Iowa voter. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1867-1874, 1874-03-05
SHOWED IN.
AN INCIDENT OF THE GREAT STORM OF THE
WINTER OF 1872.

AN
WINTER OF 1872.
when will you be home, fatherr
"The day after tomorrow. If [ start
Immediately can be there by eight or
nine O'Clock. The snow looks as though
II might be deep. shall put Bob and
Grey to the sleigh, and shall take Jack
with me-"
at will be so lonely, and, somehow, I
wish you were not going"
The girl stopped and opened the stove
door, furtively wiping her eyes with her
apron.
$50 do I, Beckie, but / must go. l am
Huston's principal witness, and should
feel very sorry If, for want of my testi-
mony, he lost his farm"
II know it is right, and l should not
care so much is Jack would be here
but"
81 shall stop at neighbor Giles and
get Aunt Lizzie to come over; she said
she would do so. Joe is to bring her,
and stay and milk and do the feeding
while am gone"
Beckie frightened up at this.
"Let Jack get ready while / put some
wood and coal in the shed to be handy,
Mr.. Wilson was New England man,
who, finding some difficulty in max
ing living out of his "stony potato
PATCH" as he called the few acres he
owned in his native State, had emigrated
to the West and settled on one of the rich
prairies that there abound. He had mar
ried a thrifty, active girl, the daughter of
neighboring farmer, and he now owned
large farm, with comfortable house and
outhouses. His dwelling was rather
isolated, being some distance from any
travelled road.
His wife had died six months previous,
leaving him with five children. Jack,
the eldest, was turned of fourteen. Beckie
was in her thirteenth year. James was
ten; Win, eight; and the baby, a girl,
was seven months old.
Since their mothers death Beckie had
tried to supply her place to the other
children. She had taken all the care OF
the baby, and was, as her father called
her, little mother" Mr.. Wilson had
been summoned to the county town as
witness in trial involving the owner
ship of friends farm, and although the
weather was stormy and cold he felt that
he must go.
keep up the fires, Beckie," he said,
while eating his pie; there is wood and
coal enough in the shed to last until get
back, and take good care of Jamie and
the baby"
Yes" she replied; adding, How it
does snow, and it has grown colder!"
When they had started, Beckie stood
until they drove out OF the yard and the
curtain of fastfalling snow almost hid
them from her sight.
" / never did see it snow So" she said
to Jamie. 81 wish Joe would come-he
is such good company"
A silent hour passed, interrupted only
by Willis laugh, as he lay on the floor
playing with baby. Beckie began TO feel
uneasy, for the short winter day was
drawing to close, and neither Aunt
Lizzie nor Joe had come.
"Ihave been watching the snow, Beckie.
/ cannot see the garden fence, the flakes
fall SO thick. hope father and Jack will
be safe" said Jamie, as she stepped into
the sitting. to get the broom. She
had gone into the shed for something, and
was surprised at the depth of the snow.
She went to the window and looked out.
There was not a goose nor duck to be
seen. The chickens had been driven from
under the lilac bushes, where they usually
took refuge in storm.
Again she wished Aunt Lizzie and Joe
would come. She began to feel sort OF
dread too, and was little frightened at
the aspect of things. Every moment the
storm increased in violence. Outside
things were buried in the snow; gloom
was creeping over the whole landscape
She could scarcely distinguish objects she
knew 70 be only few yards distant.
She opened the door again, and went
out into the she'd As she did SO she
heard the favorite COW, Crumpies, lowing
give long, low below.
'She is at the cow-house door and
wants to get in,' she said to herself; 81
will milk her, for Joe may not come, and
baby must have her supper"
She took down an old coat of her father q
and buttoned herself in it, drew on jack q
cowhide boots, tied up her head and ears
in comforter, then, opening the door into
the sitting-room, she told jamie to stay
in there and look after Will and the baby
took her milk pail and started She stopped
aghast, when she reached the door OF
the shed, confounded at the depth Of the
snow. She plunged into it, but found she
could not go on.
Beckie was girl Of courage, besides
which she had spirit Of adventure. She
did not think there was any especial
danger 1t was a dreadful storm,
there was excitement in breasting it, and
it would be something to tell of after
ward; besides, she must have the milk
for baby-that was the paramount IDEA
now. As she recovered from her first
plunge she thought of kind Of snow-hoe
her father had made, and she stepped
back into the shed, and, with some diff
Guilty, extricated it. 1t was long, stout
stick, at the end Of which was fastened q
broad, fiat piece of board, like hoe, only
many times larger. Cutting piece OF
the clothes line that hung there, she tied
her milk pail by it around her waist |;
then putting the handle of her snow-hoe
against her breast, holding IL with both
hands, she pressed on, making track for
herself. As she went by the dog-kennel
the animal barked and jumped toward
her, and she stopped in the deep snow and
unclaimed him.
The gloom had so increased she could
scarcely distinguish an object in the barn
yard. Reaching the gate between the
two yards she was tempted to 60 back,