Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1875-03-24
kItty's Forty.

Ii doesn't do men any good 10 live apart
from women and children. | never knew
boys school in which there was not a ten
dency TO rowdyism. Aud lumbermen, sail
ors, fishermen, and other men who live only
with men, are proyerbially half-bear sort
of people. Fruntiersmen soften down when
women and children come-but forget my
self, it is the story you want
Burton and Jones lived in a shauty by
themselves. Jones was married man, but
finding it hard to support his vife in down
east village, he had emigrated to northern
Minnesota, leaving his wife under her faith
er's roof until he should be able to "make a
start" He and Burton had gone into part
nership and had pre-enpted town of
three hundred and fifty acres.
There was perhaps twenty families scat
tered sparsely over this town site at the
time this story begins and ends, for it ends
in the same week in which it begins
The partners disagreed. quarreled, and di-
yided their interests. The land was all
shared between them except one valuable
forty-acre piece. Each of them had claimed
that piece of land, aud the quarrel had
grown 30 high that the neighbors expected
them to shoot at sight In fact, it was un-
derstood that Burton was on the forty.acrc
place, determined to shoot Jones if he came
and Jones had sworn TO 20 out there and
shoot Burton, when the fight was postponed
10y the unexpected arrival of Jones wife and
child.
Jones shanty was not finished and he was
forced TO forego the luxury of fighting his
old partner, IN his eXertious TO make wife
and baby comfortable for the night For
the winter sun was surrounded by "sun
dogs Instead Of one sun there were four
an occurrence not uncommon in this lat-
tude, but one which always bodies terrible
storm.
In his endeayor to care for wife and child,
Jones was Modified little, and half re-
gretted that me had been so violent about
the piece of land. But he was determined
not to be backed down, and would certainly
have 10 shoot Burton or be shot himself.
When lac thought Of the chance of being
killed by his old partner the prospect vas
not pleasant lie looked wistfully at Kitty,
his two year old child, and dreaded that she
should be left iatherless, but he would not
be backed down. lie would shoot or be
shot
While the father was busy cutting wood,
and the mother was busy otherwise little
Kitty managed TO get the shanty door open.
There was no latch as yet, and the prying
little fingers easily swung it back A gust
OF cold wind almost took her breath away,
but she caught sight of the brown grass
without, aud the new world seemed so big
that the little feet were fain TO try and ex-
plorc.
She pushed out through the door, caught
her breath again, and started away down
a path bordered by sere grass and the dead
stalks Of the wild flowers.
How often had she longed to escape from
the restraint, and paddle out in the world
alone So ont into the world she went, re-
joicing IN her liberty in the blue sky above,
and the rusty prairie beneath. She would
find out where the path went, and what was
at the end of the world What did she care
il her nose was blue with cold and her
chubby hands red as beets Now aud then
she paused 10 turn her head away from the
rude blast, forerunner of the storm but,
having gasped moment she quickly re-
newed her brave march in search of the
great unknown
The mother missed her, but supposed that
Jones, who could not get enough Of the
childs society had taken the pet out with
him.
Jones, poor fellow, sure that the child was
safe within, chopped away until that awful
storm broke upon him, and at last drove him
half smothercd by snow and frozen with
cold, into the house. When there was moth
ing left but retreat, he had seized an armful
of wood and carried it into the house with
him, 10 make sure of having enough to keep
his wife and Kitty from freezing in the com
ing swiftness Of the night, which now set
tied down upon the storm-beaten and snow
blinged world.
1t was the beginning of that horrible
storm in which so many people were frozen
TO death, and Jones had fled none too soon.
When once the wood was packed by the
stove, Jones looked around for Kitty. lie
had no more than inquired for her when
father and mother each read in the others