Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-08-09


bound. oh, l am so glad to see
you Where did you come from !?
| havo been so afraid the wreck
would take fire 7 she cried. Her
tone seemed to say,
sBut now there is no danger Per-
haps, as / lifted her down. held her
the fraction of an instant too long.
Then she was only like a piece of
sugared ice.
well, / said, looking at her and
laughing-I felt so ight.hea:ted and
happy all at once--swhat are you 60
ing to do now?'
Give you your umbrella, said she,
sand find DIR. Wilder
sAnd how about Brentford p And
at that came gust of tears. 'Tears2'
said / -swhen we are safe and
whole?'
sit has been so dreadful = she ex.
claimed, lifting her streaming face
like flower in the rain. eve ought
to be so thankful. Oh, indeed, we
mustn't be staying talking we must
see if anybody Is hurt and needs
help
But you can't walk, with your
ankle.
81 will wait here
disposed some scattered wraps
about her, found that nobody was
injured, and came back and told her
so. And now, how about Brentford?'
| asked.
They can't expect me back if the
trains don't run, she said, with a
worried face. But its a great mis-
fortune they are SO particular
'There is DIR. Wilder said I. Stay
here, and / will see that it is all
right. stopped to speak with the
doctor, and half an hour afterwards
| returned with a sleigh full of robes
and hot soap-stones. There is to be
no demurring this time, said |. Your
cousin Marcia's cousin Ferguson can
take all proper care in one sleigh,
and DIR. Wilder and this young gen.
tleman from Bentford-'
Ou HCSs lux. ISL bulS
dreadful, Mr.. Taffany p
In another. The sIeighing is
very passable ; we shall reach Bent
ford by twilight. Aud you will keep
your situation, or or get another. ,
She hung back moment. L hesitat-
ed no more, but took her by her two
little shoulders and deposited her
among the furs, and tucked them all
in about her; and as by that time
sIeighs and coaches and all sorts of
conveyances were on the ground for
the Others | touched whip to the
horse and we were off, the other
sleigh behind us.
do you know the way?' she asked
timidly.
Il can inquire answered.
Straight ahead was the instruc-
ton given at every farmhouse gate;
and straight ahead we went, gay and
laughing now, and full of enjoyment
of the pleasant bracing air, the bells,
the swiftness. At length we reach
ed some crossroads, where the wind
had overturned the sign.post. Which
one of the roads was the right one ?
We took the most Travelled way at q
venture. 1t was the wrong one. 1t
led us on and OF, aided by a pumpkin
who grinned and said, 'Ay, ay.' as
we asked if we were right for Bent
ford. The sky was already clouding
overs and it was late in the afternoon
when we reached village at whose
little inn we stopped for refresh
ments; l insisting upon it, the other
sleigh pushing on rather than wait.
We were far out of the way, the
landlord told me we must have
made the mistake a dozen miles
back at the crossroads, but yet, if
we changed our horse and persisted,
it was still quite possible to reach
Bentford that night. For my COM
panion's sake it must be done.
Warmed and fed, and with addition
al robes we were on our way again.
1t was of no use to stop and specu-
late over DIR. Wilder and Mr.. Taffauy;
they would doubtless find out their
error and get on the right road in
time-before the snow thickened, it
was to be hoped. Ii was beginning
to snow, gently but steadily; pres
emily l found the wind was rising.
| thankrd Heaven and Marcia for
my umbrella, spread it, and secured
it behind US. Before long it was
dark. Little Rose had grown very
quiet | myself scarcely spoke. |
was anxious concerning her expos
ure to the gathering storm, concern
ing her solicitude. We were in a
hill country and now and then a
light twinkled far up some slope, but
we passed no houses at all our
hearts rose and sank with the I'M
winding lengths of the rising and
sinking road. The snow still FELL and
now it was drifting sadly every
thing was weird and strange it was
no longer possible to distinguish the
way. | left it to the instinct of the
horse but he stopped stone still, at
last,in the middle of hill pasture, on
the edge of a wood, unable to pro-
coed another rod. struck my last
match, and looked at my watch it
was already half past twelve.
There was no help for it. Here
we were to stay till morning, if we
lived so long. 1 was full of appre-
tensions and although l had done my
best, | was mortified to the quick.
'It is not your fault, Mr.. Ferguson
said Rose, TREMENDOUSLY. 4 ought
not to have ventured it,
And you can't imagine what Mrs.
Burbank will say2' exclaimed reck-
lessly.
She burst out crying. 'Oh, what
shall | do, what shall | do p she said.
got out and broke down the drift
a little before the horse, and then led
him cautiously just within the wood.
How comfortable L cried Rose be-
tween her sobs. lit is almost like
getting home.'
sit is the hearth of the great moth
err said /.