The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1881-01-18
Selert Sturp.
KlTTY'S FORTY.
BY EDWARD EGGLEsToN.

1t doesn't do men anv good TO live
apart from women and children. l never
knew boys school in which there was
not tendency to rowdvism. And lum
bermen, sailors, fishermen, and all othel
men that live only with men, are proven
bially hali-bear sort of people. Front
iersmen soften down when women anG
children come-but forget myself,it Is
the story you want.
Burton and Jones lived in little
shanty by themselves. Jones was 1
married man, nuttfinding it hard to sup
port wife in q dowae1 llaeszAe hae
emigrated to Northern minnesota, leav.
ing his wife uEder her fathers roof unit
he should be able to make a start.
He and Burton had gone into part
nership and "had pre-empted towr
site" Of 800 acres.
There we're perhaps twenty families
scattered over this site at the time my
story begins and ends, for it ends in the
same week ia which it begins.
The parties had disagreed, quarreled
and divided their interests. The lanf
was all shared between them, except ont
valuable forty-acre piece. Each claimed
that piece of land, and the quarrel hac
grown so high between them that the
neigbbors expected them 10 shoot al frs
sight In fact it was understood thai
Barton was on the forty -acre piece, de.
termined to shoot Jones if he came, and
Jones had sworn 10 60 out there and
shoot Burton. when the fight was post
poned bv the unexpected arrival oI
Jones' wife and child.
Jones' sbanty was not finished and he
was forced to forego the luxury OF fight
ing his old partner in his exertions to
make his wife aud baby comfortable fol
the night. For The winter sun was sur
rounded by "sun dogs" Instead OF one
such there was four, an occurrence moi
uncommon in that latitude, but one
which always boded terrible storm,
In his endesvor to care for his wife
and child Jones was Modified a little, land
half.regretted that he had heen so vio.
lent about that piece of land. But he
Was determined not to be backed out,
and he certainly would have to shoot
Burton or be shot himself.
When he thought of the chance of he
ing killed by his old partner,the thought
was not pleasant. He looked wistfully
at Kitty, his two, year-old child. and
dreaded that she would be fatherless.-
Nevertheless, he would shoot or be shot
himself -1
While the father was busy chopping
wood, and the mother was otherwise en-
gagged, little Kitty managed to get the
shanty door open. There was no latch
ss.yet. and her prying little hands easily
swung 1t back. A gust of cold air al
most took away her breath; but she got
sight of the brown grass without, and
the new world seemed SO big that the
little feet were fain to try and explore
it.
She pushed out through the door,
caught her breath again, and started off
down apath bordered by sere grass and
the dead stalks of wild sunf How
often had she longed to escape from re-
straint and paddle ont into the world
alone. She would find out where the
path went to and what there was at the
end of the world! What did she care if
her, nose was blue with cold and her
chubby hands red as beets Now and
then she paused to turn her head away
rom the rude blast, forerunner of the
storm; but having gasped moment she
quickly renewed her brave march in
search of the great unknown.
The mother missed her and supposed
that Jones, who could not get enough Of
the child's society, had taken the little
one out with him. a.t
Jones, poor fellow, sure that his dar-
ling was safe within, chopped away until
that awful storm broke upon him and at
last drove him, half-smo;hered by snow
and half-frozan with cold,i Into the house.
When there was nothing left but retreat
he had seized an armrul OF wood end
carried it into the house with him to
make sure that he had enough to keep
Kitty and his wife from freezing in the
coming awtulness Of the night, which
now settled down upon the storm beaten
and snow blinded world.
IT was the beginning Of that terrible
storm in which so many people were flo
zen to death, and Jones had fed none
too soon.
When once the wood was stacked by
the stove Jones looked around for Kitty.
He had no more than inquired for her
when father and mother each read in the
others face the fact that she was lost in
the wild, dashing storm OF snow.
So fast did the snow fall, and so dark
was the night that Jones could not see
three feet ahead of him He endeavored
to follow the path which be thought Kit
ty might have taken, but it was buried
in snow-driiis, and he soon lost himself
He stumbled through the diifts, CAL
ling out to Kitty in his distress; but moi
knowing whittier lie went. After an
hour OF despsirlng, wandering, and shout.
ing, he came upon house, and having
wrapped at the door, he found himself
face to face with his wife.
He had returned to his own house in
his hewildermept
When we remember that Jones hat
not slept for two nights preceding this
one, on account OF bis moral quarre
with Burton, and he had now been beat
ing against an arctic hurricane and tram
ping through treacherous. bilows o
snow for an hour, we cannot wonder tina
he fell over his own threshold in a STATE
of extreme exhaustion.
Happy for him that he did not fall be
wildered ON the prairie, as many aEothe
poor wayfarer did on that fatal night.
As it was, his wife must needs give vi
the vain little searches she bad been max
ing in the neighborhood OF the shaniy
She had now a sick husband with frczel
hands and feet andface to care for. Ever,
minute the iherm ,meter fell lower ant
lower. and all the heat the cnok.stov il
Jones little shartv could give woul'
hardly keep them from tretzng.
Burton had stayed upon that forty
acre lot all day, waiting for chance t
shoot his old partner Jones. He ha,
not heard Of the arrival Of Jones wife
and so he concluded that his enemy hat
nrovod a onward and had loft him i