The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1881-07-28

C01U SCOOO Iully F0Vc6t0U. CTcdCluS al
most a. much interest aud curiosity as
if she came bounding down from the
moon.
Peter was again chagrined, but he
forgot it in his unbounded wonder.
Good Mrs. Jennings, remembering her
little Mary who was lying in the desc.
late graveyard on the mountain-side,
with true motherly instinct was drawn
at once to the lonely child.
"COMe, dearie, with me-" she said.
But the girl drew back, and did not
touch the proffered hand.
my papa" she said, "where is he?
Granny said he'd be here. She wrote
and told him I was coming. Where is
my papa?'
The bright face began to wear a
troubled look, and the lips began to
CULVER.
"Who is your papa, deariep" inter-
posed Mrs. Jennings, going down on
her knees before the little wait.
II am Clytie Havens, 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.
Itwas only the day before that Clytie' $
father had been laid in the graveyard
on the hillside. The men could see
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 they found him near his cabin,
breathing his last under huge pine
that had fallen on him.
Clvtie was cared for by Mrs. Jen-
nings, and was soon told, rs only child
less mother could 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 singular fact. but at this time
there was not another girl but Clytie in
Rocky Cliff. The juvenile population
consisted of boys only. The advent of
Clytie Ravens "tilled a want long felt. F"
At least Mrs. Jennings said so. The
boys were such "young 1njuns" 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.
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 a
gentle and refining influence over the
young ''lnjuns" OF the settlement! No
sooner had the child's grief worn OF
than she began to manifest pro pcnsit;es
not unbecoming a young KickapOo'
or ute" She made no attempt to scalp
any one; but, rs the mountaineers said:
"Of AL the rompin', high Hyin,
screechin', dancin' gals. she was the
scarum a tom-boy as you ever see."
And yet, everybody Thought heap
of her." Disappointed as Mrs. Jen-
nings was, she saw in ':her Clytie''
many good and lovable traits. She was
shocked to see the young girl wing
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 through their kind
ness she led happy, careless life.
The winter that Clvtie 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 stagc-coach failed to make its
appearance on Saturday night, and fol
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. great fiery ball that threw 4
warm. rosy light over all the dreary
landscape.
"The sun sets so clear ter-night
guess it's goin' to clear up" said the
hopeful mountaineers, who had been 81
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 aud reioic
ings that bctit 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 voice crying for help
"lt's girls cry" said Sandy Wood
as he ran out into the snow and tum
bled against one of his neighbors in /;
now-path.
"Must be Clytie Havens," was thu
reply. There's trouble O. some kind a
Jennings -
There was trouble at the Jennings
a great trouble. The building, never :
substantial one and now weakened will
age, stood at the base of high cliff will
great rocks juttlng out from it's summit
One of the huge powders had become
lOosened, and had fallen down the clif'.
side. bringing with it an avalanche o
smaller rocks AMI great banks OF snow
That part OF the house in which MIR
and Mrs. Jennings slept came in the
way OF the avalanche. Clytie, who wa,
at that moment in her own room. hearC
the roar, the crash of breaking timbers