The Russellville Democrat., 1884-01-17
THE PROVINCE MANS STORY.

THE PROVINCE MANS STORY.
eyes. I've no doubt that billiards
are fearful to encounter, but l do not
think they can be much worse than .
downright north-easter Of the Prov
incr. said u gray-bearded New Bruns-
wicker to Western man.. who had
been relating to the few passengers of
the steiner plying on the river Between
TobiqA, and St. John his experience Of
one Of those terrible winter storms
which so frequently sweep down upon
the exposed people Of the Northwest.
Il remember one in particular, = he
e.id, ..for it gave me lameness that's
going to stay ny me as long as / live. =
After listening to the Western mans
adventure, we woe all anxious to hear
that of the Province mans, and urged
him TO favor us. He at last assented.
II was eighteen" he said. "that
winter, and tough as a young buffalo.
| had never been sick, and scarcely
knew what it was to be tired. My
father was a lumberman. He went
into the logging-swamp that winter. to-
ward the head Of the Miramichi River.
and left me to take care OF the family
pretty large one, counting in all
the children. l was the oldest.
1.-THE winters are long in that part Of
New Brunswick, and good deal Of
snow falls. At that time there were
but few settlements, the one nearest to
where we lived being about forty miles
away; SO you may know there wasn't
much going back and forth for the
women-folks.
s.But for that matter, there were five
or six families living in our settlement,
and will say we used to have some
pretty good times together. We seemed
almost like one family, and when
one was in need of help the others were
sure to give it..
Zone Of our neighbors was Mr.
Moore. He married a girl who lived in
the settlement next to ours, and all
her folks lived there. In the winter he
worked in the woods with the rest of
the men, and as his children were small,
he used to hire me to look after the
chores that were necessary about his
house.
"Well, about the middle of that win
ter--it was in February, l think-Ma-
Tidy, that was Mrs. Moore, got word
that her mother was sick, and that, if
she wanted to see her alive, she must
20 to her at once.
1.-The poor woman was nearly frantic
with anxiety. Her husband was in the
woods, and she had no way Of getting
TO her fathers house. think she had
not seen her mother for two years.
"sWilliam,' said my mother, coming
home from the Moore cabin, where she
had been to spin flax and comfort the
sorrowing woman, i think you'll have
to go.
"I'm going at once, mother I
said, for thought she meant | must go
| to Mrs. Moore's and attend to the
chores.
".Not that she replied, surmising
what l was thinking about. You
must 90 to the settlement with Matildy.
| How should / feel if my mother was
| diving, and could not see herp Now,
get your chores all done up tonight, SO
you can start in the morning by day
| light. I'll see to things while you're
| gone.
g But what's to be done with the
childrenp' asked.
| They're coming to stay with me
until Matildy gets back.
$50 it was settled that l should go
with Mrs. Moore, and if she did not
stay more than day or two, was to
bring her home. The sky had threat
ened storm for number of days,
and ] expected to get up the next
morning and see snow-storm. But
1t was bitter cold morning cold
10 snow then, though the sky was
still gray and heavy, showing plainly
enough that there'd be heavy fall OF
snow as soon as the weather was
warmer.
s.It didn't take long to get the horse
and sled ready, and putting on father (
moose-skin coat, we started, Matilda
carving her baby, that was not more
than six months old, in her arms,
swathed in blanket Of lynx-skins.
1T was scarcely light when we sci
| of, and it was very slow travelling
through the narrow, rough road. We
had not got more than three miles from
the settlement when It began to sprin.
kle snow, and in an hour more the
flakes were coming down thick and
fast. A cutting wind swept through
tho woods, driving the snow into Oul
faces, and it looked doubtful to me
whether we should ever get to the nexl
settlement in such a storm.
Il wanted to turn back, but MatildA
would not consent TO this. So had
nothing TO do. but to whip up old Boil
and pet on as fast US we could.
.'But the storm grew worse and worse
The wind kept rising, and the air wa.
90 thick with the. driving snow that
could scarcely see rod beyond the
horses head. Noon came, and We were
! not over ten or twelve miles from tlls
| settlement. The snow WAS now so deer
| that the horse could make out liftss
Roadway through il and against Thu
heavy wind