Daily Republican., 1880-03-12

poor wayfarer did ON that fatal night.
AS II was, his wife must needs give
up the vain little searches she had been
making in the neighborhood Of the
shanty. She had now q sick husband,
with frozen hands and feet and faca to
care for. Every minute the thermome.
ter 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 SO he concluded that his enemy
had proved coward and had left him
in possession, or else that he meant to
play him some treacherous trick on his
way home.
SO Burton resolved to keep sharp
lockout. But he soon found that i'm.
possible, for the storm was upon him
in all Its fury. He tried to follow the
path but he could not find IL.
Had he been less of frontiersman
he must have persisted there. within a
furlong of his house. But in endeav-
oring to keep the direction Of the path
he heard a smothered cry, and then saw
something rise up covered with snow,
and fall down again. He raised his
gun to shoot 1t when the creature ut
tered another wailing cry 30 human,
that he pat down his gun and went
cautiously forward.
II was q child.
He did not remember that there was
such a child among all tie settlers in
Newton. But he did not stop TO ask
questions. He must, without delay,
get himself and the child, too, to a
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 little icy fingers on
Burton's rough cheek, and muttered
papa !" And Burton held her closer
and fought the snow more courageous
ly than ever.
He found the shanty at last, and
rolled the child in a buffalo robe while
he made fire. Then when he got the
room little warm, no took the little
thing upon his knee, dipped her aching
fingers in cold water, and asked her
what her name was.
Kitty" she said.
"Kitty," he said, sand what else 7"
"Kitty," she answered, nor could he
find out any more.
"Whose Kitty are you ~
"Your Kitty" she said. For she hal
known her father but that day, and
now she believed that Burton was he.
Burton sat up all night and stuffed
wood into his impotent little stove to
keep the baby from freezing to death.
Never having had to do with children,
he fl mly believed that Kitty, sleeping
snugly under blankets and buffalo
robes, would freeze If he should let the
ire subside in the least.
AS the storm prevailed with unaba-
ed fury the next day, and as he dared
neither to take Kitty out nor to leave
her alone, he stayed by her all day
md stuffed the stove with wood, and
laughed at her droll baby talk, and fed
ler on biscuit and fried bacon and cof-
ZEE.
On the morning Of the second day the
storm had abated. 1t was forty degrees
old, but knowing somebody must be
Mourning Kitty for dead, lie wrapped
Ter in skins, and with much difficulty
cached the nearest neighbours house,
only frost.bite on his nose
" the way.
"That child" said the woman to
whose house he had come, sis Jones'"
seed 'em take her out in the wagon
lay before yesterday"
Barton looked at Kitty a moment in
,erplexity, then he rolled her up again
md started out. Travelling like mad"
he woman said as she watched him.
When he reached Jones' he found
ones and his wife sitting in utter
Vretche dness by the fire. They were
10Th sick from grief, and unable TO move
ut of the house. Kitty they had CIV
II up for buried alive under some
now mound. They would find her
1hen spring should come and melt the
a0w cover off.
When the exhausted Burton came in
nth his bundle Of buffalo skins they
,Oked at him in amazement. But
Then he opened it and let out the lit
!e Kitty, ard said:
"Here Jones is this yer Kitty" Mrs.
ones couldn't do anything better than
D scream.
And Jones got up and took his old
artner's hand and said, "Burton ole
,ilow!" and then choked up, and sat
own and cried helplessly.
And Burton said, "Jones, ole fellow,
on may have the forty acre patch. 1t
ONE mighty nigh making mo the MUIR :
erer of little Kitty's father"
"No you shall take 1t yourself" v
ried Jones, "if | have to 60 to law to :
lake you"
And Jones actually decided his inter
SITS in the forty acres to Burton. But
'urton transferred all OF the patch 10 =
.itty.
That is why this part of Newton is :
allied to-day "Kitty's Forty"
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