Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-09-19
Faithful unto Death.

ohiihhey, up WHICH III is my won 10 say yOl
could drive a coach-and-four. | draw m,
chair nearer to it with shiver. "What
night J" | say.
"ls it showing? ?" asks my wife, who sit
opposite to me, her books and work on thu
table beside her,
Fast. You can scarcely see yard be
fore you"
Heaven help any poor creature on th,
moor tonight !" says she.
"Who would venture out 2 It began snow
ing before dark, and all the people abou
know the danger of being benighted on the
moor in snow-storm."
Yes. But | have known people frozer
to death hereabouts before now"
My wife is Scotch, and this pleasant
house in the Highlands is hers. We are
trying a winter in it for the first time, and
| find it excessively cold and somewhat dull
Mentally decide that in future we will only
grace it with our presence during the shoot
ing season. Presently go to the window
and look OUT it has ceased showing, and
through rift in the cloud see star.
." 1t is beginning 10 clear" tell my wife
and also inform her that it is past eleven
As she lights her candle at side-tabe ]
hear whining and scratching at the front
door.
"There is Laddie loose again." SAYS she
"Would you let him in, dear ?"
did not like facing the cold wind, but
could not refuse to let in the poor animal
Strangely enough, when / opened the door
and called him he wouldn't come. He runs
up to the door and looks into my face with
dumb entreaty then he runs back few
steps, looking around to see if am follow.
ing; and finally, he takes my coat in his
mouth aud tries to draw me out.
"Laddie won't come in," | call out TO my
wife. "On the contrary, he seems to want
me to go out and have a game of SNOWFALL
with him."
She throws a shawl around her and comes
to the door. The collie was hers before we
were married, and she is almost as fond of
him. | tell her, as she is of Jack, our eldest
boy.
"Laddie, Ladder she calls come in,
sir" He comes obediently to her call, but
refuses to enter the house, and pursues the
same dumb pantomne he has already tried
to me-
Z" shall shut him out, Jessie" say. "a
night in the snow won't hurt him y and |
prepare to close the door.
"You will do nothing Of the kind !" she
replies, with an anxious look; :" but you
will rouse the servants at once and follow
him. Some one is lost in the snow, and
Laddie knows it,
laugh. Really, Jessie, you are absurd
Laddie is sagacious animal, no doubt, but
cannot believe he is as clever as that. How
can he possibly know whether any one is
lost in the snow or not 2"
" Because he has found them and come
back to us for help. Look at him now"
cannot but own that the dog seems rest
less and uneasy, and is evidently endeavor-
ing to coax us to follow him he looks at us
with pathetic entreaty in his eloquent eyes.
"Why won't you believe me ?" he seems
to ask.
"Come," she continues, "you know you
could not rest while there was a possibility
Of a fellow-creature wanting your assist
ance. And | am certain I.addie is not de-
ceiving u.s."
What is poor hen-pecked man to do ?
grumble and resist and yield as | have
often erumbled and resisted before, and as
doubtless shall do again.
Laddie once found man in the snow
before, but he was dead" Jessie says, as SHE
hurries off to prepare warm drinks, and ge
ready some blankets for us to take with us
In the meantime | rouse the servants. They
are all English, with the exception of Don
aid the gardener, and | can see they arr
scoffingly skeptical of Laddie's sagacity, anC
inwardly disguised at having to turn out o
their warm beds and face the bitter win
ter's night.
"Dnna trouble yoursels," l hear ole
Donald say. 1.-The mistress is right enough
Auld Laddie is cleverer than mony Chris
tian, and will find something in the snav
this night"
Don't sit up, jessie" say as we start
"we may be out half the night on this wild
goose chase"
Follow Laddie closely" is the only an
swer she makes.
The dog springs forward with joyou
bark, constantly looking back to see if w
are following. As we pass through the av
enue gates and emerge on to the moor, thu
moon struggles for a moment through th
driving clouds, and lights up with sickl,
| gleam the snow-clad country before u.s. " IL
like hunting for needle in bundle of hay
sir" says John, the coachman, confdentially
- to think as we should find anybody Oh
such night as this Why, in some place
the snow is more than a couple O feet thick
and it goes again reason to think that
dumb animal would have the sense to com
home and fetch help"
Bide wee, bide wee" says old Don
aid. 81 dinna ken what your English dug
can do but collie, though it has ma beel
pleasing to Providence to give the creetu
the gift O Speech can do mony mair thing
than them that wad deride it,"
81 amt deridin' of EN-" says John
Is only say as how if they be so very cleve
I've never seen it,"
"Ye wall, though, We wull," says oil
Donald, as he hurries forward after Laddit
who has now settled down into a swingin
trot, and is taking his way straight acros
the loneliest part of the bleak moor. Tn
cold wind almost cuts us in two, and whirl
the snow into our faces, nearly binding ui
My finger tips are becoming numbed, icicle
hang from my moustache and beard, an
my feet and legs are soaking wet, eve
through my shooting-boots and stout leathe
leggings.
The moon has gone in again, and tn
light from the lantern we carry is barrel
sufficient to show us the inequalities in tn
height of the SNOW, by which we are guess
ing at our path | began to wish | ha
stayed at home. "Lhomme propose, mais
femme dispose" | sigh to myself and be
gin to consider whether may venture t
give up the search (Which | have under
taken purely TO satisfy my wife, for | al
like John, and won't believe in Laddie,
when suddenly | hear shout in front O
me, and see Donald, who has all the tim
been keeping close TO Laddie, drop on hi
knees and begin digging wildly in the sno,
with his hands. We all rush forward. Lac
die has stopped at what appears TO be tn
foot of a stunted tree, and after scratchin
and whining for moment, sits down an
watches, leaving the rest to us, What is
that appears when we have shoveled ava
the snow A dark object. Is it a bundl
of rags Is it--or, alas was it-a huma
being? We raise it carefully, and tenderl
wrap it in one of the warm blankets wit
which my wife's forethought has provide
us. Bring the lantern," | say huskily
and John holds it over the prostrate form O
not AS we might have expected, some sta
wart shepherd OF the hills, but over that of
poor, shriveled, wrinkled, ragged old woman
" Best get her home as quickly as may be
sir; the mistress will know better wha
TO do for her nor we do, ii so be the poo
creature is not past help" says John, turr
ing instinctiyely, as we all do in sickness o
trouble, TO woman's aid
So we improyise sort of hammock o
the blankets, aud gently and tenderly tn
men prepare to carry their poor helples
burden over the snow.
I" am afraid your mistress will be il
bed ! say, as we begin to retraee our steps