Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1874-09-25
but it was buried in snow drifts, and
he soon lost himself,

calling out to Kitty in his distress, but
not knowing whittier he went. After
an hour of despairing, wandering and
shouting, he came upon house, and
having raped upon 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 now had been beat
ing against an arctic hurricane, and
tramping through treacherous pillows
of snow for an hour, we cannot wonder
that he fell over his own Threshold in
q state of extreme exhaustion.
Happy for him that he did not fall
bewildered on the prairie, as many an
other poor waytarer did on that fatal
night.
As it was his wife must needs give
up the vain searches she had been
making in the neighborheod of the
shanty. She had now sick husband,
with frozen hands and feet and face, to
are for.
Every minute the thermometer fell
lower and lower, and all the heat the
little cook-stove in Jones shanty could
give would hardly keep them from
freezing.
Burton had stayed upon that forty
acre lot all day, waiting for q chance
to shoot his old partner, Jones. He
had not heard of the arrival of Jones
wife, and he concluded that his enemy
was coward and had left him in pos
session, or else he meant to play him
some trcacherous trick on his way
home.
So Burton resolved to keep q sharp
lookout. But he zoon found that i'm
possible, for the storm was upon him
in all its binding fury. He tried to
follow the path, but he could not find
it.
Had he been less of frontiersman
he must have persisted there, within q
furloDg OF his own house. But in en-
deavoring to keep the direction of the
path he heard a smothered cry, and then
saw something rise up covered with
snow and then fall down again. He
raised his gun to shoot it, when the
creature uttered another wailing cry
so human that he put down his gun
and went cautiously forward.
It was child
He did not remember that there was
such child among all the settlers at
Newton. BIlt he did not stop to ask
questions. He must, without delay,
get himself and child, too, to a place
of safety, or both would be frozen.
So he took the little thing in his
Aud the child put its little icy fingers
Papa And Burton held her closer
!
ously than ever.
led the child in buffalo robe while he
room little warm he took the little
thing upon his knees, dipped her ach,
| ing fingers in cold water, and ash ed
her what her name was.
Kitty" she said.
kitty lie SAID, ''nnl what elsc?"
"kitty,' she answered, nor could he
; lind ont any more.
''WhOse Kitty are yOr?"
Your Kitty" she said. For she
had known her father but th one
| day, and now she believed that Burton
! was he.
Burton sat up all night and stuffed
wood into his impotent little stove
to keep the baby from freezing to
death. Never having had anything to
do with children, he firmly believed
| that Kitty, sleeping snugly under
blankets and buffalo robes, would
freeze if he should let the fire subside
ii the least.
As the storm prevailed with unaba-
ted fury the next day, and as he dared
neither take Kitty out or leave her
alone, he stayed by her all day and
stuffed the stove with wood, and laugh
ed at her droll babay talk, and fed her
on buiscuit, fried bacon and coffee.
On the morning of the second day
| the storm had subsidized. 1t was forty
degrees cold, but knowing somebody
must be mourning Kitty for dead, he
wrapped her i'll skins, and with much
diflicu ty reached the nearest neigh
bor's house, suffering only frost-bite
On his nose by the way
"That child, said the woman, to
whose house he had gone, els Jones. "
| seed EN- take her olten the wagon
day before yesterday"
| Burtod looked at kitt- moment IN
perpieXity. Then he rolled her up
/ egain and started out, travelling like
mad, the woman said, as she watched
him.
/ When he reached Jones he found
jones and his wife sitting in utter
wretchedness by the fire. They were
both sick from grief, and unable to
move ont of the house. Kitty they had
given UP for buried 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 little
Kitty and said, "Here, Jones, is this
yoar pet kitten" Mrs. Jones couldn't
think of anything better than to
| scream.
And Jones got up and took his old
partners hand and said, Burton, ole
fellow !" and then choked up and sat
down and cried helplessly.
And Burton said, "Jones, ole fell
low, You may have the forty-acre
patch. 1t come mighty nigh maxim
me the murderer of that little Kitty's
father
"No you shall take it YOURSELF"
cried Jones, ''if [ have to go to law -
make YOU"
And Jones actually decided his inter
est IN the forty acres to Burton. But
Burton transferred it all to Kitty.
This is why this part of Newton is
called ''Kitty's Forty"
Members Elect to the General As.
scmbIy OF NORTH. Carolina for 1877,
80.
The following statement of the members
elected to the General Assembly, as far as
it goes, is considered correct. The names
of other members viii be added as fast as
obtained. 1t is certain that we have a
Conservative gain of about 70 members.
SENATE.
LIST District, Curlituck, Camden, Pas
quotank, Perquimans, Hartford, Gates and
Chowan, VIM Il Shaw and Thomas r
Jernigan, Denis.
I'd. Ty1ell, Washington, Beaufort, Mar
tin, Dare, Pamlico, and Hyde, Chas Lath-
am and Milton S Selby, Dems.
Sd. Northampton and Bertie, w W
PEBBLES, Rep.
18th Halifax, John Bryant, (col) Rep
9Th Edgecombe, W p MADISON, (col)
Rep.
ftb Tit+ los Y Ctiol-,o,, no,>,