Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1861-12-26


mile, and came back to the tain.
lod So the prisoners sat dowp and whiled
away the time as best they might, in the re,
lation Of anecdotes, telling, stories, and
grumblipg, A few slept, and q large num-
Der tried to do so, without success. .o
The slow hand Of Time, moving more
slowly for them than they remembered it TO
have eger moved before, crept 90 to three
o. clock, and still there was no prospect of
relief and no incident Of note saye the or
rival through the snow Of dozen men sent
by the conductor. They brought word that
help was approaching from the nearest sta
tion where sufficiently powerful locomotive
could be obtained, and that they would pro
tbabIy be started on their way during the
next forenoon These messansxs also
brought a small supply Of prdSifops and a
number of packs Of cards, with kbe latter Of
which many Of the passengers were soon
busy. They now resigned themselves to
another night in the drift.
But at half after three occurred an incl
dent that restored hope Of a more speedy
deliverance to few of the captiyes.
Through the low pine-lands 70 the right
ran road which was very thoroughly pro-
tected from drifting snow by the oser-hang-
ling trees, and along this road there now ap-
peared two pair Of oxen. In front Of the
oxen were five men armed with wooden
snow-shoyels, with which they beat down
and scattered the snow. Behind all was
small, square box on runners. 1t was very
small and contained only one board seat. -
Three persons could sit and three stand 10
it I: no more. ~
Upon the appearance of this squad Of
road breakers with their team, three hearty
cheers went up from the train. They were
immediately answered by the approach Of
the apparent leader of the expedition. He
was a small, active, spare old fellow, 70 In
crusted with frozen snow, which hung all
over him in tiny white pellets, as TO resem-
BILE more an active, uut rather dilninutiye
white bear, than anything else known to
Natural History. He scrambled aud puffed
through the snow till he found mounting.
place upon an unseen fence, when he arose
two orthree feet above the surrounding sur.
face, and spoke. ,fr,i.,i tra ID
There's 1--we on us, an two yoke. - q 1
| Iu A pause. ,--...l .lz ,t. .fe 49, MI.
1.-TWO yoke yender, an FIVE on u.s.
well supposing there is2'' from the
train. ...,I u-. ...... -... l.. l..o..,t
"Five mile to town, continued the White
Bear, IAN been sence nine this mornin' git
tin here Five times FIVE is twenty-five
but, seein' it 'syou L II call il twelve a arf.'
Cali uhdt twelve m 'arf Sheep
Shanks p, from the train. ~
"1hdt man don't ride, nohowl I ",
marked hint l don't cal late to take nc
sarse this trip! Take any six or eight fol
twelve dollars an fifty cents rightstraight tt
the tahyeypl Who hids.?'4 ;.s....ss
I 4 II give you fifteen dollars, my Friend, t
take myself, my wife, and three childreh t.
1t was Samson Newell who spoke.
NJ offered fifteen" cried the White
Bear, pricking up his ears; 'goin' to til,
tahvern at fifteen who says fifteen n 'arf?
II do! from q pursy passenger with
double chin and a heavy fob-c chain.
| He glanced round a little savagely, hav
ling made his bid, as who should say, "And
should like to see the man who will raise i I
| m arr! u 'arf! n 'arf? N 'arf J.
cried the White Bear, growing much excl
ted,-''an' who says sixteen" III f., w.,
Samson Newell nodded.
"Sixteen dollars sixteen sixteen! w,
can't tarry, gentlemen
The White Bear proved the truth of thi
latter assertion by suddenly disappearing
beneath the snow. He re-appeared in an in
stant and re-assumed his outcry.
II see the gentleman sixteen" quoti
, the man who had called the White Bea
"Shesp- p-Shanks, 'and go Fifty. cents bet
ter ".''1i iitu1s-F - st'S'
II see you" replied the auctioneer, ian
don t take your bid Who says sixteen n
'arf?" VI ri. 0ts, Enri 40 e8s
II do |" quoth the Double Chin; and b
glowered upon his fellow passengers wrath
fully. . r.mai9y5p Z, 81
At this instant appeard Old Woollen O
, the scene. In one hand he bore his pockei
t book in the other, paper covered wit
f calculations The latter he studied intent
t for q moment then,- aml
"I'll give you sixteen dollars an sixty
t two n half cents; an if you ever com
q round our way -
: The jubilant auctioneer, fairly dancin
upon the fence in the energy of his deligh
b broke in here,- l
E Cant take no bids, gentlemen, short ,
d q halfdollar rise, each time !"
Old Woollen retired, discounted, and W,
seen no more.
}, From this point the bidding ran up raj
!, idly till it reached twenty five dollars, whe
! it stopped. Samson Newell being the success
: full bidder i!l.i i'j ~ n' ,h"Yf
v 1t was a study to watch the man, h6
r that his chance for reaching home that d,
e Frightened, Instead OF being elate, b
Y spirits seemed to fall as he made his arriv
d at the village certain. 'iM g i.i'ifs'
" "Aht" he thought, "are my father al
i mother yet livingP How will my brothe
is and sisters welcome me homer alf
|e1a How, indeed? -lsh ll71 .idait supnr
l, -ii- 1lt ia fT rHl-----ifDl r. fffeI ut sJi
L In the village where dwelt Jacob New
!, and his wife, an old man, lame and total
> blind, had been tor over thirty years Ell
=, ployed by the town to ring the meetin
y household at noon, and at nine clock
u the evening. For this service. the sala
\ fixed generations before was five dollar
!, and summer and winter, rain or shine,
= y was always at his post at the instant ''C
Z lnWhen the old man rang the evening-b
- on the Thanksgiving Day whereof writ
y he aroused Jacob and his wife from de-
A. reyerie. nt IyussT --ugSr,,otir1j
- "Oh, jacob said the latter, "sueh
~ T. waking dream as 1 have had I thoug
~ ~ they all stood before me,-all, ,-aevery one
- none missingi And they were little ch
: dren again; aud had come to say their prs
. ers before going to bed |! They were all thel
:. and could not drive it from my heart th
~ loved Samson bestl" 9as3stasa.
y His name had hardly been mentioned
3 tween them for fifteen years. " nkau