This report came with the air of authority; the man who
brought it knew what he was talking about; of that I had
no doubt. For the time being, he said, no horses could
possibly get through.
That very day I happened to meet another man who was
habitually driving back and forth between the two towns.
"Why don't you go west?" he said. "You angle over anyway.
Go west first and then straight north." And he described
in detail the few difficulties of the road which he
followed himself. There was no doubt, he of all men should
certainly know which was the best road for the first
seventeen miles. He had come in from that one-third-way
town that morning. I knew the trails which he described
as summer-roads, had gone over them a good many times,
though never in winter; so, the task of finding the trail
should not offer any difficulty. Well and good, then; I
made up my mind to follow the advice.
On Friday afternoon everything was ready as usual. I rang
off at four o'clock and stepped into the hall. And right
there the first thing went wrong.
Never before had I been delayed in my start. But now
there stood three men in the hall, prominent citizens of
the town.
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