Villanova Digital Library - The Youth's companion : the best of American life in fiction fact and comment, v. 92, no. 46, November 14, 1918. :: Digital Library@Villanova University

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Full Title	The Youth's companion : the best of American life in fiction fact and comment, v. 92, no. 46, November 14, 1918.
Contributor	LeRoy, Harriet Crocker.
Date Added	21 January 2015
Format	Journal
Language	English
Publish Date	1918-11-14
Publisher	Boston : Perry Mason Company
Source	Dime Novel and Popular Literature
Alternate Title	Huckleberry Molly / by Harriet Crocker LeRoy.
Topic	Popular literature > Specimens. Story papers > Specimens. Children's periodicals, American.
About	More Details Permanent Link
Disclaimers	Disclaimer of Liability Disclaimer of Endorsement

OCR '-s2:‘,G%3 E.-‘Q’-.'x."% &?“:.."$e’% :w"z“..'-.s.':’% %’ “‘.$Z‘s?i‘.‘s:?“& &‘sa’.’$% %'-$a‘v'$.'$ &v‘:$‘.'-.tb’.(:’(5 %':'.e‘.<.%5 ?x.'.‘.'-5:.’ UCKLEBERRY Molly trudged up the steep path to the little house at the foot of the mountain. The long basket on her back, partly supported by the band of cloth that across her forehead. was half full of huckleberries. As she sank down wearily on the top step she slipped the heavy basket from her shoulders. Alice Gordon tame out on the small porch. Iler cheeks were flushed and there were berry stains on her big apron. The pleasant odor of ' fruit came from the house. When Alice saw Iluckleberry Molly she frowned a little. At times, Alice, in common with some of her neighbors, got a. little tired of Molly's visits; but the girl’s natural kindness of heart always came to the top, as it did now. “My, you're tired, a.ren’t you,-Mob ly? " she said. “ And it's so warml How far have you married that heavy basket?" Molly smiled up at her. " Eight- nine mile to-day, over on Pine Moun- tain. Iluckleberries thick over there. You want some more?" Alice Gordon considered. “Well, I've got sixteen quarts put up already. That ought to be enough, with the rat of my fmit. " Without a. word, Huckleberry Molly reached for her basket and began to slip the supporting band round her fore- head. ‘ “Wa.itl" said Alice. “I think I will take them, Molly. I'll get a pen and you measure them out. Ilow much are they now?” “Two bits quart. Me give you big quarts, you good to me long time. " When Molly had measured out the berries, Alice brought her some cool lemonade and something to eat. The old sqnaw was plainly glad to sit on the shady porch and rest while she ate the luncheon. When at last she rrse to go, she looked up at the towering peak of Old Eagle that reared its rocky summit a thousand feet above the house "You stay here this winter?” she asked. “You live in this house?" “Why, of course i" said Alice “While my husband's work is here we'll live our house." S udly as sh round at the porch and the bright little flower garden in front. “I like better you not live here this winteri" Molly muttered. “Ileapsnowl Big, g snow-more than for long time. Me? I know-Injuns know ‘bout big snow. Old Eagle slide-mebbe kil " Alice Gordon laughed. “Mercy l" she said. “Are you a witch, Molly? Ilow do you know there’ll be big show this winter?" . “Injun buck kill bear last week- much fat heap fat. Injuns know. Can't fool old Molly." lilnmbling to herself, she shamed awkwardly down the path. When John Gordon came home from work that night, his young wife told him of Huckleberry Molly's doleful‘ prediction. “Well,” he said, “I guess if anyone knows, lt’s an Indian People up here say they never fail. Seven years ago was the last big snow-more than twenty feet deep on the level." . Alice laughed incredulously. “llow absurd! Why, twenty feet would be clear over the roof of this housel" “ I should say so! " John Gordon replied smiling. “This house is only nfteen feet high. We're likely to get snowed under if we stay here, but there's no danger of Old Eagle’s slid- ing. There’ve been plenty of slides round here,-the railway knows all about that,--but Old Eagle has never slid. They say it's too steep-the snow keeps siollghing off and doesn't stay on long enough to form an avalanche So don't you worry, dear." After supper they took the baby out ,.... ; .Ii(‘ - - on the cool porch, and satin the dusk swinging slowly in the hammock. The baby in his white nightgown was asleep on Alice's arm. Their young hearts were full of content as they watched the shire come out one by one in the small patch of sky over the high peaks round them. At Erst.when the young railway man had brought her to this wild, deep nook in the mountains, Alice had been filled with something almost like fear. From the pleasant, level stretches of southem Cnlliomia, to which she had always boon nocusicrned, to these deep, dark canons and towering orags of the High Cast-ad:-s had been for her a marvelous and not altogether plmsing change; but gradually she had heonrne used to the place, and had grown to love the great gray rocks and the hardy nrurvu n u. c lrrwnrrna green femsl that grew round them, the swift cascades, from which the mountains got their name, and the wild, uneonquered fieroenem of E 1. August with its hot, dreamy days melted into September and the smoky, hazy dnys began. Far off there were mountain ares. Some days the sun shone only as a yellow ball and at night the moon was red. Then October aims and with it the flaming colors of changing leaves. Old Eagle was aare with red and ' low. -4 9. Early in October Alice ruse one morning and, looking from her window, could not repress a cry of wonder and delight. llalfway up Old Eagle the wonderful colors were suddenly blottal out by an expanse of glistening white. It was the first snow that Alice had ever ‘ta ransom wen mam mwss secs asmzsz.-is $9 2% VOLUME ez No.46 , "‘“"”rt";t".rbn.:son.p..m...L.c..... Nov. ,4, ,9“, E230 3 an BEST or AMERICAN urrr ’ IN FICTION FACTAND common I : E E: S. PUBUSHED EVERY THURSDAY [N THE YEAR covrrluhr. rm. by Perry Mason cumvnnv. Horton. Mus. WK) DOLLARS AYEAR ‘ FWE CENTS A WW ‘ ‘is, seen, and for long periods that day she stood at the door and looked up at the mountain peaks. John enjoyed her childish delight in the spectacle “We come early." he said, with n lauxrh. “Here it is only the 7th of October and the first snowi I guess Huckleberry Molly knew what she was talking about, all right. It's likely to a tough winter. The fellows down at the station say there‘ll be trouble I.-plenty on the railway, just as there was seven years we when not a wheel except the rotary snowplough turned for a whole month. " Alice looked at him with shining eyes. “0h," she said, “what an experi- encel How glad I am there's to be lots of snow this winterl Think, John, I never even touched it in my lifel" October slipped into November. The days were short and dreary, and each brought either min or snow. Early in December the snow began to fall in earnest Flake of almost incredible sire floated down steadily all day and all night and all day again. Trains became irregular, and at last stopped running altogether. , Six miles below the mountain ham- let a freight train was stalled between two slides, and while standing there it was taught. by another slide and married bodily down into a canon seven hundred feet deep. A.few days later a mountain side covered with green tim. her tore down in an avalanche and wrecked a long bridge over a ravine. Tire railway men worked long hours and risked their lives every day. Acci- dents occurred but no fatalities, and the men unoonoemedly went on keep- ing the road as clear as possible. in the little house at the foot of Old Eagle Alice Gordon did not fear any danger. lier neighbors frcrn the valley below often came up to see her, and they assured her that no house in the hamlet was safer than hers. Old Eagle had never slid-would never slide. Day by day the snow crept higher: it completely covered the windows and then the roof John out 1 narrow passageway upward from the front porch so that he and his wife could go up to the surface by steep, hard-packed snow steps. People on snowshoes walked over one nnother's houses and in some places over the snow -buried electric-light wires. In the hamlet the long, cove snow shed that had been built years before for the children to use in going back and forth between home and school was in constant use leading off from it at intervals were smaller sheds that connected the various houses with that main artery of passage. Thus the women could visit one another with- out exposing themselves to the cold and the snow. Little by little. however, the snow sifted into the sheds through the openings that had been left for light, and in time you had to bend almost double in order to get through. Fortu- nately, the little town was supplied with electric light; otherwise life in the darkened, buried houses would have been much less endurable. No shed connected John Gordon's house with the main artery, but there was a hard- packed path that went straight from the steps in the snow to the nearest covered ‘sigeway. At C hristmss every one of the twenty- homes in the place had its own Christ- mas tree. and there were happy gather- ings, good dinners and much laughter. Turkeys and chickens had been brought in on the rotary snowplouxh and the one store of the village was well sup- plied with necessary staples. There was no fear of famine as yet, but no one knew at what moment a slide more disastrous than the others might out ad the supplies from outside. At last, I week or two after Christ- runs, the snow ceased falling and it began to rain. For two days rain fell 3?z1‘t'et-'3 8?:‘.."+z-‘I33 E?-9. if ‘if;‘.‘7.""7:%i‘.‘:5.-'t‘a'r.'<2".2 !iE.‘7.'7'>".G:‘.‘.’ $.?9.‘x’.’.."? “3‘...‘J’:?'7'.% %‘Iz'5"7Y'u';'3 E.%“oi‘2&.:?‘T'..s.."':’%’ %.$’>'2K& $.%.C."5.$ $5.8. .33.’? 3.4235’ $37.1 .x."‘53 53“.-‘z’:7'5'.% "‘a:.'J:7“;‘x'.‘$’$.’ $:?9.‘% %)‘.7.:?%.‘s;':'? 9?? %’;?‘?."..‘.’2 ‘:'>’&’.-7‘32E’-’?. 2.“.739'.% ‘8t‘.‘z’.'Wa% -i.

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