The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1874-01-31
KITTYS FORTY.
BY EDWARD EGGLESTON.

1t doesn't DO men any good to live apart
from women and children. | never knew IA
boys school in which there was not tendcn-
cy to rOwdyism. And lumbcrmen, sailors,
fishermen, and all other men that live only
with men, are proverbially haltbear sort of
people. FrOntcrmcn soften down when WO-
men and children come-but forget myself
it Is the story you want
Burton aui Jones lived in shanty by them.
selves. Jones was a married man, but find.
ing ii hard to support his wife in down
East village, he had emigratcd to Northern
Minnesota, leaving his wife under her faith
ers roof until he should be able to make II
start lie and Burton had gone into part
nership ard had 'prccmrted town site' of
three hundred and twenty acres
There were perhaps twenty families scat
tered sDarsely over this town site at the time
my story begins and ends, for it ends in the
same week in which ii begins.
The partners had disagreed, quarreled and
divided their interests. The land was all
shared between them except one valuable
tortyaCre piece. Each Of them claimed that
piece OF land, and the quarrel had grown so
high between them that the neighbOrs expect.
ed them to shoot at sight" In fact, it was
understood that Burton was on the forty acre
piece, determined to shoot Jones il he came,
and Jones had sworn 10 90 out there and
shoot Burton, when the fight was postponed
by the unexpected arrival of Jones wife and
child.
Jones sAaliy was not finished, and he was
forced 10 fOrego the luxury of fighting his
old partner in his eXertiOns TO make wife and
baby comfortable for the night For the win.
ter sun was surrounded by "sun-dOgs" n
stead Of one sun, there were four, an occur
renee not uncommon IN this latitude, but one
which always bodies a terrible storm.
In his cndeayOr TO care for wife and child
Jones was Modified little, and half regret.
ted that he had been 50 violent about the piece
OF land. But he was determined not 10 be
backed down, and he would certainly have to
shoot Burton or be shot himself
When he thought OF the chance of being
killed by his old partner, the prospect Wa.
not pleasant. He looked wistfully at Kitty
his two years old child, and dreaded that she
would be left fatherless. Nevertheless, he
wouldn't be backed down. He would shoe,
or BE- shot.
While the father was busy cutting wood.
and the mother was busy otherwise, little
Kitty managed to get the shanty door open.
There was no latch as yet, and her prying lii
tie fingers easily swung it back. A gust Of
cold air almost took away her breath, but she
caught sight OF the brown grass without, and
the new world seemed SO big that the little
feet were fam TO try and explore it.
She pushed out through the door, caught
her breath again, and started away down a
path bordered by serc grass and the dead
stalks Of the wild sunaowcr.
How often she had longed to escape from
restraint and paddle out into the world alone
So out into the world she went, rejoicing in
her liberty, in the blue sky above and the
~ af1 in al
where the path went to, and what there was
nj the end of the world What did she care
II her nose was blue with cold, and her club
by hands red as beets. Now and then she
paused to turn her head away from rude
blast, Il lorerunner of the storm but having
gasped moment, she quickly renewed her
brave march in search of the great un.
known
The mother missed her, and supposed that
ZONES, who could not get enough of the
chiid.s society, had taken the little pet out
with him.
Jones, poor fellow, sure that the darling
was salc Wluilh' chopped away until that aw-
iul storm broke upon him. and at last drove
him, hali-smCthered by snow and Lalf.frozcn
with cold, into the house When there was
nothing left but retreat he had seized an arm
lul oil wood and carried it into the house with
hun, ID make sure of having enough TO keen
his wife and Kitty from freezing in the com.
ing awiulness of the night, which now settled
down upon the storm beaten and snow blind
ed world
II was the beginning of that horrible storm
IN winch so many people were frozen to
death, aud Jones had fled none too soon
When once the wood was stacked bv the
stove, Jones lookrd round for Kitty. He had
not more than inquired for her when father
and mother each read in the others face the
TACT that she was lost in this wild, dashing
storm of snow
So fast did the snow fall anu so dark was
the night, that Jones could no, see TO follow
the path, which he thought Kitty might have
taken, but ii was buried in snowdrifts. and
he soon lost himself
He stumbled through the drifts calling out
to Kitty in his distress, but not knowing
whittier he went. Aiier an hour of despair
ing, wandering and shouting, he came upon
house. and having raped on the door lac
found himself face u face with his wife
lie had returned 10 his own house in hi.
bewilderment.
When VIC remcmbcI that Jones had not