Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1861-04-18

that, to my dying day, | shall never forget.
She made mn attempt to speak, but her lips
trembled, and her frame became conyul5ed, and
she burst INTO a paroxysm Of weeping so violent
as to prevent her from uttcring a word
d" Nevp mimi, q, nerer miad, dN mlfe,' |
soothingly said, as soon as | could speak, g yoH
nced not try 10 tell mel know MI. But cheer
up, mar for hopgh ! bring no meat, you and
Me ohid,m shaH yd be saped.
And with that ran to my cupboard took
Town a large spoon, and filing it from my flask
of spirits, approached and poured it into her
mouth, and then administered, one after anoth-
er, a like dose to each Of my children. ! then
kindled up a smart fire, hung over it a pot Of
water, into which | flung a little salt, seized my
gun, examined Tie ptiming, and saying, IN
answer to the ~inquirin2 look Of my wife, that
would be back with some kind of game within
an hour, rushed out Of the house for the woods.
| remembered that there was q cove Of still wa
ter in the river about ball a mile from the house
IN a deep and dark part Of The forest, where the
moose often %rcsorted, to keep the musketocs and
flies from their legs, by standing in the water
tho fore part Of the night. To that spot now
directed my steps. 4r,.l reaching the place,
as | did with much difficulty, owing to the
thick underbrush, and the darkness which was
there 50 great that could not see a hand before
my face, | cautiously crept forward to the edge
Of the water and took my stand opposite to the
path in which the moose used to come down into
the core. Here stood some twenty minutes,
when suddenly the we'll known, heavy and
peculiar tramp--h dmP-trdnp of the long
stepping moose distinctly fell, and fast grew
louder, on my ear. And, presently, with a
crash and a splash, the animal can't down the
bank in the old path, and plunging into tie wa
ter, came to a dead halt within fifty yards Of the
spot where was standing. My heart leapcd
into my mouth at the sounds, and my gun was
quickly brought to my shoulder, and my finger
inyoluntarily began 10 draw on the trigger
But what the use in firing, "hcn the animal was
US invisible to me as if he were a mile distant
None, unless some higher power iDterposed to
assist me. Yet fire must and therefore, in
an agony of earnestness, | broathed the prayer
"Faihr Of aH-haper Of the suffering, Jeedr
IF the hungry, thou seest The situation Of my
starving famuiy, and The certaiin dcoth that
ocaits them, ,cithout specify reb9. Then, O,
,nit thou not in Thy mercy, direct ihe bullet, and
propidc the JooG phich shall sarc them from per.
ishing. Amen"
with the last word | pulled the trigger and
the d~cafening report of my heavily loaded gun
pealed out on the husbed wilderness while the
sudden and terrible p%lunging and splashing, as
of a strong animal in its death struggles, told
me how well my bullet had executed its Heaven
guided mission. Aeer waiting a minute for
the animals struggles to subside, | ran round
TO the part of the cove where he lay, dashed in,
seized one of his hind feet and drew him ashore,
just as he was bubbling out from bis submerged
n%ostrils, bis last gasp Of life. Instantly whip
ping out my hunting knife, and guided mainly
by the sense of fee ing, ! ripped down and tore
away the skin from one Of the launches, cut out
a good junk of solid flesh and with it made my
way with all possible speed 10 the house,
When l reached there, | found the family,
who had been sufficiently revived, by the spirits
| had given them, to take note Of passing events
in a state Of trcmullus excitement and expecta
ton, occasioned by hearing the report of my
gun, which, from their faith in my skill in
hunting, they took as the certain herald of sue
cess. And as the eyes of the children fell on
the moose meat | brought in, swinging down in
my hand all came hastily lettering and craCl-
ing 10 my feet, and chutching The meat pHh tooth
and nail, Ike so many furnished kittens, ieouid
hare quiped il dorm rdw. But knowing the
danger OF permitting them to eat solid food till
the tone of their euGeeblcd stomachs had been
somewhat restored by gradual feeding on
nutritious liquids, | snatchcd tho meat away
shaved Of u good quantity Of thin slices and
dropped them into the now 'eething pot, | had
placed over the fire in anticipation of some such
event as had now SO providentially occurred.
then did my best to keep tho clamorous brood
quo, for the next half hour when | began to
dip out, in small quantities, the broth, and ad.
minislered it with u spoon to each of the family
in turn, This | diligently pursued for the next
hour, each new mess of broth, ms drew it from
the pot, being perceptihly thicker and more
nutritious. BY this time, so fast had they all
revived, they began to appear like themselves
move round the house, go out into the yard and
engage in conversation My wife, after saying
she had been wondering why | had not inquired
for Minny, began TO relate how and when she
had lert and EXPRESS fears for her ,nF,tv Rnt