Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1880-04-15

| III = dclited even luil between the 10
of the house and the bank, and the shee
have mt come!" shouted Johnny, as h
looked into the house, after breaking
path to the barn.
"Sheep S in big snow.d'ift, | dess,
wisely asserted little Jamie.
al m afraid they have run off and go
lost, so We II never SEQ EN- again,
mourned BO.pcep.
May be they have found a sheltere,
place in the bushes somewhere" reptile,
Johnny.
"Not much shelter out-of.doors iron
such storm as this has been," said tn
mother, softly, as she cast an anxiou
glance out upon the snow covered world
The loss Of their sheep, or even Of thre
or four lambs, would be a serious matte
to this fatherless family; for the sale o
the lambs and wool, and OF the butter ant
eggs from one cow and score Of hens, wa
all they bad to live upon, excepting wha
Johnny and Bo-peep earned picking blue
berries on the plains, in summer, ant
cranberries on the meadow, for a neighbor
in the autumn. They had few acres o
land, from which Johnny usually raiseC
vegetables enough for the family, and Gu
hay sufficient for the COW and sheep
But the flock had increased, and thi
season the hay was falling short.
Only late in the day before the storm
the sheep had been let out to nibble the
coarse, green heritage that appeard in nu
merous patches, where the snow had melt
ed away between the pines on the neigh
boring plans. 1t was usually Bvpeep'i
business to watch them, and so it was on
this occasion. But a little before dark
she came running into the house, very
much cut OF breath, exclaiming:
Mother, the sheep are just as ugly as
they can be! They wouldn't follow me,
and when am tried to drive them home,
they ran every way, and | couldn't get
them home, at all-not one of EN-"
Don t worry yourself, DEAR" said her
mother; "sit down in the rockingham
and rest. Johnny will go after them as
Soon as he comes"
Johnny did go after them, but without
success; and so the sheep were out in the
greatest snew storm Of the season.
"All this comes because BO-peep got
vexed with the sheep, and left 'em, )" said
Johnny.
1--WE hope that she will learn to be
more patient, said the mother, stroking
Bo-peep's head.
Hadn't you better run over to Mr..
Browns, Johnny, and see if the sheep
didn't go in thereP"
After shoveling a path to the well, and
and preparing more wood for the fire,
Johnny went.
mo" said Mr.. Brown, in reply to
Johnnys question; "the sheep haven't
been here, and | haven't seen or heard
anything Of 'em. When'd they 90 away2"
Johnny told him how they happened to
be lost.
Don't you worry about 'em. They're
in the bushes, somewhere. They II tram
pie the snow down around EN-, so as to
get at the bushes. II twas only among
birch and beech bushes, now, those sheep
would get along well enough-but along
these saplin' pines-l don't know.
hope that the wolves, they tell of down
river, won't be prowlin around this way
They're dretful ere e'tur's to kill sheep"
Johnny started for home, feeling more
hopeless and sad than when he had come.
1t was now certain that the sheep and
young lambs were stuck In the snow
somewhere on the woody plains. Johnny
had intended to search the thlckets on his
way home; but when he left the ridge
along which the road ran, the deep snow
so clogged and bound him, that he made
but little progress, and was at length
forced to 60 hoMe without the least token
of the missing flock, Bo-peep cried when
she heard Johnny 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.
A 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 a
glimpse of fleece, or the faintest bleat-
ing of sheep or lamb. Several times he
did hear bleats, but so smothered that he
could not tell whence they proceeded, or
so distant that he supposed they came
from 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
He found, as he had expect
ed, 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 breakfast; then, after brief devo-
tions, he sailed out upon the piny plains.
The poor birds, which had come in num-
bers during the warm days when the snow
was off, were now chilled and nearly fam |
ished. Johnny could see them, now and
then, searching about in the great trees
and in the thickets for the least morsel Of
food. Several times he caught sight OF
hopping about the copses, or sit
ting with long ears erect, and large, won
dering eyes, as if to inquire 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.
Everything looked so cheerful when he
started, that Johnny had confidently ex.
pected success: but. as noon drew nigh,
the softening crust yielded more and more
under his feet, and he grew weary and de.
spondent. He had searched in an ever
widening circle about the spot where the
sheep were last seen,-but not track nor
token of them had yet been discovered.
Hungry and weary, he turned toward
home, with a choking feeling in his
throat, and sometimes with misty eyes.
Though he now broke through the crust
at every step, the snow was rarely more
than knee deep; but there was a snowy
gully to cross, in the bottom of which ran,
usually, n small rivulet, now deep
stream. A fallen tree enabled him to
cross without wetting. The top led him
into spur of the main gully-deep, mar
row, and shaded by great pines. This
had been drifted full of snow, which, ow-
ing to its shaded position, had thawed
but little. Johnny threw himself Eat,
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 a saucer-like cavity; and in the
very center of this appeared small
opening. Johnny feared there was a
spring, or Gquagmire, underneath, into
which be might tall so he turned to make
n wide circnit of the spot,
Too late He suddenly found the
snow breaking away beneath him, and
before he could throw himself upon a