Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-03-24
VOL. 7O.-3571. NO. 23.

lace the fact that she was lost in the wild
dashing storm Of snow.
81, 30 last did the snow fall, and 70 dark was
/ the night that Jones could not 400 tbrae f.o,
ahead OF him. lie endeavored 10 follow tbe
PAIN which he thought Kitty might have
.akeh' pnt ~ was buried in snow drifts. and
he soon lost himself. ""
lie stumbled through the drifts. calling
o9t 70 NIFTY IN his distress, but not knowing
whittier he went. After an hour of desnais'
ing, wandering and shouting. he came mon
a house and having raped iiron the door he
found himself face 10 face with his wife
lie had returned 10 his own bouse In Nj.
bewilderment
When we remember that Jones had not
slept for two nights preceding this one on
account OF his mortal quarrel with Burton.
and had now been beating an arctic hurri.
cane, and trampling through treacherous
niliows Of snow for an hour, we cannot won.
der that he fell over his own threshold in A
state Of extreme exhaustion.
Happy for him that he did not fall bewil-
defed on the prairie, as many another poor
"ayiarer did on that fatal night.
As It was, his wife must needs give up in
VAN little searches she had been making in
the neighborhood Of the shanty. She had
now sick husband, with frozen hands and
ieet and face, to care 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 chance TO shoot his
Old partner, Jones' lie had not heard of
the arrival Of Jones wife, and so he had con-
cluded that his enemy had proved a coward
and left him in possession, or else that he
meant to play him some treacherous trick
on his way home.
So Burton resolved TO keep sharp look
out But he soon found that impossible for
the storm was upon him in all It's binding
fury. lie tried to follow the path, but he
could not find It.
Had he been less Of a frontiersman he
must have perished there within a furong
OF his own house. But endeavoring to keep
the direction Of the path, he heard smoth-
cred cry, and 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.
1t was a child
He did not remember that there was such
child among all the settlers at Newton. He
must, without delay, get himself and the
child to place Of safety, or both would be
frozen.
So he took the little thing in his arms and
started through the drifts. And the child
put its little icy fingers on Burton's rough
cheek, and muttered Papa" And Burton
held her closer and fought the snow more
than ever.
lie found the shanty at last, and rolled
the child in a buffalo robe while he made a
fire Then when he got the room little
warm, he took the little thing upon his knee,
dipped her aching fingers in cold water, and
asked her what her name was.
kitty" said she.
Kitty" he said and what else 2"
"kitty," she answered, nor could he find
out any more.
Whose Kitty are you
Goose Kitty" she said. For she had
known her father but that one day, and now
she believed that Burton was he.
Burton sat up 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 chiliren he firmly
believed that Kitty, sleeping snugly under
blankets and buffalo robes, would freeze il
he should let the fire subside in the least.
As the storm prevailed with unabated fury
the next day, and as he dared neither take
Kitty out nor leave her alone he stayed by
her all day, and stuffed the stove with wood.
and laughed at the droll baby talk, and fed
her on biscuit, 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 mourn
ing Kitty for dead, he wrapped her in skins,
and with much difficulty reached the nearest
neghbor's house, suffering only by frost
bite on the way.
"That child" said the woman to whose
house he had gone, " is Jones' | saw them
AXE her out in the wagon, day before yes
ierday."
Burton looked at Kitty moment in per-
olexity. Then he rolled her up again and
tarted out "traveling like mad" the wo-
nan said as she watched him
When he reached Jones he found Jones
md his wife sitting in utter wretchedness
" the fire. They were both sick from grief.
Kitty they had given up for buried under
Iome snow mound. They would find her
Shen spring should come and melt the snow
,Oyer off.
When the exhausted Burton came in with
MS bundle Of buffalo skins, they looked at
aim with amazement. But when he opened
i and let out little Kitty, and said
a" Here, Jones, is this your kitten ?" Mrs.
Jones couldn't think of anything better than
- scream.
And Jones got up and took his old part
ler's hand, and said " Burton, old fellow "
md then choked up and sat down, and cried
lelplessly,
And burton said ",Jones old fellow, you
may have the forty-acre patch. 1t came
ktty's father"
"No you shall take it yourself cried
tones, if ! have TO go TO law to make you"
And Jones actually decided his interest in
he forty acres TO Burton. But Burton trans
ierred it all to Kitty.
This is why this part Of Newton is called
kitty's Forty