The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1872-01-05
CHAPTER I.

with age, and weak and tottering from
the effect of many adverse battles with
the wind and sun and snow and rain. a
half dozen small and smoky panes of
glass struggled feebly in their efforts to
admit the waning twilight. A fire of
wet walnut logs made vain endeavor to
emit a feeble blaze, while the dense
smoke filled the low room with sitting
odor from the charring, steaming wood.
Fitful gusts Of wild north wind howled
over the low mud chimney, whined
through the lateh-hole of the battered,
rickety door, whistled through crevices
between the jamb-stOnes and shrieked
and walled in the rude loft-room over
head.
The old nurse, Aunt Betsey Graham,
with her pale but beaming face, watched
for lull in the tempest, and when n
hard gust had spent itself, in its efforts
to overturn the rickety cabin, she tim
idly opened the door and peered out into
the fast falling night.
''Dear a-mew she sighed, desponding-
ly. II fear they'll never make a trip
over the fOot-lOg on such night and in
such a wind as this. rve told Jacob for
many day that it was duty we owed
our fellow creeturs to fix a railin' along
that log"
The wind, which had for a moment
receded, as if to gather courage for a
fresh attack, came bowling up the hill,
freighted with mingled snow and sleet
Aunt Betsey threw herself against the
door with all her force, and managed by
severe exertion TO secure the latch. She
then turned to the smoking, steaming
pile of logs and was able at last, by dint
of coaxing, dextrous blowing and deft
re-arranging of sticks and splinters, to
fan the feeble flames into n sickly blaze.
"Aunt Betseyr' called timid, fright
ened voice from the low bed in the cor
ner, "do you think Peter and the doctor
viii be here soon ?"
"T should reckon so. Leastways
they've been gone now een-a-most an
hOurp
"But do you believe they can cross
the foot-log? You know the Mackinaw
is up and raging"
"'Pears to me-" said Aunt Betsey,
lighting her pipe as she spoke, ''that a
man wouldn't amount TO much that
couldn't coon n log like that to get to
the bedside of the mother of his chill
dren.u
81 do hope they'll hurryr' was the
terror-stricken answer. "Oh! Aunt
Betsey ~
There was no mistaking the awful ag-
Ony of that scream of pain. Aunt Bet
sey laid aside her pipe and. fully aware
of the difficulties of the situation, made
needed preparation for the coming crisis
And she indeed had need of all her nerve
and skill
Scream after scream pierced tn
smoke-laden air of the lonely cabin
loud and louder howled the wind; fas
and faster fell the binding snow; an,
deep and deeper grew her keen solici
tude.
"Aunt Betsey," said the sufferer, sd
you think the children all passed safel.
over that Logo"
Certain, child. seed 'em with m.
own eyes. What put such a notion a
that in your head ?r
"Oh, it seemed as if slept just now
and 1 thought some terrible acciden
had happened to my family; and I fel
as if that awful foot-log had somethin
to do with it,"
"Well, don't worry any more about il
honey. seed 'em all go over safe; an
my word for it, they'll not try comir
back till the weather settles"
Another parOxysm of pain, another tel
rife scream, and the patient elenche
her hands, rolled back her great, shin
ing eyes and stared upon vacancy.
''God protect her now, poor laml
Nothin' but the Lords mercy will he
her out of thisn said the now exeit,
nurse, and she fell upon her knees al
began an incoherent prayer.
The convulsion was long and terribl
''The Lord pity me; 1 must work
well as prayw exclaimed the good woI
an, rising from her kneeling posture a
going TO the fire, which had by Il
time blazed and burned into a rud
heat. She seized half dozen large e'
of Indian corn and plunged them il
boiling water, in an immense, old-fas
ioned pot When they became hot a
steaming she applied them to the suff'
er's body, thereby relaxing their ril
muscles, and the patient awoke again
consciousness.
Il say, Aunt Betsey, something aw
has happened at that dreadful foot-log
she exclaimed, and again gave a pie
ing shrek and relapsed into cow
siOns.
The large Watchdog, which usua
slept outside the cabin in the chimr
corner, but which had been admitted
the freside by his master during
fight for the doctor, now set up a d
NAL howl and, going to the door. nav
and struggled to escape.
go, poor fellow said Aunt Bets
unfastening the door, and Boupcer
yelping to the waters edge. ~
The sufferer was long in coming b.
TO consciousness. The good nurse "a
her usual restOratives and incoher