The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1874-07-29
ABBEVILLE. S. c., WEDNESDAY, JULY 29, 1874.

hands red rs beets. Now and then
she paused to turn her head away
from a rude blast, a forerunner of the
storm, but, having gasped a moment
she quickly renewed her brave march
in search of the great unknown:
The mother missed her and sup
nosed that Jones, who could not get
enough of the child's society, had
taken the little pet out with him.
| Jones, poor fellow, sure that the
darling was safe within, chopped
away until that awful storm broke
upon him, and at last drove him halt
smothercd by snow and half frozen
with cold, into the house. When
there was nothing left but retreat, he
had seized an arnlful Of wood and
carried it into the house with him, to
make sure of having enough to keep
this wife and Kitty from freezing in
the coming awfulncss of the night,
which now settled down upon storm.
beaten and snow-blinded world.
! 1t was the beginning of THAI horri-
Bile storm in which so many people
wore frozen to death, and Jones had
fed none too soon.
When once the wood was stacked
by the stove, Jones Looked round for
Kitty. Ho had no more than in
quired for her when father and mo-
ther each read in the others face the
fact that she was lost in this wild,
dashing storm of snow.
So fast did the snow fall and so
dark was the night that Jones could
not see three feet ahead Of him. lie
endeavored to follow the path which
he thought Kitty might have taken,
but it was buried in snow-drifts, and
| he soon lost himself.
He stumbled through the drifts
calling out to Kitty in his distress,
but not knowing whittier he went.
After an hour Of despairing, wander
ing and shouting, he came upon a
house, and having raped on the door,
he found himself face to face with his
wife. ..
| He had returned to his own house
in his bewilderment.
When we remember that Jones had
not slept for two nights preceding
this one, on account of his mortal
quarrel with Burton, and he had now
been beating against an arctic hurrl-
cane, and tramping through treacher-
GUS pillows Of snow for an hour, we
cannot wonder that he fell over his
| iowa threshold in o state of extreme
exhaustion&.
Happily for hitn that he did not
fall bewildered on the prairie, as
many another poor wayfarcr did on
that fatal night.
As it WAS, his wife must needs give
7 up tho vain little searches she had
boen making in the neighborhood Of
the shanty. She had now sick hus.
baad, with frozen hands and feet and
face, to core for. Every minute the
thermometer fell lower and lower,
land all the heat the littlo cook-stove
I'm Jones shanty could give would
hardly keep them from freezing.
Burton had stayed upon that forty
acre lot all day, waiting for a chance
to shoot his old partner Jones. He
had not heard Of the arrival of Jones
family, and so he concluded that his
enemy had proved coward and had
left bin in possession, or else tilat he
meant to play some treacherous trick
on him on his way homo.
So Burton resolved to keep sharp
lookout. But he soon found that i'm
possible, for the storm was upon him
in all it's binding fury. He tried to
follow the path but he could not find
it.
Had he been less of frontiorman he
must have perished there within a
furlong of bis own house. But in
endeavoriDg to keep the direction OF
the path he heard o smothered cry,
and then saw something rise up GOV,
cred with snow, and fall down again.
He raised his gun to shoot it, when
the creature uttered another wailing
CRY 80 human, that he put down his
gun and went cautiously forward.
It was child.
BE did not remember that there
was such child among all the set
tiers in. Newton. But he did not stop
. to ask questions. He must, without
delay, get himself and the child, too
to place Of safety, or both would
soon be frozen.
/ So he took the little thing in hiE
arms and started through the drifts
And the child put it's little icy fingers
!. on Buron's rough cheek, and NUT
tered "Papai" And Burton held hel
closer, and fought the snow more
courageously than ever. He fount
the shanty al last, and rolled the Chile
in a buffalo robe while he made dre
, Then when he got the room a llttl'
warm, he took the little thing upo'
5 his knee, dipped her aching finger
in cold water, and asked her wha
, her name was.
{, "Kitty," she said.