Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1880-04-02

the bushes, somewhere. They'll tramplo tn,
snow down around EN-, so as TO get at tn,
bushes II twas only among birch and beecl
bushes, now, those sheep would get along
well enough, but among these saplin' pineI
I don know. / hope that the wolves they
tell of down river won't be prowin' arount
this way. They're drefful ere turs TO xii
sheep
Johnny started for home, feeling NOR,
hopeless and sad than when he had come. Il
was now certain that the sheep and young
lambs were stuck somewhere on the woody
plains. Johnny had intended TO search the
thickets on his way home but when he left
the ridge along which the road ran, the deer
snow so clogged and bound him, that he
made but little progress, and was at length
forced to go home without the least token OF
the missing flock. Bo-peep cried when she
heard Johnny's report, and her mother could
scarcely keep back the tears when she thought
that if they should lose their flock, they could
not make the payments due on their little
| homestead.
The larger part of the next day was spent
by Johnny in going from hill to hill, and in
climbing trees, where he peered into every
vista, and listened to every sound,-if, by
good fortune, he might catch glimpse of q
fleece, or the faintest bleating of sheep OF
| lamb. Several times be did hear bleats, but
so smothered that he could not tell whence
they proceeded, or so distant that he suppos-
ed they came from a neighbor's flock
The day after the storm had been warm,
and this was warmer still, melting the snow
away in some spots but toward night the
wind changed, and the air grew very cool
| and Johnny hastened home to do up the
evening chores.
By day-break the next morning he was out
ofdoors. He found as he had expected, a
crust upon the snow firm enough TO bear
| him. Having MIXED the COW and fed the
hens, he sat down with his mother to their
| breakfasts then, after brief devotions, he
sailed out upon the piny plains.
The poor birds which had come in num-
| bers during the warm DAYS when the snow
was of were now chilled and nearly famish-
ed. Johnny could see them, now and then,
searching about in the great trees and in the
thickets for the least morsel of food. Sever
al times he caught sight of rabbits, hopping
about the copses, or sitting, with long ears
erect, and large, wondering eyes, as if to in
quire and hear "why in the world the boy
was staring about in these woods"
Now fish-hawk sailed slowly over, high in
air; and, yonder a struggling flock of crows
hurried toward some unseen point, for some
unknown purpose.
started, that Johnny had confidently expect
ed success but as noon drew nigh, the soft
ening crust yielded more and more under his
feet, aud he grew weary and Respondent He
had searched in an overwhelming circle about
the spot where the sheep were last seen, -
but not track or token of them had yet been
discovered.
Hungry and weary, he turned toward home,
with choking feeling in his throat and some
times with misty eyes.
Though he now broke through the crust at
every step, the snow was rarely more than
kuee-deep; but there was a snowy gully to
cross, in the bottom of which ran, usually, a
small rivulet, now deep stream. A fallen
tree enabled him to cross this without q wet
ting. The top led him into spur of the
main gully, deep, narrow, and shaded by
great pines. This had been drifted full of
snow. which, owing to its shaded position,
had thawed but little. Johnny threw him
self fat, and began to crawl along thinking
that thus he would not sink, as he must if he
stood upon his feet.
Between him and the fringe of bushes some
twenty feet distant, marking the edge of the
bank the snow had sunken away in q saucer
like cavity; and in the very center of this
appeared small opening. Johnny feared
there was spring, or quagmire, underneath,
into which he might fall so he turned to
make a wide circuit of the spot.
Too late He suddenly found the snow
breaking away beneath him, and before he
could throw himself upon a frmer part, or
grasp bough, he found that he was falling
rapidly down, together with great mass of
snow. Confused and blinded, amid the snowy
avalanche, for some moments he could not
discern where he was. He was not in the
water; but there was rapid movement of liv-
ing creatures under the loose snow his fall
bad thrown over him. Lambs bleated in
alright; and Johnny perceived that he had
tumbled into the midst of a flock of sheep.
They had come into this shady hollow for
shelter from the storm, and been buried un-
der the drifting snow. The warmth of their
bodies had soon thawed away cavity, the
snow had settled, and a large breathing-hole
had formed above them.
So here were the lost sheep and lambs, all
huddled together in the gully, snug and
warm. The snow had melted from the mossy
aud porous soil, and the shrubs and herbage
were all guawed close. The sheep might still
be hungry, but they were not starving.
Pretty soon all had shaken themselves out
from the fallen snow, so that each one could
be plainly seen. Johnny counted them none
were missing except one weakly lamb. How
to get them out, now, was the question. He
trod steps'for himself, up the bank of snow,
but the sheep would not follow; SO he went
home, rather late for dinner, but with heart
so merry, that it was as good as a feast Af-
ter dinner, he repaired again to the gully,
carrying dish of salt, agreeable to flocks af-
ter green forage. He gave each of the sheep
a taste, then put little on each step, and the
ewes all followed him up, and the lambs after
them, only he had to bring two or three.
One, the weakest, he carried all the way
home So they went home in regular process
sion first Johnny with the salt-dish in his
hand and lamb IN his arms then two ewes
and lamb then a eve and two lambs.
1t was pleasant sight to this humble fam
ny,-who certainly ate their bread and milk
that night with gladness of heart.
Geo. d. TdrRey, IN 50. Nicholas t0r april.