Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1884-11-20

1 IC was d dCOu1iuOupldCC OOy WIZ at
tracted nc attention, and gained no es,
pecial reputation at schoo! either b!
good or bad conduct. He Was well
meaning, but dull student. As pupi
he was noticed by. me only for his simple
, obedience to the rules of the school, his
hard efforts, and his prompt attendance
He had three miles TO come to school
and often against storms and Through
snow drifts waist high, yet he never
missed day and never failed to respond
10 the morning roll call.
His father was poor man, who lived
in cabin near the outlet of the lake,
and made living by cutting wood and
selling it to the steamboats, in summer,
and by trapping animals for f1rs in win
ter. Joe was sturdy boy of his age,
and could swing an ak nearly as well as
his father, and was superior to him in
trapping; for while he attended school,
he followed alse woods life. He learned
from old hunters the manners and
haunts of the wild animals. He knew
the names and uses of the trees and
plants of the forests, and from the In
dians he had learned many secrets of
wOodcraft; so that in the forests he
could tell the points of the compass by
noticing the bark of the trees, and other
signs which the Indians had taught him.
He was often employed by strangers
as guide through the immense pineries
of the Northwest, and was entirely at
heme in the heart of these wild forests,
although he had never been there be-
| fore. He was close observer of nature.
In fact, nature was his teacher; and he
learned her beautiful lessons as be saw
and heard them in the songs of the wild
| birds and the rushing of the river, and
the never ending changes and beauties
of the seasons, which boy with eye and
ear open will always find in country
! life.
Joe would have made an awkward ap-
pearance in the streets of one of our
great cities; but the simple lessons of
bis life he had armed to we'll that he
was prepared to perform nOOle deed
when the hour of trial came.
To nearly every one there comes an
hour of special trial, which is usually
the turning point in his career; and hap
py is he whose experiences and daily
ha bits have been preparing him for this
great test. Unconsciously this unknown
boy had been training for this supreme
effort of his life, guided only by the
grand principle of closely observing the
common events of his daily life, and
now when the voice of duty called ON
him he was found as ready to act as Ma
poleon at Lodi, Nelson at Trafalgar, or
Perry on Lake Erie.
1t was a custom in our academy occa-
sionally for the whole school to make
visit to some neighboring school On
such occasions some of the patrons of
the schOsl would come with their large
sleigbs to take the younger pupils, while
colder pupils went in single sleighs.
These visits had always been pleasant
occasions, and were gladly welcomed by
the pupils.
One bright day in January we started
at noon to visit school across the lake,
in Minnesota. The young men had six
single sleigns, and each of them took
young lady; while the rest of the school
went In two large sleighs. One of these
had four horses attached to it, and was
well furnished with straw, buffalo robes
and blankets; it carried thirty pUPils.
The driver was brave and skillful man
who had two children in the sleigh. An>
OIuCl dloH w 6"O bOAGOos anu
carrying fifteen pupils followed the large
sleigh.
Tue day was bright and sunny, the
sleighing across the lake was line, and
the destination was soon reached.
We recei ed hearty welcome, and
the two schools passed delightful aft
ternoon iu singing, speaking and general
exercises.
At O'Clock our driver came in to tell
US there were signs of a storm, and we
must start for home at once. SO hasty
good byes were exchanged. and we were
soon away. The sky had become over
cast, the sun had disappeared, and snow
in large flakes was slowly drifting
through the air.
The young men in the single sleighs
were eager for race, and they were all
soon out of sight; but Our large sleighs
drove rapidly homeward, the scholars
singing as they went.
By the time we reached the lake it
was quite dark ,and the storm had grown
into bowling tempest of wind and
snow, beating down from the northwest,
and increasing il fury every moment as
we advanced out on the open ice. The
twilight was gone, and night came on at
once.
The wind had been sharp on the land,
but was doubly SO on the lake, and soon
the songs were all hushed, and the sings
ers sheltered themselves under the buf
falo robes which were spread over them.
Our driver, N utfied up to the eyes. di
rected all his energies TO keeping the
horses straight in the track, all signs of
which we're rapidly disappearing beneath
the drifting snow. For awhile we heard
the bells of the single sleighs ahead of
US, but they, In their racing, soon passed
beyond hearing. and then there was no
sound but of the roaring tempest and the
trampling of our horses feet in the
snow.
The other sleigh was close behind us,
following in our track. \ dark sullen
sky hung over us, the snow now fell,not
in flakes, but in drifts, and there was not
a star or light, tree or bluff. to guide US.
Still, we had little to fear of any danger. !
but trusting 10 the experience and skill
of our driver, we drew the buffalo robes
between us and the storm, thinking we
should soon be at home.
Nearly an hour passed in this way, |
when suddenly the horses stopped at the
command of the driver. He called me
up and told me in low, anxious voice
that he was lost He found that we had |
Just recrossed our own track, over which |
he had driven short time before. The |
horses were lunning in circle to keep
from facin3 the sturii. a.!:i he could no
longer trust to their Instincts TO guide |
them. His great fear was that we were |
approaching the outlet of the lake. and |
be dared not go further until he knew |
where we were and in what direction |
we were going.
l got out of the sleigh and looked and |
listened; there were no signs or sounds
but of the shrieklng tempest and the /
falling snow. We were alone and sur |
rounded by danger, for it was impossi- |
BILE TO remain where we were. and at the |