The news and herald. (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1877-1900, 1880-06-08

cross the threshold Of my humble dwell
ling"
81 took my rifle and hunting knife with
me, hoping, as had sometimes occurred, I
might get shot at deer; and if not,
there were moro or less bears and wolves
about, and now and then some Struggling
Indians, aud it was always best to go pre-
pared for whatever one might chance to
encounter" }.#
~ reached the mill long before noon,
and, had my grist been ready, 1 could
easily have got home as had promised,
before dark; bat it was not yet ground ;
and when told the Miller how disappoint-
ed was, and that we had not meal enough
In the house for more than two days, he
said If would wait he would try and have
bushcl or so ready for me by four o'clock.
thought of my tinid wife, and lonely ride
IN the dark, and half resolved to go home
ut once aud return the next day; but then,
besides that it seemed foolish to make an
entire journey again to save few hours,
there was by this time every appearance of
u quick-gathering storm, and it might be
impossible to get back for the grlst before
we should be actually suffering for the
want of bread 80, all things being duly
considered, concluded to wait"
"New, as bad luck would have 1t, some
thing went wrong with the MILL and in
stead of getting my grist by four o'clock,
as promised, 'I,was detained till near eight.
by which time such a furious snow storm
was raging, that the miller advised me, as
a matter of safety, to remain till morning.
saying might; get into al impossible drift
and losc;my life. "vs&:
No. said I, thinking of my poor,
anxious wife,. trembling for fear in her
lionel ness, Il shall make the attempt at all
hazzards ,"
'I had strip of woodland to 60 through
for the first five miles, and thought that
bad enough, assure you; but it was
nothing in comparison with the open plain,
or prairie, which stretched away before me
for ten miles, to my very door, Sadly
the wind howled and mnoacd among the
trees, it is true yet they served to break
its force, and in a measure protect me, as I
guided my blind, stumbling horse along the
path which the light of the SLOW enabled
nc to see; but when l reached the plain,
the storm burst upon me in all its terrible
fury, filled my eyes, cut my face, chilled
my blood, almost blew me down, and piled
the. snow in drifts and ridges higher than
my head. -'@.'
81 stopped and prayed-for somehow l
felt that WITHOUT Gods. assistance l should
never get through and behold my dear wife
agnin-and then l. set forward with the
child-likc reliance of one who has acknow-
legged his weakness and committed himself
to the care and guidance of Supreme
Power. .'1
"For short distance l continued to ride;
but soon found this would not do; for
besides the fact that could scarcely keep
my position, and felt my limbs and body
numb with the piercing cold, my poor horse
was beginning to stagger from the force
OF the wind and his load together; so got
down and led him forward, both of us
stumbling more or less on the clear ground,
and plunging and wallowing through tie
high drifts, which were every minute grow
ing higher and more difficult to surmount. {"
"In this manner had got over, as nigh
as could judge, about three miles of prai-
rie, when there came to my ears, born along
by the rushing blast, the distant bowling
of pack of wolves Of all nights, such
night as this was the very one for these
ravenous beasts to get the courage to attack
man, and my heart sunk and my legs
trembled. Had there been nobody except
myself to think about, l could have put a
pretty, bold face on the matter, even from
the first; but the thought of my poor Nan.
cY, being left alone to mourn for me, and
perhaps starve TO death and die by slow
agonies, seemed to take away all my hope,
strength and courage; and when, minute
after stumbled and fell into drift, l lay
there for somo time, hearing the storm roar
and the wolves howl still louder, and think
ing | might as we'll die one way as another. 1"
..sBut all at once, as I lay there, trem-
bling! Ikea frightened hare, il occurred to
mo that I was acting he coward and the
fool both. was not dead yet, and why
should die before my time came, without
striking blow in sclf-defense2 With this
/ jumped up, shook off the snow from my
self and rifle, beat my arms and hands against
my breast to got some warmth into them,
and then rcprmed my piece, and fixed my
knfo where could grasp and use it in an
instant"
BY the time all this was done, the
noise of the wolves had como q good deal
nearer, and my poor, blind horse, as if he
knew what bloody fate was awaiting him,
snortcd, cowerd and tremblcd--but, not
being able to see, he did not attempt to run
away. At first thought of leaving him
to appcase tho hunger of the beasts, while
/ A..