Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1876-01-04

81 never regarded q pistol as bless
ing BEFORE" said /.
But oh, what night it was! | couldn't
think Of anything but DR.. Kane in the
Arctic regions. Though our wood fire
snapped briskly, and Eben heated rock
TO put at my feet, and the bufIalorobes
were warm as wool, yet there was
dreadful sense Of isolation and danger
out there in the woods, with the wind
roaring through the trees like thing
possessed, and bouShs cracking, ard
sometimes the howl of wolf making
ones heart stand still for an in.
slant. Perhaps you don't know what
4 camp in the woods is like? Well, in
the first place, there's no floor but the
bare ground, with spruce boughs laid
over ii for carpeting; it is built of half
hewn logs, and it has window or two,
with wooden shutters, and there's hole
in one end OF the roof for the smoke TO
pass through. Sometimes they build
rough chimney of stones; but this hut
was without that modern convenience,
aud there were Lnot.holes in the shutters
and tho door had no fastening and
sometimes the wind blew il wide open.
and gave one glimpse OF the black,
frosty night outside. with now and then
the CLINT Of ir-trees standing out darklY
and taking all manner OF shapes.
IL seemed to me that Eben was always
stirring about, gathering Gre-wood, or
attending to my comfort in some way. l
couldn't persuade him that there was
enough buffalo robes for US both; and
once, while he was outside gathering
tuel, put my head out the door, and it
was 80 cold il iroze the tears on my eye
lids. Sometimes Eben would presume
to take my hand in his, to maze sure L
WAS warm. and tuckslhe wraps about me
more snugly; and be tried 10 distract
my mind from the situation by telling
me stories of the wood choppers and life
on q boom Of logs; and once or twice he
tried TO sing. and he whistled like all the
birds in the forest and at last Tell into
q doze, and walked ,shivering, with start
to find the grey dawn creeping in
through the chinks and knot holes, and 10
hear a strange voice outside calling.
Good morning to you,Sir Gee. Bright!
How's this for cold snap, eh?" 1t was
teamster, ,toiling up from the mill viii
lage TO haul logs; and so soon az h g
knew our strait he turned about, took out
his oxen and put them 10 the hovel, har-
messed old Lightning into his team, and
drove us into Faring more dead than
alive.
"a pretty cold snap. ECHOED the
landlord of Sunbeam Tavern, as we en-.
tered; "a pretty cold snap, l take it.
Holloa! what's the matter?'
Eben had slipped from his seat upon
the floor in dead faint! You may guess
was pretty well frightened. as deserved
to be.
ats all my fault-all my iaultm l
cried. forgetting the by standers and the
strange doctors.
PHYS sake said the landlady, sis the
cold snap your fault ? are you to blame for
the weather, miss ? I'm afraid the cold
has drove you out OF your poor head
You'd better have som ethiug hot. dear"
But you know how it was. My ears
were o triae fros bitten. and they had to
smputate Eben's foot, and all because |
had been vain and headstrong about
going home, and had refused to speak the
truth down in the maple grove. and ac-
cept backwoodsman and a farmer for
my lover.
OF course l married Eben, but didn't
deserve to; and as for him, he says that
the cold snap insured him his greatest
blessing.