WOMAN'S EDITION THE DALLES TIMES-MOUNTAINEER.
0
j Spirit of the Cascades . . .
One autumn, many years ago, eastern Now, today dark is liable to catch you
Oregon seemed to have gathered all her in the middle o' the lava an' then you're
forces of storm and flood into peaceful- as good as buried."
THIS SEASON
ness. Each day the sky rose blue and
distant above the bare hills and sage
brush plain. The hills bore no majestic
trees to make petty the distance from
The white light of the snow-
intensi
fied the strong lines of the men's faces ;
but falling upon the woman in the door
wav revealed onlv marks of care and
earth to heaven, and men had not yet hardship. A little in front stood the
cared or were not able to erect lofty mail-carrier, just bending to fasten his
buildings to break the brown monotony snowshoes. With a last lift and shake
of the valleys. While th' clouds seemed 0f each to prove security, he turned to
to have forgotten that their duty was to answer his friends' warnings. A hearty
hold men to the necessities of life and contented face looked out from the dark
fur cap drawn close over head and ears,
and his eyes held no trace of uneasiness
as they glanced from sky to snow cov
ered earth.
"Bigger danger for me underfoot than
overhead today," he said with a laugh.
"Yonder cloud's black with storm,"
said the woman as she pointed to the
eastern sky. "You'd better let it pass
by before you start. There's a snow
bird frozen see it fall ! When the
oon
had wandered away, leaving the child
ren of earth to dream in idleness, un
reproved by rain or wind. Day after
day one might gaze up from the lazy
stretch of those dull plains to the cloud
less blue sky so blue and so far away
that it filled the senses with indefinable
sadness.
A world of peace it seemed, but the
few who watched saw many signs of
coming storm. The creatures of the
mountains were deserting their homes birds of the air are helpless men'll
and stealthily gathering in the valleys, he crying for sheltor."
The timid deer, forgetting shyness, ran "X,, no, Mother Oale, your cloud's
lightly past the cabin doors. Clouds of no more than a wind that'll lift me up
fine dust that rose suddenly from the the mountain like a feather," answered
iry hill-top and ran quickly from sum- the carrier. "Never worry, my day'll
mit to base, announced the coming of bring me back sound as ever."
the graceful antelope to water. The Tossing the mail-bag over his shoul
hardy badger surely he, in his earth' der and winding the bright scarf close
stronghold is safe if any is even he alnnit his neck, he walked swiftly over
had donned a rough, shaggy coat of fur the glistening snow. The woman re
that made his already burly and clumsy turned to her work and the men, enter
body look grotesquely awkward as he ing the cabin, tilted their chairs com
sunned himself before his ground-house fortably against the wall or drew them
door. Rabbits were masquerading in to the open fire, which piled high with
snow-white robes, running in and out juniper knots, blazed and sparkled, fill
among the gray sage-brush or sitting ing the room with ruddy light,
upright affectedly, with dainty fore- "There's a hard trip ahead of him
feet held drooping before them like this time," said old Joe as he gave his
ML istti
ii h
Will be a Record Breaker in
our Clothing Sales.
To find t lie cause vmi will
not have far to go. . . .
Our $7.50,
-i MEN'S
$IO, $12.50
suits y
11 o
hands. Watchers saw these signs, rec
ognizing the thick and silvery fur and
the friendliness of the usually distrust
ful as oft-noted heralds of winters long
remembered for their merciless cold.
time-worn pipe a generous filling. had been steadily gathering during the
"But it'll take more than snow to afternoon, for a moment parted and the
scare him," replied the man in the mail-carrier saw the lava bed clothed in
, . Al splendor. All through the vear it had
corner. Then he told how, m the storm ,ain thus hi(le0us and desolate, like an
a few years before, the mail-carrier had accursed place, but the glittering snow-
the little box perched on a tall, slender
pole, but in reality mail-boxes, odd
little homes where the ranchers from
miles away sought cheer and company.
Then came the big trees, marking the
foot of the mountain, and every bow
was veiled in misty white. Shrubs and
bushes had vanished from sight, tucked
away under the warm white covering,
and the trees, looking their scorn on
these dwarfs and babes in their cosy
beds, stood sad and unflinching under
the burden that bent their strong limbs
to the earth. Now and then a pine bow
grew weary ot its burden, ami, swaying M
ouicklv, would tin the snow off with a n
startling whisk, Then, rising merrily
like a lazy man as he yawns -and
stretches until each finger, each muscle
feels the sensuous thrill so the bough
relaxed and expanded to the utmost,
until every needle stood stiff and apart
from its fellows. Thus the morning
passed and afternoon came, bringing
with it a quick snow storm from which
the carrier sought shelter under one of
the heavily laden trees.
When he again took up the journey
the snow crust of the morning was hid
den under the soft, fresh snowfall.
There was pleasure in feeling the dry,
powdery whiteness yield at every step
and in seeing the light flakes on either
side fall over foot and snowshoe; a
pleasure akin to letting the bare feet
sink deep into the warm, golden dust of
summer, or walking through quivering
pine needles or grass thickly strewn
with apple blossoms of spring time; a
pleasure rare and sweet to one whose
feet have long been bound to hard walks
and sunbaked earth. But the carrier's
pleasure soon passed, for each step be
came more difficult than the last. When
the steep mountain lay below, night
was almost upon him and the traveler's
cabin he must reach was across the
wide lava bed. The dark clouds that A Jeneral Banking Business transacted. Deposits received, sub-
J A. '
Furnish the substance on which we make
the above assertion
These lines have been selected with the
greatest care and are the productions of the
best clothing manufacturers in the land.
They excel in point of style, quality of ma
terial, fit and finish and appeal, as'a conse
quence, to every man. To see the most cor
rect styles and patterns you should see our
lines.
Mail orders promptly and carefully tilled.
Samples on request.
A. M. WILLIAMS & CO.
Till: DALLES, OKK.
J. s.
SCHKNCK,
President.
II. M.
BKALL,
Cashier.
- First National Bank,
THE DALLES, OREGON.
Soon the promise was fulfilled and the "dden all day in blinding snow, while drifts and the glow of the setting sun
autvof late autumn yielded to bleak- the cold froze his breath as it passed soothed its jagged peaks and deep
iautj 01 laie aiuumn yieiueu iu meaw , , ravines into a "learning plain. The
jeet to Sight Draft or Check.
Collections made and proceeds promptly remitted on day of
collection. Sight and Telegraphic Exchange sold on
New York, San Francisco and Portland.
Ph
clouds shut out the sunshine and the
mail-carrier went, wearily on. Through
beauty
ness of winter. Clouds of cold gray Irom nis nostrns, ana lert nis eye-iasnes
r.ro,wi ovprvt.hinff with a shatlmv nf stiff with frost. On and on he had
gloom
shivering to
patient cattle ceaselessly before it o.- iefc! irom ,nu "n master h would throw him headlong
huddled them close under shed or tree, boast ; a horse that raging cattle could abyss or bury him 111 the uncertain
-o-
.... .... . 1 111 1 1
The cutting wind sent men urged Ins way until he had tound the tnose nuiaen ravines ne must seek a
the fireside and drove the o meet 01 ms search an 01a norse, use- f , J . , J 7-
uie ureiui, uiu uroe me j .. . . blackened as guides, when a false step
into an
I). P. THOMPSON,
DIKKCTOKS.
JNO. S. SCHENCK,
(iKO. A. LIEBK,
EI).
II. M. BEA LI,.
M. WILLIAMS,
Every living creature sought a hiding not bewilder ; that, unguided, over the depths of a snowdrift.
p.ace, venturing forth on!y when forced n,o,t (1an,eroS ,n,i. al in bUekt ZZJt
by hunger or thirst. The clouds grew night could carry his master home with- )lark. Once he stenoed off the nathwav
tenoed off the path
heavier and the cold more intense until outataiter. And ins master iiad not and plunged into a ravine, shivering as
hill and valley lay under a mantle of forgotten but had saved him from the he felt the sense of subjugation by the
turv 01 the storm. yn,u,ulT MC.iUuuJ , uium, mncM
1 1 1 1 t 1 1 thing. And once he wandered far out
As the tale ended old Joe drew his of tfie way? fimling his mistake onlv
pipe from his mouth, gazed into it, when he came to a lone tree that he
laughing silently for a moment, and knew. Again and again he bent his
bean : " numb fingers to scrape the snow from
"!tt i. i. u e 1 1 at his heavy shoes. Wearv and benumbed
He us t to be forever helpin Mac s with co he at ,ast pa;sed the aya be(l
boy rig up firearms to play with. The and wandered blindly up and down
lad came in an inch o' killin' himself a over the snow heaps in search of the
T 1 1
dozen times or more. Mac got worn
out at it and wanted to know of the fel
low
New York
snow.
Travel was almost impossible and the
lonely lives of the ranchers threatened
to become even more desolate as the
routes were shortened and changed.
But the mail had been carried without
a failure along one of the most dangerous
lines the one leading from the "City of
the Reinrock," over the clear waters of
the Crooked river and swift Deschutes,
on up and across the Cascades, near the
stately Three Sisters. The mail-carrier
Cash Store
of that road was daunted by neither
heat nor cold. The night of the great m' on Mac, says he: 'You've seen
what he meant by puttin' such
mischief in the boy's head."
"The carrier studied a bit, then turn-
em
1 .1 . -W T -
caoin on tne summit. He couia see
nothing, could find nothing, until, after
long groping, he stumbled against the
chimney top the cabin was buried
beneath the snowdrfft.
He leaned dejectedly against the snow-
draped rocks, too exhausted to battle
At length he roused himself
longer
storm found him at the lodging house bring in a wild magpie to train? You and slipping his mail-bag from his shoul-
in Ochoco valley and when he awoke in know the foolish thin 'll its aer, ne sirugg.eu until ne joosenea nis
in utiiotu vdney, aiiu mien ne .tnuke m snowshoes, and placing them with the
the morning and, opening the door, saw head and batter lts wlnS8 gainst the maiL dronned them all down the dark
11 -
the snow follow over the threshold, and bars, as it all it craved was just to man- chimney. Slowly and drowsily climb
looked out over the white world before gle itself out o' all shape. But let the ing upon the chimney top, half falling,
him he exclaimed- worry run its course an' you'll see your he descended after them Lying pros-
nim, ne exciaimea . - j trate on the floor he pushed the wood
"Well, well! Old Mother Earth's put fllf ty Pettle down n l,,Pereh ready for lighting, into its place and
on her nightcap ! Let her sleep ;
nn ntPfl nf hfr for wwks to nnmp."
man, it 11
Undismayed by the storm's severity,
he had mounted his horse, ploughed
through the heavy snow, forded icy
rivers and safely reached his last resting
place before the mountain was crossed.
Then he brought out his home-made
snowshoes, for the horse could go no
farther.
In the bright sunlight of the winter
morning a group of men stood before
the juniper cabin, watching the mail
carrier's preparations for his mountain
climb, each giving his warning or proph
ecy as to the day's weather.
"I wouldn't be in your shoes for a bit
today," said Joe. Then added, "Not as
I've got anything against the shoes as
shoes."
"Folks over the summit hadn't ought
to look for mail during storms," said
another. "It's too much risk for the
sake of o scrap o' paper."
can't flutter a feather, why'
reached to the wall near by where he
knew each traveler took care to leave
the matches. His hand, moving un-
soon be stone dead on your hands, or if fell thiAh. Ju the floor ljefore him
it pulls through it'll turn out witless as He reached for one to light the fire,
a chicken. An' Mac, says he, 'human His frozen fingers could not grasp it !
bein's take after magpies mightv close. Jesting and striving again he struggled
Tf , . ,, , ., . . , desperately to force the numb fingers to
If they're ever goin' to be worth raisin' ther vyork-. Again and again hegtried.
they've got to get many a hard knock He could hold nothing. Hopelessly his
'fore you can get 'em to sit content on head dropped upon his outstretched
their perch in life. Don't grudge the arm' , In a moment the mail-carrier
lad his fun-the knocks ha' got to come gG thev f'ound him . there on the sum.
and young bones '11 mend sooner '11 old mit of the Cascades his comrades gave
ones.' " him a grave befitting the life he had
"Mac was so upset by the man's ed; Al . , . ,
u xi A 1 , 1 , , , Al On the road which crosses the moun-
harangue that he said if he d known the tains close under guardianship of the
boy was gom' to blow 'em all up that snow-clad Sisters, a few steps before the
night he couldn't 'a said a word." lava bed is reached, there is a square
Thus these idle men sat and gossiped Pile of 1; evidently arranged with
.., , . .. . care. Travelers often ask its story and
until the frost pencilhngs on the win- the guide has as often answered : '
dow panes gave way to blurring steam. "That's the grave of the mail-carrier
Meanwhile the mail-carrier was speed- who crossed the mountain in early times,
ing swiftly over the encrusted, sparkling He froze. to death with firewood in a
u-i i.i . , , . , , T foot of him and matches right under
snow, while the cold air set his blood hishand8. The cabin? Yo5 can see
dancing in his veins. Twice he stopped some of the charred timbers there. Yes,
138 and 142 Second Street,
THE DALLES, ... OREGON.
We open our line for the new season with much the
same feeling of confidence one experiences when wheat
is yielding forty bushels to the acre and commanding
seventy-five cents per bushel, or wool fifteen cents per
pound. So many good things grouped together at our
store that it is impossible to tell you about them all :t
once. OUR NEW CATALOGUE will do this, and if
you have not received one drop us a line and we will
mail vou one.
A. C. GIGER & CO.
The Snipes Kinersly
Drug Company.
( INCORPORATED. )
Drugs, Paints, Oils,
Wall Paper, Window Glass.
"If the lava bed was out o the way, to pIace mail in what a 8tranger would a hard life the mail-carrier leads."
said another, "t' wouldn't be so bad. have called a "bird-house'.' as he saw
Julia Veazie Glkn. 12O SECOND STREET,
THE DALLES, OltEGOX