One afternoon John was cutting up wood when a neighbor drove up in his car．
“Have you heard the 1 about the mine in Placerville?” he asked．“There was a cave - in and a miner was killed．He has three children．The 2 thing is, his wife is dead．He only has a married sister who might take them 3 she lives on the other side of the Sierras．And the snow is too 4 to get any mail across the mountains．”
John went on working, but his thoughts were on the snow - covered 5 through the mountains．He remembered 6 as a boy he had climbed snow mountains on snowshoes．He examined the wood．Then and there he decided to make a pair of snowshoes out of it．
After he made them he began to practise on his snowshoes until he felt 7 of himself．Then he showed his neighbors how his snowshoes 8 ．
Stepping forward, one of the town elders spoke up．“If you are ready．Go ahead and carry the mail．” With neither tracks nor paths to 9 , he moved ahead on what he believed to be the proper 10 ．As he went up the mountains the wind and cold could barely slow him down．
When darkness 11 ．John still moved on, guided by the stars．It was late into the night when he finally decided to stop．He must save his 12 for the long journey still ahead．
Finding the stump of a tree, he set it on 13 ．Then he made a platform of branches on the snow．Stretching out on it with his feet to the fire and the mailbag under his head, he fell asleep．
After three days of traveling, he 14 smoke curling upward from the chimneys．John knew he was nearing the town．As he glided into town, people 15 out of their homes and gathered around him．They started in 16 at the blue - eyed man on strange snowshoes．
“I brought you mail from Placerville,” John said simply．
The following day the sister of the dead miner gave John a letter, “I’ll come 17 the children as soon as the pass is clear．” She told him．
For the next five winters, 18 paid little, snow - shoes John went on steadily carrying the mail．For many years John was talked about as the famous mail - carrying 19 of the Far West．He was also 20 for the shoes he wore．They were the first snow - shoes, ever seen in California．