The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1874-01-29

heard q smothered cry, and. then saw
something rise up covered with snow
| and fall down again. He raised his gun
| to shoot it when the creature uttered an
other waiting cry SO human, that he pu,
down his gun and went cautiously for
ward. H7'' SEQ ''.'' f't
II was q child! S.eA rs.s.,....:.
He did not remember that there VA
such child among Sll the settlers in
Newton. But he did not stop to ash
questions. He must, without delay, ge,
himself and the child, too, to place Of
safety, or both would soon be frozen.
So he took the little thing in his arms
and started through the drifts. And the
child put its little icy fingers on Burton's
rough cheek, and muttered "Papa!" And
Burton held her closer, and fought the
snow more courageously than ever.
He found the shsnty at last, and rolled
the child in a bufialO-rObe while he made
fire. Then whe9 he gotahe room az lit
tie warm, he took tue little thing upon
his knee, dipped her aching fingers in
cold water, and asked her what her name
was.
"Kitty," she said.
"Kitty," he said; "and what else!''
kitty" she answered, nor could he
md out any more.
"Whose Kitty are your" .... ;-5
"Your Kitty" she said. For she had
known her father but that one day, and
now she believed that Burton was he.
Burton sat up all night and stuffed
wood into his impctent little stove to
keep the baby from freezing to death.
Never having had to do with children,
he firmly believed that Kitty, sleeping
snugly under blankets and buffalo-rObes,
would freeze if he should let the fire sub.
side in the least.
As the storm prevailed with undated
fury the next day, and as he dared neither
to take Kitty out nor to leave her alone,
he stayed by her all day and stuffed the
stove with wood, and laughed at her droll
fried bacon and coffee.
On the morning of the second day the
storm had subsidized. TWAS forty degrees
cold, but knowing somebody must be
mourning Kitty for dead, he wrapped her
in skins, and with much difficulty reached
the nearest neigAbor's house, suffering
THAT child" said the woman to whose
house he had come, .'is Jones'. l seed
'em take her outen the wagon day before
yesterday"
Burton looked at Kitty a moment in
Then he rolled her up again
and started out, Travelling like mad"
the woman said, as sue watched him.
When he reached Jones'. he found
Jones and his wife sitting in utter wretch.
edness by the fire. They were both sick
from grief, and unable to move out of the
house. Kitty they had given up for buried
alive under some snOw-mound. They
would find her when spring should come
and melt the snow-cOver of.
When the exhausted Burton came in
with his bundle of buffalo-skins, they
looked at him with amazement. But when
he opened it and let out the: little Kitty,
and said
"Here, Jones, is this yer Kittens" Mrs.
Jones couldn't think of anything better to
DO than to scream. ,.....
And Jones got up and took his old part.
ner's hand and said, Burton, ole fellowp'
and then choked up and sat down, and |
cried helplessly.
And Burton said, "Jones, ole fellow,
you may have that forty.acre patch. 1t |
come mighty nigh maxim me the muir.
ierer of that little Kitty's father"
mo! you shall take it yourself" cried |
Jones, elf have to go to law to make |
you"
And Jones actually decided his interest
in the forty acres to Burton. But Burton
transferred it all to Kitty.
That is why this part Of Newton Is
,alled to-day "Kitty's Forty."-Youth's
mpaniOn.