Sunset Ranch: A Story of a Boy's Adventures in the West — page 87: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

A Dakota Blizzard. 79 where in that direction the four angry Sioux braves still aired their grievance while they packed meat. “See here, Cuthbert,” he said, at last. “We've like as not said good-by to them red fellers, but there’s worse going to happen.” “All right; I’m ready for the next item on the programme,” said Cuthbert, lightly, for, now that the Indians were out of sight, he was inclined to laugh at the episode. “Say, haven’t you noticed that it’s been getting colder?” asked Karl, and there was a look in his face that made Cuthbert serious at once. The atmosphere had, indeed, suddenly changed, and it was several degrees colder than at sunrise; indeed, while the boys were working they several times mechanically paused to slap their arms vig- orously about to induce circulation and restore warmth to their benumbed digits. To Karl, brought up amid the dangers of the great prairie, there was a significance in this drop ~ of the temperature that it would be folly to over- look. “Sure’s you're born, we’re in for a blizzard,” he said, emphatically. That word had no particular terror for Cuthbert as yet—he thought he knew what a storm meant, but after he had passed through one experience of this sort, it would have a new significance, and the very mention of the word must ever cause an icy chill to chase up and dewn his spinal column. According to the cowboy’s reckoning, the condi- tions were all favorable for such a catastrophe, though it was as yet early in the season for so grim a visitant. To his credit be it said, Karl’s worry of mind was mostly in connection with the cattle out upon the range—they must suffer more or less, though the COMGIOO ‘S C©