The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1875-04-08

She bad now a SICK hnsbsnd, with frozen
hsnds and feet and faee, 30 care for
Every minale the thermometer iell lower
aud lower, aud 81 the heat the illtje book
stove In Jones shsnty coulj give would
hardly keep them from freezing.
Bu-lon had stayed upon that fouy.acro
lot al day, waiting for a chance TO shoot
bis old partner, Jones tie hsd not
heard of The arrival OF Jones wife, and
50 be bad concluded that his enemy had
proved a coward and left him in posses
sion, OF else that be meant to play him
some irescherous trick on his way home.
So Burton resolved to keep a sharp
lookout, Bat be soon found that inn
possible, for the storm was upon him in
all its binding fury. lie tried to follow
the path, but be could not iind It,
Had he been less OF frontiersmau he
must have perished there, within a fur
long Of his own house, But eudesyorng
to keep the direction OF the path, he
heard a smothered cry, aud saw some.
thing rise up, covered with snow, and
then fan down again, He raised his gun
to shoot It when the creature uttered
another wailiug cry, so human that he
put down his gun aud went cautiously
forward
1, was a child!
lie did not remember that there was
such child among all the settlers at
Newton. He must, without delay, get
himself aud the child TO place of safety,
or both would be frozen,
So he took the little thing in bis arms
and started through the drifts. And the
child put its little icy fingers on Burton's
rough cheek, aud muttered, Papa! Aud
Burton held her closer and fought the
snow more courageously than ever.
He fouud the shanty at last, and rolled
the child in buffalo robe while he made
fire, Then, when he got the room
little warn, he took the little thing upon
his knee, dipped her aching fingers in
cold water, aud ask her what her name
was.
Kitty, said she.
Kitty, he said, and what else?
Kitty, she answered, nor could he find
out any more.
Whose Kitty are you?
Dose Kitty, she said For she had
known her father but that one day, and
now she believed that Burton was he.
Burton sat mp all night and stuffed
wood into the important 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 buff
alo robes, would freeze If he should let
the fire subside in the least,
AS the storm prevailed with unabated
fury the next day, and as he dared neith-
or take kitty out nor leave her alone, he
stayed by her all day, and stuffed the
stove with wood, aud laughed at the
droll baby talk, and !ed her on biscuit
fried bacon and coffee.
On the morning of the second day the
storm had subsided. 1t was forty degrees
cold, but knowing somebody must be
mourning Kitty for dead, be wrapped
her in skins, and with much difficulty
reached the nearest neighbor's house,
suffering only by a frost-bite on the way.
That child, said the woman to whose
house he had gone, is Jones; saw them
take her out of the wagon, day before
yesterday.
Burton looked at Kitty a moment in
perplexity, Then he rolled her up again
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 wretched-
ness by the fire. They were both sick
from grief. Kitty they had given mp for
buried under some snow mound. They
would find her when spring should come
aud melt the snow cover of.
When the exhausted Burton came in
with his bundle of buffalo skins, they
looked at him with amazemeut. But
when he opened it aud let out little Kitty
and said:
Here, Jones, Is this your 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, Old
fellow aud then choked mp aud sat
down, aud cried heplessly.
Aud Burton said Jones, old fellow,
you may have the lorty-acre patch. 1t
came mighty nigh maxim me the mnrd.
erer Of that kitty's father.
Not you shall take it yourself, cried
Jones, If have to go TO law to make
you.
Aud Jones actually decided bis interest
in the forty-acres to Burton. But Bur
ton transferred it all to Kitty.
This is why this part Of Newton is call
ed Kitty's Forty.
THE SIGNAL SERVICE.