Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-01-26
Faithful Unto Death.

Is 1t still Snow1ngf asks my wire, VINO
sits opposite to me, her books aud work on
the table beside her.
"Fast. You can scarcely see yard be-
fore you.
Heaven help any poor creature on the
moor tonight !" says she.
"Who would venture out 2 1t began
showing before dark, and all the people
about know the danger Of being benighted
on the moor in snow storm"
ayes. But have known people frozen
to death hereabouts before now"
My wife is Scotch, and this pleasant house
in the highlands is hers. We are trying a
winter in it for the first time, and find it
excessively cold and somewhat dull. Men
tally l decide that in future we will only
grace it with our presence during the shoot
ing season. Presently | go to the window
and look out it has ceased showing, and
through rift in the clouds see a star.
at is beginning to clear" tell my wife,
and also inform her that it is past eleven.
As she lights her candle at side table
hear whining aud scratching at the front
door.
"There is Laddie loose again." says she,
Would you let him in, dear?'
did not like facing the cold wind, but
could not refuse to let the poor animal in.
Strangely enough, when | opened the door
and called him, he wouldn't come. He runs
up to the door and looks into my face with
dumb entreaty then he runs back few
steps, looking round to see if / am follow.
ing and, finally, he takes my coat in his
mouth and tries to draw me out.
"Laddie won't come in," call out to my
wife. "Ou the contrary, he seems to want
me to go out and have game of SNOWFALL
with him"
She throws shawl round her and comes
to the door, The collie was hers before we
were married, and she is almost as fond OF
him, tell her, as she is of Jack, our Oldest
boy.
"Laddie, Laddie |" she calls; come in
SIR" He comes obediently at her call, but
refuses to enter the house, and pursues the
same dumb pantomime he has already tried
on me.
"I shall shut him out, JESSIE" say. "a
night in the snow won't hurt him." and
prepare to close the door.
You will do nothing of the kind ~ she
replies, with an anxious look, "but you will
rouse the servants at once, and follow him
Some one is lost in the snow."
laugh. Really, Jessie, you are absurd
Laddie is sagacious animal, no doubt, bu
cannot believe he is as clever as that. How
can he possibly know whether anyone is los
in the snow or not?"
Because he has found them, and CONT
back to us for help. Look at him now."
| | cannot but own that the dog seems resi-
less and uneasy, and is evidently endeavol
ing to coax us to follow him he looks at U
with pathetic entreaty in his eloquent eye
"Why won't YOU believe me Z" he seems
ask.
"Come," she continues; "you know yc
could not rest while there was a possibilit
of fellow creature wanting your assistance
What is poor, hen-pecked man to do
grumble, and resist, and yield, as have {
ten grumbled, and resisted, and yielded
fore, and as doubtless often shall again.
"Laddie once found man in the sno
before, but he was dead" Jessie says,
she hurries off to get ready some blankets f
us to take with us. In the meantime | rou
the servants.
They were all English with the exceptic
of Donald, the gardener, and can see tn
they are scoffingly skeptical of Laddies s
gacity, and inwardly disgusted at having
turn out of their warm beds.
"Dinna trouble yersels," hear old Do
aid say. "The mistress is right enoug
1
tian, and will find something in the sna
this night"
"Dont sit up, JESSIE" say, as we start
"we may be out half the night on this will
goose chase"
"Follow Laddie closely" is the only al
swer she makes.
The dog springs forward with joyol
bark, constantly looking back to see If v
are following.
ats like looking for needle in a bundl
of hay, sir" says John, the coachman, col
fdentially, "to think as we should find an,
body on such night as this Why, in SON
places the snow is more than couple
feet thick, and it goes again reason to thin
that dumb animal would have the sens
to come home and fetch help"
"Bide wee, bide a Vice." says old Do
aid. al dinna ken what your English dul
can do, but collie, though it hasna bee
pleasing to Providence to give the creatl
the gift O. speech, can do mony moir thinl
than them that wad deride it,
81 amt deridn' of en-" says John, q
only say as how if they be SO very cleve
I've never seen it,"
aye wull, though, ye wull, says old Do
aid, as he hurries forward after Laddie, wi
has now settled down into a swinging tro
and is taking his way straight across Il
loneliest part of the bleak moor.
The cold wind almost cut us in two, al
| whirls the snow into our faces, nearly bin
ing us. My finger tips are becoming numbe
! icicles hang from my moustache and bear
| and my feet and legs are soaking wet, eve
J through my shooting boots and stout leath
leggings.
The moon has gone in, and the lig
, from the lantern we carry is barely sutfcie
to show us the inequalities in the height
/ the snow, by which we are guessing Of
! path. begin to wish had stayed at HON
"Lhomme propose, m1is Ia femme dispose"
sigh to myself, and begin to consider wheth
/ | may venture TO give up the search (whi'
| have undertaken purely to satisfy my viii
for | am like John, and won't believe
: Laddie), when, suddenly, hear a shout
D front of me, and see Donald, who has all h
4 time been keeping close to Laddie, drop
a his kuees and begin digging wildly in Il
. snow with his hands. We all rush forwar
e Laddie has stopped at what appears to
. the foot of stunted tree, and after scratc
a ing and whining for moment sits dov
4 and watches, leaving the rest to u.s. VIII
i is it that appears when we have shovel
away the snow2 A dark object. Is 1t
bundle of rags2 We raise it carefully al
tenderly, and wrap it in one of the war
blankets with which my wife's forethoug
a has provided us;
5 "Bring the lantern" say, huskily, al
!. John holds it over the PROSTATE form Of n
I as we might have expected, some stalws
shepherd of the hills, but over that OF po'
: shrivelled, wrinkled, ragged old woman.
: acct her home as quickly as may be, 81
the mistress will know better what to do I
/ her nor we do, if so be the poor creature
i not past help" says John, turning instir
!. lively, as we all do in sickness or trouble,
/ woman's aid.
n So we improvse sort of hammock
r the blankets, and gently aud tenderly d
r men prepare to carry their poor, helple
: burden over the snow.
. 81 am afraid your mistress will be in bed
, say as we begin to retrace our steps.
Never fear, sir" says Donald, with /
!, umphant glance at john "the mistre
will be up and waiting for US. She ke
Laddie dinna bring US out in the snaw
naething,"
y "Ill never say naught about believing
I dawg again" says John gracefully strikii
Q his colors. "You were right, and | W
hut 10 think that tha.a ahnolI