The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1879-02-04
CHASED BY WOLVES.

very sparsley settled In one of the re-
mote counties, which, for names sake,
we will call Macy County, a stout-heart-
ed settler named Devlns posted himself
beyond the borders of civilization and
hewed for his little family home In the
heart of forest that extended all the
way from Lake Champlain to Lake
Ontario. His nearest neighbor was six
miles away, and the nearest town nearly
twenty, but the Devinses were so happy
and contented that the absence OF COM
pany gave them no concern.
1t was splendid place to live in. In
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 lines of vines on the high ground
that formed the horizon. In the valley
below, Otter Creek, a tributary of the
st. Lawrence, wound It's sparkling way
northward. When autumn painted the
scene in brilliant hues, and it lay glow
ing under the crimson light of October
sunsets, the dullest observer could not
restrain bursts of admiration.
Mr.. Devins' first attack on the stubborn
forest had been over the brow of the
hill, some four miles near Owenton, but
his house was burned down before he
had taken his family there from Albany.
lie had regretted that he had not "pitch
ed his tent'' on the slope of Otter Creek:
a hnnop Will
his second home, in which the closing
in of the winter of 1889 found him. He
had sixty acres of rich soil under culti-
vation at the time of which we are to
speak, his right-hand man being his son
Allen--a rugged, handsome, intelligent
boy of sixteen.
The winter of '39 was terrible one:
snow set in before the end of November.
and, even in the open country, Law 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 civilian
ton, to whom the snow was an impass-
able barrier. The Devinses neither
saw nor heard from their nearest neigh
bors from the first of December till near
the beginning of February, when crust
was formed upon the snow sufficiently
firm to bear the weight of man, and a
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.
whose wife was dead and temporarily
buried, until her body could be removed
to othecemetery in Owentown, and all the
care of the family devolved upon Esther.
his daughter, fourteen years old. After a
short consultation, the next morning
breaking bright and clear, though very
cold, it was determined to allow Allan to
go over the hill to Inman's, bearing med
icine, tea and other little necessaries for
the family. He was impressively warn
ed to begin his return at so early an hour
that he might reach home before the
short days end, especially because of
the danger of wild animals. The seyeri-
ty of the winter had made the wolves
more ventursome 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
at night
Allan armed himself with his light
rifle, put some biscuits and cold meat in
a 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 it, as the snow had been drifted |
off, but at the turns, and in the thickest |
part of the wood, his house floundered |
through drifts more than breast high:
and more than once Allan had to dis
mount and beat path ahead. There
fore, he did not reach Inman's till two
O'Clock and, by the time he had helped
Esther about her work, assisted her
young brother to get in good supply of
wood and made things more comfortable
for the invalid, it was almost sundown.
He stoutly refused to stay for supper,
declaring that the luncheon still in his
pouch would serve, and started just as
the short twilight came on. He was q
brave lad, and, with no thought of peril,
went off, kissing his hand gayly to Es-
ther.
1t took him an hour to traverse the
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