, 1878-01-25
Chased by Wolves.

S,me forty yeals ago the northern part
of the State of New York was very
spar,ely settled. In one Of the remote
counties, which for a names sake We VIII
call Macy County, Il stout-healted settler,
named Deyius, POSTED himself beyond
the borders of civilization, and hcwed for
his little family home in the heart OF a
forest that extended all the way from
Lake Chnmplain 10 Lake Ontario. HIS
nearest neig ghbor was six miles away, and
the neares, town nearly twenty; but the
Devinscs were SO happy and contented
that the absence of company gave item
no concern.
1t was splendid place to live in. ln
summer the eye ranged from the slope
where the sturdy pioneer had built his
house over miles and miles of waving
beech and maple woods, away to the dark
line of ines on the high ground that
formed the horizon. Iu the valley below
Otter Creek, tributary of the St. Law
renee wound its sparkling way north
ward. When autumn painted the scene
in brilliant hues, and it lay glowing un-
der the crimson light of October sunsets,
the dullest observer could not restrain
bursts of admiration.
Mr.. Dcvinss first attack on the stub
born forest had been over the brow of the
hill, some four miles nearer Owenton, but
his house was burned down before he had
taken his family there from Albany. He
had regretted that he had not "pitched his
tent" on the slope of Otter Creek; so now
he began with renewed energy his second
home, in which the closing in of the win
ter of 1889 found him. He had sixty acres
of rich soil under cultivation at the time
of which we are to speak, his right-hand
man being his son Allan-a rugged, hand
some, intelligent boy of sixteen.
The winter of 80 was terrible one |;
snow set in before the end of November,
and even in the open country lay upon
the ground until the beginning of April,
while in the recesses of the forest it WAS
found as late as the middle Of June.
There was great distress among the set
tiers outside Of the bounds of civilization,
to whom the deep snow was an impass-
able barrier. The Devinses neither saw
nor heard from their nearest aeighbors
from the first of December till near the
beginning Of February, when a crust was
formed upon the snow sufficiently firm to
bear the weight of man, and friendly
Cayuga Indian brought them news of
how badly their neighbors Jared.
Mr.. Devins was especially touched by
the bad case Of his friend Will Inman, who
lived on the nearest farm. The poor man
lay i'll of a fever; Mrs. Inman was dead
and temporarily buried, until her body
could be removed to the cemetery in
0wenton, and all the care of the family
devolved upon Esther, his daughter, four.
teen years old. After short consultation,
the next morning breaking bright and
clear though very cold,it was determined
to allow Allan to go over the hill to In.
mans, bearing medicine, tea, and other
little necessaries for the family. He was
impressively warned to begin his return
at so early an hour that he might reach
home before the short day end, especial
ly because of the danger from wild ami
mails. The severity OF the winter had
made the wolves more venturesome and
dangerous than they had been for many
years. Mr.. Devins had lost several sheep
and hogs, and deemed it unsafe for any
of his family to be caught far from the
house atnight.
Allan armed himself with his light
rifle, put some biscuits and cold meat in
pouch strapped to his waist, mounted
one Of the strong farm horses, and set out
on his journey. The road through the
forest was better than he expected to find
1T, as the snow had been drlfted off, but
at the turns, and in the thickest part of
the wood, his horse foundered through
drifts more than breast high; and more
than once Allan had to dismount and
beat path ahead. Therefore he did not
reach lnmans till two o'clock, and by
the time ne had helped Esther about her
work, assisted her younger brother to get
IN agoOd supply of wood and made things
more comfortable for the invalid, it Sas
almost sundown. He stoutly refused to
wait for supper, declaring that the lunch
con still in his pouch would serve, and
started just as the short twilight came
on. He was brave lad, and with no
thought of peril went off, kissing his
hand gaily TO Esther.
1t took him an hour TO traverse the
first three miles, and then he came to a
stretch OF comparatively bare ground,
leading through his fathers Old clearing,
and almost to the top of the hill back To-
the top OF Mr.. Devins's house. He was
Just urging old Bob into a trot, when a
long, clear howl broke upon bis ear; then
another and another answered from east
and south. He knew what that meant.
1t was the cry Of the advance guard of a
pack Of wolves.
The bowling sounded near aud came
swiftly nearer, as though the wolves had