St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1875-12-17

cause she had found him uniniured
and mentally resolving that the logs
should he removed to prevent further
accident. she turned to retrace her steps.
but the sight that met her ewes froZe
her with horror to the spot.
Confronting her on the bridge. not
sIX feet distant, was an enormous wolf.
gaunt and bony with hunger. his ewes
blazing like live Goals through the mist
and gloom. his hot, fetid breath Scorch-
ing the very air she breathed.
y low grOwl of intense satisfaction
stirred the air, answered by the growl
of fifty more OF his kind, belonging to
the pack in another moment they
would he upon her.
Without an instant's thought of the
consequences, Martha obeyed her first
impulse, and struck the logs with her
foot, exercising all her mad strength in
the blow. The frail fabric tottered.
the soft earth gave way, there WIS
breath of awful suspense, and then the
bridge went down with dull plunge
into the water beneath The sharp
claw of the wolf had already been fixed
on the scant vegetation of the rock,
and he held there a moment. struggling
hold the next he slid down into the
chasm, uttering wild howl of disap-
pointed rage
Martha sank OH her knees and offered
up tervcnt PRAYER of thank Sgiving
for her escape; hut simultaneously with
with the heartfelt Amen" there came
Il dreadful recollection. The bridge
formed the only link between the Pull
pit and the main land. and that was
severed True. she was not more than
twenty feet distant from the shores of
the river. but she might as well have
been thousands of miles in the ocean
The water WAS deep, and it ran with
almost incomceivable rapdity. forty or
fifty feet below her. over rocks So sharp
and Jagged that it made her shiver to-
look over the brink.
Her only hope WAS in her husband.
Should he return at the expected time
they might still be alive; but if by any
accident he should he detained beyond
the time ! She closed her eyes. and
be>onght God for protection and help.
Cold and hungry, and drenched 10y
the mist of the river, Charley began to
cry for home. She could bear ANYTHING
better than that. She took off her own
garments to fold around him. and held
him To her breast. and sang To him the
sweet cradle songs which had so often
soothed him.
But the fierce howls of the wolves
and the sullcn thundcrS OF the river
filled his little heart with terror. aud
all the long, dark night through. hc
clung to her neck. slceplcsSly cry ing to
go home t" papa.
Day dawncd at last. the pale sun
swimming through the sickly sky. the
pallid forecast of IL storm. Weak and
faint from hunger. and suffering Intense
~ tIom cold for summer is no hcalrr
of tropical smiles in this inho>pitahIr
CLINE Martha paced back and forth
the narrow limits of the rock None
came the faint sun declined it WAS
night again. \ cold fog sank down
over the mountain. followed by dIiz-
ZlIng rain. which before morning
changed to a perfect dclugc. The river
rose teaItuliy. foaming milk white down
the gorge, filling III" air with Il shud-
dclin% roar. like the peal of an impliS-
oncd earthquake.
The day that followed WAS no better
only rain and aShcn- white mist not
Il ray of sunshine.
y new icar aros,. in the heart of Mar
tha Warren. The mhulcuce ot the
stream must have swept away the
bridge over which her husband would
cross on his return. and he would hr
detained for days maybe tor weeks.
She gave up all for lost. Strongly and
fcaIfully was she tempted +" fold hen
child III her arms and plunge into the
cauldron beneath. and thus end her tcaI
and doubts 1t would he better she
thought than To suffer that slow. pain
fTl death oi starvation. But something
held her back Gods curse waS ON those
VIII" do sclt-murdcr.
Towards night, Il lost robin. beaten
about hy the storm. stopped to rest Il
mumcnt on the rock Martha seized
upon him and rent him in twain, with
almost savage glcr. for her child t" de
Nour raW-$hc, VIII" three days before
would have wept at the sight of Il
wounded sparrow.
Another night and day, like the other.
only more intensely ag"niling. MARTHA
Warren was >ullenly Indifferent now ::
suffering had palsicd every noble feel
ing. Charlie moaned for his supper ::
to" weak aud spent to sit mp. he was
lying on the rock, his head in her lap.
his great eyes liked on her face.
She tore open Il vein in her arm with
her scissors. and made him drink the
blood
Anything. she said to herself. to calm
the wild. wiShful yearning of his eyes.
The boy raised he sat up and pccrcd
through the darkness.
'Mamma,' he said. Papa is coming
| felt him touch me"
She wept ut the mockcry. and drew
the child tiamtically To her bosom.
The night WAS iair-lit up by new
moon.
Overcome by deadly eXhaustion
against which she could make no Ie-
sistance, Martha fell into an uneasy
slumber, which towards midnight was
broken by IL startling cry. She sprang
to her feet and gazed around her.
No her eyes did not deceive her
there on the shore stood the Stalwart
form of her husband. and he was call
ing her name with the energy of de
Spair. She could only cry out, 80.
Mark. Mark - and fell senSeIcss to the
earth.
When she awokc to consciousness.
she was lying on her own bed in the
cottage, supported by her husbands
arms.
1t was no dream. She and her dar-
ling boy were safe and he came back
Many weeks passed before she grew
strong again, but Mark tcnded her as Il
mother would IN infant, and by the
time the autumn trosts fell. she was the
blithe Martha Warren of old.
Al the time of the trcshrt. the bridge