Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1876-12-28
How Kitty got Lost.
~ EDW ARD EGGLESTON.

1t doesn't do men good to live apart from
women aud children. | never knew a
boys school in which there was not a te H.
dency TO rowdyism; and lumbermen, sail
oFs, fishermen and other men that live on
ly win men. are proverbally a half-bear
sort OF people. FrontieIsmen, soften down
when women and children come-but for
got myself, |. Is my story you want.
Barton and Jones lived In a shanty bv
themselves. Jones was married man.
and finding il hard to support his wife in
down east village, had emigrated to
northern Minnesota, leaving hIs wife un-
der her fathers roof until he should be
able to make a start He and Burton
had 'pre-empted' town site OF three hun
dred and twenty acres.
There were twenty families scattered
sparsely over this town site at the tiue
my story begins and ends, for it ends the
same week in which il begins.
The parties had disagreed, quarelled, and
divided their interests. The land was also
shared between them. except one valuable
forty acre piece. Each of them claimed
that piece of land. and the quarrel had
grown so nigh between them that the neigh
bors expected them to shoot at sight, In
fact 1t was understood that Burton, who
was on the torty-acre piece, determined to
shoot Jones If he came, and Jones had
sworn to 90 out there and shoot Burton,
when the fight was postponed by the un-
expected arrival of Joness wife and
child.
Jones's shanty was not finished, and he
was forced TO forego the luxury OF fighting
his partner, in his exertions to make wife
and babe comfortable for the night for
the winter sun was surrounded by sun
docs lpSfxu1 Af 10
tour, an occurrence not unfrequent in
that latitude, but one which always BODIES
i terrible storm
Ia his endeavor to care for his wife and
child, Jones was molltied little. and half
regretted that he had been so violent
about the piece of land But he was de-
termned not TO be backed down, and would
certainly have to shoot Burton, or be shot
himself.
When he thought OF the chance of being
Killed by his Old partner, the prospect was
not pleasant. lie looked wistfully at X ,-r
his two-year-old child. and dreaded ID X
she would be left fatherless NclcrtAe-
less he wouldn't be backed down He
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
pryiDg little fingers easily swung 1t back
A gust of cold almost took her breath away
but she caught sight of the grass without,
and the new world seemed so big that the
little feet were ialn to try and explore it,
She pushed out through the door, caught
her breath again, and started away down
the path bordered by sere grass and the
dead stocks of the wild flowers.
How often she has longed to escape
from restraint, and paddle into the world
alone. So out into the world she went, re-
Joicing in her liberty, in the blue sky
above. and the rusty prairie beneath. She
would hnd where the path went and what
was the end of the world. What did she
care if her nos- was blue with cold. and
her chubby hands red as beetsl Now and
then she paused to turn her head away
from rude blast, a forerunner OF the
storm, but having gasped moment, she
quickly renewed her brave march of the
great unknown.
The mother missed her, but supposed
that Jones, who could not get enough OF
the chlids society, had taken the little pet
out with him. Jones, poor fellow, think
ing that the darling was safe within. chop
ped away till the awful storm broke upon
him and at last drove him, half smother
ed by snow, and half frozen with cold, in
TO the house. When there was nothing
left but retreat he seized an armful of wood
and carried it to the house with him, to
make sure of having enough to keep Kitty
and his wife from freezing in the coming
awfulness OF the night, which now settled
down upon the storm beaten and snow
blinded world. 1t was the beginning Of
that horrible storm in which so many peo-
pie were frozen to DEATH and Jones fled
not to soon.
When once the wood was stacked by the
stove, Jones looked for Kitty. He had no
more than inquired for her when her fa-
ther and mother read in each others faces
the fact that she was lost in the wild, dash
ing storm of snow.
SO fast did the snow fall, and so dark
was the night, that Jones could not see
three feet ahead of him He endeayored
to follow the path which he thought Kitty
might have taken, but was buried in snow
drifts, and he soon lost himself. lie Stun
bled through the drifts calling out to Kitty
in his distress, not knowing whittier he
went. After an hour of dispairing. wan
derlng and shouting he came upon a house
aud having raped upon the door the door
he found himself face to face with his
wife. He had returned to his own house
in his bewilderment.
When we remember that Jones had not
slept for two nights preceding this one,
on account OF his quarrel with Burton,
and nov been beating against the Arctic
hurricane and tramping through the treach.
erous blllows Of snow for an hour, we can