News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1884-09-18
DYING FOR HIS MASTER.
A SHEPHERD DOCS ENCOUNTER WITH A
RATTLEsNAKE.

live in Philadelphia, where my son
Harry is prominent business man.
Thirty-one years ago married, in Great
Darlington, Mass, as pretty a girl as
that village famous for its pretty girls)
ever sheltered. She had been vel
brought up, but had no fortune. I had
81, 800 which 1 had made by running a
sawmill. We were young and had the
world before us, and we concluded
to go West. Going West in those days
didn't mean, as it seems to now, going
beyond the Mississippi. Going into
york State was going West then. 1
had a cousin in Cattaraugus, little vii
lage on the Erie Railway, 80 miles east
of Dunkirk, and we concluded to go
there.
1t was late in August when We reached
Cattaraugus. My cousin gave US a
hearty welcome, and 1 set about looking
for spot to build. Cattaraugus is a
curious sort of a place. The village is
surrounded by hills. and the wonder to
me is that it doesn't slide down into the
washbowl-like valley on the side of
which it is built. A little creek runs
through the village, and a mile TO the
west finds itself in deep, narrow valley.
with almost perpendicular sides, 10C
feet high. This valley is called Skinner
Hollow, and is one of the most pictur-
esque spots on the Erie Road. I went
down into the hollow prospecting. The
sides, where they were not too steep
were covered with heavy growth OF
frst-class pine, and for miles around the
hills were thick with the same timber.
1 saw there was money in a sawmil
right down in that hollow, and bull
one on the stream, which could see wa
a good-sized creek most of the year. l
is one of the branches of Cattaraugu
Creek, which cmpties into Lake Erie 3
miles west of Buffalo.
81 built my mill there, and close to
a little house, so close, in fact, that th
two joined. 1 took Katie, that is m
wife, down there, and We began house
keeping. That was well into the winte
and began logging at once. L hired
gang of men to help me, raised none
by contracting my lumber ahead, an
started in. We cut lugs on the hill
close to the mill, rigged up slides, an
ran them down to the logway. L te
YOU it was music to me when the ga
ripped into the first log and cleaner
slab dropped away from the teeth. "
had little jolliication. That was tt
first log ever cut in Skinner Hollow, al
people drove miles to see it. Buslne
was good. There was lots of sno'
which made it easy work getting logs
the mill and drawing the lumber out
the village, besides giving me all Il
water I wanted. In fact water was ru
ming over the tail of my fume eve
hour from the time turned it into t
race till the middle of July. Then d
spell came on, and 1 had to shut doV
for two or three hours every day to
my race fill up.
"But didn't mind that. l had h
a tip-top season and had made money
had logs enough at my door to keep ]
busy for year. and L knew where the
were plenty more when those ran o
And, besides, had two to look after
stead of one. You wouldn't think
; you'd see Harry, with all his retiI
ways and education, that the first mu
he ever heard was saw tearing throu
a pine knot. But it's so. He was
II pioneers son and knocked around
sawmill till he was into his teens. W
when business was slow l worl
around the house, fixing up things h
and there for Katie, so as to make
more comfortable. She couldn't h
G. been more contented. She used to tn
- that sawmill was just about the pie
antest place in the country. Hour a
hour she'd stay out there with me,
we'd keep up the conversation while
log was running back and stop wher
went up to the saw. Dear me d
mel Why, I can see her as she uset
look in those days in that little SAW
just as plainly as if I stood there v
her to-day. She used to jump on
=, log and ride up pretty close to the
and then, just as 1 would get scared
Jump to drag her away, off she'd
Nobody was ever happier than We W
and we have never been as happy sir
!. though we've been pretty happy and
yet"
The yellow sunlight fickered into
room where the two sat, and the v
looked like blood as the dancing ]
shone through it. The old man was
in happy reverie, and the young ]
ventured to remind him that there
a snake story promised.
VII ''True," said the old man, start
''I'm just coming to that. lost ny
thinking Of those old days. There
snakes then, and we had killed IL
Rattlers used to come out on the le'
of rocks and lay in the hot sun. On
two had come around the mill, and I
shot one in our door yard. But
thought nothing of that. People Ii
fo, in the woods or in wild places get
TO things that would fill them with
ror in a settled country, We exp'