The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1874-04-02
A WIFE'S MISSION.

A WIFE'S MISSION.
We were in our mountain home, my
husband and I, when one day he said
to me, "This will never do; there's
going to be a rousing storm, that's
plain. And there isn't hundred weight
of hay left in the settlement-should
have gone last week if Harris hadn't
broken his leg; waited for the thaw to
freeze over little, too. Well, we won't
put it off an hour now. We must har-
ness up and go across the hills to
Marshall's and get some, or the storm
will be upon us, and the creatures will
all have starved before it lifts and the
road is passable sgain. 1t may be a
regular three-decker.
So Mr.. Dean and John Bishop put
their horses into our sled, and 10, my
husband, and they crossed the ford
there was only one single stringer of the
bridge laid then-and started on the
main road for Marshall's, and 10 said
they'd be back by night fall, and left,
one day, Bose to take care of the baby
and me. But Bose knew it was a special
occasion, and broke loose and went frol-
licking after them.
Well, I worked about all the fore
noon, and put the baby to sleep, and
laid together nice little dish ready for
baking for JOS supper.
I piled on the logs that 10 had
brought in, and kept a roaring fire
going, and I pottered round for the
sake of being busy, and went into the
lean-to and gave Sorrel the last of the
fodder, and when came back the baby
cried with collie an hour, and by the
time that L laid him on the bed the sud-
den-coming dark had shut down like a
dish-cover, the wind was bowling
through the hills, and it was storming
furiously. / sat down at last in a dull
tremble, listening for the sound of bells
or voices; but nothing was to be heard
But the keening of the wind, like a
wailing cry, round the corner of the hut,
like the roaring of a furnace up the
mountain. 1t was pitch dark; no moon
nor star. The sleet beat against the
window in blast after blast; once it
pushed it in, and almost smothered me
as it stopped my breath, and made me
feel like a dead leaf to be blown away,
while / put the sash back. Occasion
ally a sort of supernatural glimmer
showed me the tempest whirling up
white into the blackness of the night;
Tut after set lamp in the window the
Cakes swept by the lane of light like
hurrying sparks of fire, and could see
that it was drifting heavily in drifts
that must be already deep. 1t was
eight o'clock-and still no 10.
81 will go to bed," I said. "Of
course he isn't coming tonight they
would never let the team leave Mar
shall's when they saw such a storm
blowing up" But didn't go to bed,
for I knew better. L knew 10 would
not leave the baby and me alone in this
weather-so much for having such a
simpleton for a wife [ knew they had
left Marshall's was fearful that to
save time they had forsaken the main
road for the shorter cut across country,
and had either been wedged between
drifts or had lost the way in the dark
and the snow, and my heart beat so it
hurt me, and I began to cry forlornly.
Another long, long, weary hour, start
ing up and sitting down, praying and
wringing my hands, and walking to
and fro, and straining my eyes to see
through the thick air-and it was ten.
Sometimes l thought heard cries, but
it was only a sharp whistle of the
storm sometimes l thought 1 saw a
shadow struggling up, but it was only
the denser shadow following some fierce
gust. And L thought what if l had
keard cries what if 10 and his COM
panions were calling out now for help
what if, in the darkness, the team had
gone off the road at some one of all the
countless bridges between us and Mar
shall's and they had plunged down upon
the broken ice or into the brawling tor
rent what if they had sunk koverpowered
upon the way and were this moment
falling into mortal sleep, wrapped in
the SHOWS !-Jo while was warm
and housed, and with my baby And
all at once l saw had my punishment,
and burst out crying again, crying out
loud, to think it should have come tc
me through 10, and not my own self
through my dear, good, patient 10
And l could see his face, cold and white
and his eyes fixed and staring at me
my JOS "And what should / dc
without him ?" L cried. "How could
the baby and live without him? Oh,
if we could only have all gone togetherP
And 1 ran and hid my face in corner
of the baby's blanket.
I suppose it was half an hour that
sat so; when suddenly 1 thought
heard a scratching. 1 did hear
scratching and humping at the door
and it drove all the blood to my heart
My first idea, yes, actually, my trs,
idea was of wolves, but in the mex
breath thought of 10 staggering uI
and falling there, too tired to speak
And then there came yelp and bari
that l knew-Bose Then 10 must bt
close behind And 1 flung the baby
on the bed, and sprang to the door and
threw it open, and the dog bounded in
and bounded upon me, covering me al
over with the powdery snow as 1 peered
out beyond him. called, shouted