Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1879-04-09

4
more than inquired for her when the
father and mother read in each other.
iaces the fact that she was lost in the
Wild, dashing storm of snow.
so FAST did the snow fall. and so hard
was the night that Jones could not see
three feet head of him. He endeavored
TO follow the path which he thought Kitty
might have taken. but it was buried in
snow drifts. and he soon lost himself He
stumbled along, not knowing whittier he
went. After an hour of despairing, wan
dering and shouting. he came upon house
and having raped upon the door he found
himself face to face with his wife. He
had returned to his own house in his
bewilderment.
When we remember that Jones bad not
slept for two nights preceding this one,
on account of his quarrel with Burton.
and had been beating against the arctic
hurricane, and trampng through the
treacherous pillows of snow for an hour.
we cannot wonder that he fell over his
own threshold IN state OF extreme ex-
haustion,
| AS it was, his wife must needs give I'D
the vain search she had been making in
the nelghborhood of the shanty. She had
sick husband, with frozen hands and feet
and face to care for. Every minute the
Thermometer fell lower and lower, and
all the heat the little cook stove.in Jones
shanty could give would hardly keep them
from freezing.
Burton had stayed upon the forty acre
lot all day. waiting for chance to shoot
his old partner, Jones. He had not heard
of the arrival of Jones' wife, and lie con.
cluded his enemy was coward and had
left him in possession or else meant to
play some treacherous trick on his way
home. So Burton resolved to keep a
sharp lookout. but he soon found that
impossible, for the storm was upon him
in its binding fury. He tried to follow
the path but he could not find it.
Had he been less frontiersman he
must have perished there. within furlong
of his own hut. But endeavoring to keep
the direction of the path he heard a smoth-
cred cry, and then something rose up
covered with snow and fell down again.
He raised his gun to shoot it, when the
creature uttered another waling cry, so
human that he put down his gun and
went cautiously forward. 1t was child.
lie did not remember that there was
such child among all the settlers at
Newton. But he did not stop to ask
questions. he must without DELAY get
himself and the child, too, to place of
safety, or both would be frozen. So he
took the little thing in his arms and started
through the drifts. And the child put its
fingers on Burtons rough cheek, multering
papa" And Barton held her closely and
fought the snow more courageously than
ever.
He found the shanty at last, and rolled
the child in buffalo robe while he made
II fire. Then when he got the room IL
little warm, he took the little thing upon
his knees, dipping her aching hands in
cold water, and asked her what her name
was.
kitty" said she.
"Kitty,' said he, "what elsep''
"kitty," she answered, nor could he
find out any more.
"Whose Kitty are you?"
Your Kitty she said. For she had
known her father but that one day, and
now she believed that Burton was her
father. Burton sat up all night and
stuffed wood into his little impotent stove
to keep the baby from freezing to death.
Never having had anything to do with
children, he firmly believed that Kitty,
sleeping snugly under blankets and buffalo
robes, would freeze if lie should let the fire
subside in the least
AS the storm prevailed with unabated
fury the next day, and us he dared neither
to take Kitty out or leave her alone, he
stayed by her all day and stuffed the stove,
and laughed at her droll baby talk. and fed
her on biscuit, fried bacon and coffee.
On the morning of the second day the
storm subsided. 1t was cold, but knowing
somebody must be mourning for Kitty as
dead he wrapped her in skins, and with
much difficulty reached the nearest neigh
bor house, suffering only from frost
bitten nose by the way.
THAT child" said the woman to who,e
house he had gone, sis Jones' seed 'em
take her outen the wagon day before yes
terday."
Burton looked IL moment at Kitty in
perplexity. Then he rolled her up again
and started out, travelling like mad" the
woman said, as she watched him.
When he had reached Jones, he found
Jones and his wife sitting in utter wretch
edness by the fire. They were both sick
from PTlci, anu uHaole 10 move out oil the
house. Kitty they had given up for buried
under some snow mound. They would
find her when spring should come and
melt the snow cover off.
When the exhausted Burton came in
in with his buffalo skins, they looked at
him in amazement. But he opened them
and let out little Kitty and said:
"IIere, Jones, is this your pet kittenp"
And Jones got up and took bis old part
ners hand and said: {" Burton old. fellow!'
and then sat down and cried helplessly.
And Burton said: Jones, old fellow,
you may have that forty acre patch. 1t
came mighty near making me the MUIR
derer of that little Kittys father.
mo! you shall take it TO YOURSELF"
cried Jones, "if | have to 20 to law to
make you" And Jones actually decided
the forty acres to Burton. But Burton
transferred it all to Kitty.
This is why this part of Newton is called
"Kttys Forty"