American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1881-07-30

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moon.
Peter was again chagrined, but h,
forgot it in his unbounded wonder
Cool Mrs Jennings, remembe rin = hcl
little Mary who was lying in the desc
late graveyard on the mountain side
with true motherly instinct was drawn
ut once 10 the lonely child.
| Come, dearlc, with me-" she said
But the girl drew back, and did no
touch the pro1crcl hand.
My papa she said, where is he:
Granny said he'd be here. She wrut,
and told him | was coming. Where i,
my papa?'
The bright face began to wear 9
troubled look, and the lips began &c
CULVER.
who is your papa, dearie?" inter
posed Mrs. Jennings. going down on
her knees before the little wait
Il am Clytie Ravens, and my
papa -"
No need to tell more Without
another word Mrs. Jennings took the
child in her arms and carried her into
the house, while the little group of men
soon dispersed, no one repeating the
name the child had spoken.
Ii was only the day before that Clytie's
father had been laid in the graveyard
from where they stood the bright new
pine board that marked his grave. on
which the snow was then slowly falling.
| They knew, now, what it was poor
John Ravens tried so hard to tell them.
when thew found him near his cabin,
breathing his last under huge pine
that had fallen on him.
Clytic was cared for by Mrs. Jcn-
nings, and was soon told, rs only n child
less mother coull tell, why her father
had not come for her. The tears of the
poor orphan did not fall faster than
those of the kindly woman who told her
of her loss.
1t was a singular fact. but at this time
there was not another girl but Clytie in
Rocky Cliff. The juvenile population
| Clytie Ravens ..iilled want long felt"
At least Mrs. Jennings said so. The
boys were such young Injuns' that a
girl among them, it seemed to her,
might ''tame EN- down."
Whether it was for the benefit of the
boys, or because it was felt that Clytie
would take the place of their lost Mary.
the reader must Judge; but Mr.. and
Mrs. Jennings concluded to adopt her.
| The child had no relatives in the world.
I The grandmother of whom she had
spoken and with whom she had always
lived, had died just before Clytie was
sent by friendly strangers to Rocky
Cliff.
But alas for good Mistress Jennings
hope that Miss Clytie would exercise n
gentle and refining influence over the
young Injuns' of the settlement! No
sooner had the child's grief worn of
than she began to manifest propensities
nf Eint-a
or "Uta." She made no attempt to scalp
any one; but, as the mountaineers said:
"Of all the rompin', high-iyin,'
screechin', dancin' gals, she was the
wust. She's inter every thin; as harum-
scarum a tom-boy as you ever see.
And yet, everybody Thought a heap
of herr" Disappointed as Mrs. Jen-
nings was, she saw in "her Clytie"
many good and lovable traits She was
shocked to see the young girl vying
with the boys in their mad races after
the stage coach, her nimble feet carry
ing her far ahead of them all.
The boys all liked her. Dirty hands
and faces were not an abomination in
her sight. While she joined in their
sports. and climbed with them peril
Gus heights, yet in all her conduct she
was modest, and commanded their full
respect.
Her surroundings did not cultivate
in her feminine charms and graces.
Elegant manners were unknown TO her
But the girl grew into a strong young
| womanhood, with many generous. no.
BILE qualities. Her adopted parents
loved her almost as though she were
their own child, and t4lroug Oh their kind
ness she led a happy, careless life.
The winter that Clytie was sixteen
was an unusually severe one. The snow
and cold winds came earlier than usual
For days there was no sunshine, and the
mountain passes were blocked by snow
The stage-coach failed to make its
appearance on Saturday night, and for
two weeks the mail had not been re-
ceived.
The snow was deep. Paths had to
be shoveled through the drifts from
house to house, and these drifts often
reached almost to the caves of the low
cabins.
Christmas eve came. The short win
ter day had departed in glory, for the
sun went down BEND the mountain
tops. a great fiery ball that threw
warm. rosy light over all the dreary
landscape.
1.-The sun sets so clear fortnight,
guess it's goin' to clear up" said the
hopeful mountaineers, who had been SO
long deprived of its cheerful rays.
Morning came, not clear and bright,
as had been hoped. The mountain
submits were lost in heavy gray clouds.
A fierce, scornful wind walled drearily
in all the gulches, and went moaning
down the desolate canon. =
The snow fell thick and fast. The
winds caught it up and sent it in great
masses against the closed windows and
doors. 1t was no time for merry-mak-
ing; no time for the smiles and rejoic-
ings that bclit the Christmas time.
1t was late in the day when miner,
sitting with his family around the stove
in their little kitchen, heard. above the
roar Of the storm, the rush of the ava
lanche, and then a voice crying for help.
"It's girls cry" said Sandy Wood,
as he ran out into the snow and tuin-
bled against one of his neighborsfin a
snow-path.
Must be Clytie Havens,'' was the
reply. There's trouble O. some kind at
Jennings"
There was trouble at the jennings
great trouble. The building, never a
substantial one and now weakened with
age, stood at the base of a high cliff with
great rocks jutting out from its summit.
One of the huge powders had become
loosened, and had fallen down the cliffs
side. bringing with it an avalanche of
smaller rocks and great banks of snow.
That part of the house in which Mr..
and Mrs. Jennings slept came in the
way of the avalanche. Clytie, who was
at that moment in her own room. heard
the roar, tile crash of breaking timbers;