The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1873-08-14

= been received SO cOldly. He didn't
mean TO leave the woods till March, If
he could hold on so long. Moreover,
. 1t was Mr.. Bruce himself who pro-
posed 10 go back with the OK team and
bring the supplies and hire the men.
81 don't feel quite right about the
] head, /" said he, Hand / want Louisa to
; eosset me. Then I'll 90 out to Shopton
; and see Scales and Weight about the
J supplies, and be back before you and
Si have eat up all this 'ere vietuais p
"All right, Sir" said Ben, smother
ing twinge Of disappointment which
he wouldn't own TO himseK. "We'll
Z get the hOvel ready for the cattle
while you're off, and take tramp
! through the woods and spot the best
, timber for felling."
''Fhere's enough t. do" said Uncle
Simon. you'll be back in five DAYS,
say ?"
'If Pm lucky. How's the stores,
"Good for a week, / should say,
such as they are. But the sooner you
get back the better. It'll be q sight
easier for you il you can manage to
get back before heavy snow comes.
You see, we haven't bad anything but
splts yet, though may be we're going
TO have an open winter.''
SAY, ay," answered Mr.. Bruce, as
he drove of through the woods with
the OK team. provisions for a Week,
eh ? That'lI tide We over. 1 reckon.
There's sight Of work to be got
through with in a weeks time. There's
the supplies to be got and the hands
to be hired let me see-five cutters,
two teamsters, and a cook I; that's
about it, and to hev 'em ready to start
4 when do, and ] amt as young as ]
was. Heyday, it's rub and grind, a
lumberman's life is %
Alas ! there was more work to be
gotten through with in weeks time
than Mr.. Bruce had an inkling of, so
much that it run over into the next
week, as work had trick Of doing.
When Louisa saw that it was only
her old father trudging along with the
returning OK team her mercury went
down to zero in half 8 second. She
saw before her q weary three months
OF loneliness and longing, and she saw
too, that she deserved il.
"It's q deuced cold ~ for an old
man." said Mr.. Bruce, shiVering be-
fore the wood fire, as if there should
haYe been special sets of weather
created to suit customers. "What's
that you've got cooking on the crane,
Lu Stew amt got no more ap-
petite than bear in August. Brindle
and Trot were slow as cold molasses !;
they've seen their best days, / reckon,
like their master. Wish I'd swapped
'em to Dunn for the yearlings and
boot it would hev bin a good bar
gain. 81 sent his love to you, Lu. Ive
got cold. IreekOn I'll turn in and
sleep it Off"
"They Oughtn't to have let you
come" said Lu, Indignantly, as she
carried him bottle of hot water for
his feet. "Uncle Si or Ben ought to
have come instead"
"Itwa'n't their fault; thought
could drive better bargain with the
hands. Ben said he'd come in my
place, but his heart WANT set on it,"
which assurance is no wise comfOrtsd
Louisa.
Mr.. Bruce was restless all night,
and in the morning was out of his
head, and didn't know his right hand
from his left, and called Louisa Ben,.
and asked grandma to put the oxen
into the cart, mistaking. her for Uncle
Simon. And Louisa, half frightened
to death, jumped upon old Roan's
back and galloped all the way to Shop
ton for the nearest doctor.
"AhemI Nothing more nor less
than fever, said he, the instant he
laid eyes on Mr.. Bruce.
SIS he dangerous 2" asked Louisa.
:" Dangerous? Oh, guess he'll pull
through. pll leave this prescription,
and be round tomorrow. There's
Mr.. Maverick, of the tavern-Maver-
ick's tavern, at this place-had the
same symptoms q week ago, and he's
about to-day. There's no telling about
these things; different constitutions
ffgeafie ifdfed Att prezAetfhte.a fhteast Been
lmorning,n with an emphasis on the
1 good. Louisa thought it was anything
| but good morning, after the comfort
OF his professional presence was with
drawn. But the next day her father
was no better, nor yet the next, though
the doctor assured her that he was do
ing as well as could be expected, what
eyer that might be-
Louisa was too busy, and weary with
watching and nursing, cooking and
looking after the house, and seeing to
grandma's cold, and keeping order and
quiet among the children, to take note
Of the sick mans deliriOus words,
though he was constantly talking
about the camp, sixty miles away
where her own thoughts wandered
whenever she had time to think them
I-bargaining with imaginary team
sters, haggling with Scales and
Weight over groceries, and repeating,
HProvisions for week, for week,
for a week." and counting the days
on his fingers and losing the count,
and beginning over again and again
as If it were q puzzle upon the solution
of which his life depended. And so
the fever ran to to the ninth day and
turned, and the patient fell into quiet
sleep, and awoke too weak and lam
guild to put words together, or to re-
member anything but that he had suf-
fered fearful nightmare and it was
over. It was perhaps the third day af-
ter the fever turned that he suddenly
took I'D the thread oflife where he had
dropped it, and asked, "How long
have I been a-lsying here, Luz"
"Twelve days"
Where's Ben and Uncle Si?"
"Why, you left 'em in camp, father"
"Left 'em in camp! Twelve days
ago." he gasped, "with weeks pro-
visions! I shouldn't wonder il they
were both in heaven by this time
What hev you bin thinking of all this
time, eh ?'' :
al didn't know they had only a
week provisions, said Louisa, show
ing a CHASTITY face; "and had TO look
after you and the fever"
"Well, don't wait another minute
round me; Just harness up old Roam
and Quickstep, and take some brandy
and things-and don't let them eat all
they want; make Cruel, keep 'em short.
Come, start yourself, and don't be
standing still like ghost and folks
dying for lack of you" ta.
"And yOu?"
iPH take care Of myself and SOIL
grandma. Roam and Quickstep can
do the distance by nightfall. Take
my gun to keep off the wolves, and
little Tim and q lantern"
"But how shall 1 find the way?'
} Louisa was already inside her pelisse
! and muff1ers."
'tBless you, baby couldn't miss it;
1.-THE trees are notched with q star,
! every half mile, on the left hand side.
There take Tim and be of"
And as there was not an able bodied
/ man short of Shopton at that season
/ who was not off logging, and as grand
, ma and Susette could take care OF her
+ patient, and Ben was starving with
; out her, what could she do but go?
] And how were they faring in the
} camp, sixty miles away in the heart
! of the woods, which was almost Ike
L a primevaI forest? After Mr.. Bruee's
, departure they had gone about their
, work with a will; while Uncle Simon
was busy on the hovel for the cattle,
, Ben had walked miles and miles
through the sweet scented wood, spot
} ting the timber; and suns had risen
! and set, when one morning, before
the week was out, Uncle Simon was
: surprised to see the bottom Of the meat
: chest.
3 though luckv said he briefly; "but
? there's swamp pork to exc it out;
r And he plunged his hand confidently
y I - u = n \ ~