The Lake County star. [volume] (Chase, Mich.) 1873-current, 1876-02-10

broke when I would tumble down.
Nothin' but the business we was onto
kept either of us up but the sole thought
in my mind was the gal, and l hadn't
room to think of the storm. 1t were on
this night blunderin' my way through
the snow that / found out how much /
thought of her. Sometimes gust would
come which would bring me to stand
still, and / would have to turn my back
to it, and let it pass; then I'd shout out
cheery as / could, Governor ahoy !! and
back family would come the response,
'Hillo,' and I'd stagger on again through
the deep snow. Then at times I'd hear
the old man hail, 'Splicer ahoy and I'D
shout back, AYE, ayel all right sir.
Then when the calls got too faint I'd
stand towards him, and the halls and
responses would git louder till by and by
the light of his lantern would be dimly
visible and the next minute we'd meet
and he'd say, No luck yet Splicer, and
I'd say, No luck vet, Governor, but
we'll find her or die and then we'd
clear the snow off the cOmpass-glass, git
it steady and take our courses agin and
separate.
We didn't go far away from one an
other, and yet the tacks was long in
time, for the snow were 80 fearful deep
that our progress were slow. Arter a
while i thought the old man weakened
on it; his voice were not as strong when
he hailed, and so the next time we jined
company l says to him, 'Gove'nor,
you're givin' out; take you the compass
and steer east-southeast for town. can
do this searchin' alone and / can find
the houses by the direction of the wind
"'Splicer,' says he, it can't be did; !
must find that grl; can never face the
old woman without her; she's some
where's out onto this common, and we
must find her.
"All right Gove'nor,' says /; If so
be as you can hold out, tits we'll as for
me, am as fresh as a four year old, and
can stand it all night
"Away we went ag'in on our courses,
and as the old mans halls crowd faint |
were goin' to tack as usual when some.
thin came bounding through the snow
and up ag'in me knockin' me over fiat
on my back.
at were Bosen, our dog, and then !
know'd the gal weren't far of. l sent up
a wild shout of joy, and hurried along
after the dog, which steered of about
northeast, and arter going about three
hundred yards he stopped and begin
scratching in the snow.
81 put down the lantern and compass
and helped him. and there, entirely cov-
cred up with the snow were Hepsey.
az picked her up, and unbuttOnin'
my big pea jacket, / buttoned it again
right outside of her, and slingiu' my
compass around my neck arter getting
the bearin', / stood to the southard to
meet the old man. When l found him
/ Civ him the compass and l chucked
the lantern away. l told the old man
to steer about east southeast, and then
me and Hepsy we started for town. !
know'd the dog would find the way,
cause dogs knows more than humans,
and don't need no compasses If ever /
exerted my self l did that night, though
l didn't know it at the time, but when /
got home to the widder's / hadn't dry
stitch onto me ior the sweat. The con-
tact of my warm body kinder brung
Hepsey to, likewise, and when / unbut-
toned her and took her out she begin to
show some signs of life, and arter the
widder had charge of her for hour or
two she were comm round fine.
Gall she know'd were that Just as she
were givin' up Bosen found her, and she
just laid down by him and went to sleep,
and that the dog and the snow together
coverin' her up kep' her from freezn' to
death.
"However that dog know'd she were
out there in the snow, Pm sure don't
know, because / can't understand dog
LANG uaee; but he did know, and what is
more, he know'd where to find her, and
that were more than me and the old man
did, and Just as soon as he'd piloted me
and Hepsy into town that dog went back
for the old man.
You wouldn't have thought he'd a
left the old man, and him his dog, would
you? But ke Know'd somehow in his
dog like manner that it were necessary
for me and Hepsy to get on first, and as
soon as he got us to the houses, he turned
tail and went arter the old man.
at were IL o'clock afore the old man
got home, and, as soon as he'd done SO,
arter he'd kissed the widder, he said,
'Splicer, il ever any two men deserved
a thunderin' strong glass apiece of hot
rum, you, Splicer, and / deserve it to-
night, and if the old woman don't give
it to us she's no Christian which she
were, and we had it screechin' hot, arter
she took one to Hepsy.
"Aiter this here, sir, that gal seemed
to take to me wonderfully. She got the
idee thst 1T were me who saved her life,
whereas, as you can see, it were Bosen.
Howsoever, were right glad to have
her cotton to me, and we got to settin'
up nights, after the old man and the
widder had turned in
"About month, think it were, ar
ter this here snow scrape, the widder
catches me alone one day, and she says,
'Splicer, you're sweet onto Hepsy.'
al don't deny it, marm,' says L.
"Well,' says she, 'Eplicer, you haint
never killed a whale, and Hepsy can't
cotton to anybody what haint killed 8
whale. There's the John Jay fttin' out
for the Pacific ocean, and you'd better
90 right and ship into her, and wheI
you comes back, then you can talk tC
Hepsy.',
"Well, sir, went off and done it tha
very day, and a month arter that l wer'
at sea, and it were five years from tina
before 1 ever set foot onto the islant
again, and when ! come back Heps,
were married and had two children, tn,
old man were dead, and the widder wer
keepin' boarders.
"In the light of experience, sir,
think the widder put up job onto me
As / looks at it now, ] don't thinl
Hepsy would have cared cent whethe
, I'd killed whale or not, but so 1t wer
reckoned up, and here am watchin'."
DURING the past ten years, grea