and waited rather impatiently for an opportunity to “realize.” Now, Pearson lay a half-frozen, insensible log upon the Minnesota snows ; and Hugh Garston stood above him !

Only for a moment ; then he knelt down and felt the man’s wrist. It gave back no answering beat. He laid his hand on his heart; that still tinted on, but ’■'cry feebly. Death was runningTTrace with Miles Pearcon, and no time could 1.3 lost if he were to be beaten. Hugh lost none. Without a moment’s hesitation, he set to work to force some drops of brandy down the man’s throat; then jerked the bags of food out of the sled, and half dragged and lifted the helpless body on to it instead. The children were very hungry, but they could wait. Miles was past waiting. But, not to lose the food, he drove the long stick wlta which he had been walking into the frozen snow, and fastened the dog to him. He had got out of the way, he knew, and was far from home ; but that would mark the spot. And now he looked round, ha 1 f despairingly, for some shelter, and straightway uttered a shout of joy. A spiral column of smoke was rising into the air, beside a huge grey bluff, about half a mile off; and Hugh’s heart beat thankfully as he recogn’zed the chimneys of Keith’s homestead. As he st. rted to reach it the snow b3gan to fall.

In the great log kitchen at the Keiths’, the family were all gathered round a huge fire that afternoon, talking of the snow, of the time it had lasted and the casualties it had occasioned and wondering -when fine weather would set in again, Abram Keith had beard of a Minnesota bride and bi idegroom snowed-up in the sleigh, en route to their m. tried home, and only rescued after two days—living, but crippled for life ; and his father told of a neighbor found dead and frozen stiff, within a few yards of his house, that very morning. There was no end of such stories. Only Malva held her tongue, and looked pale and weary. Possibly she had begun to miss Hugh Garston. A heavy bang at the door star Jed them all ; and Abram, going to open it, gave vent to such a volley of oaths and ejaculations of wonder as brought all the family to his side, and jurned the solo to a chorus. No wonder for what had entered was the body of a man, feet foremost, laid on a sled ; and propelled by! another man, who, as if utterly exhausted, dropped his burden at the door, and staggered to a bench, without utterng one word in reply to the questions which assailed him. No heed was paid to him, however, for all eyes had turned upon the uooareut corpse; and there was another urout from Abram.

‘Jeehosphat and all his tarnation grand- , flea, ef’taint Miles Pearson!’ tie whole house was in a commotion at c _e. Brandy and hot blankets were called ror, Miles was put into Abram’s bed ; and every one was so busy in attending to his reotoration, that Hugh had stumbled to the fire, helped himself to a drink of hot coffee, and turned to the door again, before any one noticed him, Then Mrs Keith cried out—- “ Garston, don’t open that, man ; or you’ll let more cold in." ‘ I will shut it behind me,’ he said, laconically. ‘ Why, what the fury ! —you’re not going?’ in a chorus from the men. 1 Yes, I am —home.’ Abram delivered himself of a whole bagful of curses, ingeniously diversified. Malva came close, and put her hand wonderingly on her lover’s arm. Hugh did not look at her; but turning to his host stated the reason for his departure—nine famishing children. ‘ What 1 out there ? Wny I reckoned you were coming down here till the thaw. Where did you spot poor Miles, then V Hugh told. * An’ you left the prog, and come away to toat him along down here 1 Well, I’m darned !’ Old Keith shrugged his shoulders; but Malva’s eyes glistened, and her warm fingers stole down his arm, and glided sinuously into his gloved ones. ■ <■ (To be continued.)