The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-04-11

hand and shook it. %, my Godl' sat
he, we can't stand this! Good-b1
Tim; give 'em my love if you ever ~
home didn't say anything like that:
[ was dazed-like, and, besides, hadn't
been sick, and supposed | felt little
stronger"
"Gust number two struck us before
we were fairly over the first one. The
cart swayed and toppled, and we both
jumped down and cut the horses loose.
Just as the cart fell over, and went to
smash, and everything in it blew out of
sight quicker'n wink. The horses
galloped off before the wind, snortin'
and kickin', and | never saw 'em again.
eve sorter lay down on the snow and
caught hold Of each other, but the next
whirl that came separated US, and poor
Lem was gone the first knew. | sup
pose he was killed, for he has never
been seen or heard of from that day L
don't know why l wasn't carried Oft
the same way. | tell you that wind
was something-well-awful. There
isn't any word know, though, that
begins to express it."
NO" put in Mrs. Hardaway, at this
point, as though she had spoken with
out meaning it, in her absorption in
Tins narrative. mo, it's worse than
awful. Tbe been there; / know how it
is"
Tins countenance lighted up. and a
noticeable increase of respect for his
sstory was indicated upon the face of his
auditors. 1t seemed at least to be
brought down to the level of probe,hili.
by Mrs. Hardaway's impulsive words.
Eyes, it is worse than awful" went
on Tim, after a moment, "and it had a
GOODNESS in it that seemed somehow to
take the heart right out of me. Maybe
some of you have felt good strong
earthquake shock, and you know how
sorter weakly that makes you feel.
Well, this gave me just such feeling
as I've had in earthquakes; and this
just didn't let up in little while, as the
first two did, it just kept right on a
whirlin' and a BLOWN, as if it WASH t
ever goin' to let up. 1t blew me over the
snow like a feather, but, as luck would
have it, it didn't take me up in the air,
as I've heard it does take men some
times; | lodged against an uncommon
high pile of snow, and there lay, nearly
frozen to DEATH Twas havin regular
hand-to-hand fight with the storm,
when all of sudden the cloud of snow
that was over me sorter tore in two.
and | could see a house, or a part of
one, half tipped over, and not dozen
frS 7 IN, ,fa
that it must be the little house that Lem
and | had seen of on the skyline.
"O-h-h!'' cried ''Skep' Thompson.
les see! that house was six miles of
at last accounts. "
Il don't care!" insisted Tim, stoutv.
when that snow-cloud sorter broke
could have thrown a stone, if I'd had
1t was seem that that reused me up. II
really seemed to give me courage, and
| crept along toward it on all fours
Such hash as there was! There were
pieces of a pigsty and hen-coop; and
as true as live, if there wasn't part O.
baby's cradle!
"'Lordr' thinks 7, where's the
baby? Can it be that father ant
mother and children have all beer
killed?
tnt, heh2c66P,a and there had to stop
1t seemed as if | lay there an hour
though likely it wasn't half as long a!
that. My ears were full of a rinrin'
and my eye-balls, and all of me, for tina
matter, ached so with the cold that
felt as though | would rather die thar
not-when, all of a sudden, as was
lyin', stupid-like, side of the hen-coop
the wind stilled down little, and
heard noise of cryin'. Then the vino
come up again, and then there was an.
other hush, and then come up that little
wailin', baby's cry again. 1t aOoS g
baby's cry, and no mistake. and it did
seem to me, even if | jraS all used up.
as if | couldn't let a little baby die out
in that cold without trying to save it.
So just gathered up all my strength,
and tried to make for the noise Two
or three times | keeled over. with INV
eyes and ears and nose full of snow.
though | had been tied up and bundled
up fit to kill when we started out; but,
at last, after I'd felt and felt around in
the blindin' storm and darkness, found
her. She was little thing, couldn't
have been more than six months old.
and her little dress was TANNED in
under the side of the house. 1t was a
miracle she hadn't been iammed in
there, too but bein' so close under the
edge was all that had saved her, for
the house was stuck in so tight it
couldn't move, and it sorter protected
her from the storm 0, she was a
white, pretty little thing!-not scrap
OF a hood or anything on her head, her
little thin dress a-freezin' on her, and
her little baby hair all stiff with ice.
She was most gone, | could see that,
but | managed to undo my fur coat, and
tear her dress out from under the house,
and then Rugged her up and covered
her as close as | could with the coat.
o, but she was pleased! She snuggled
down, that little thing! tight up to me,
and sighed long, sobbin' signs, and shut
up her pretty little eyes, as quiet and
contented-like as if she was taking a
nice little nap.
Then came the worst time of all. but
the piece of the house that iutted over
us stood firm. | don't know how long
this lasted, for it took my senses clear
away. There seemed to be a noise in
my head like twenty locomotives all
lettin OIL steam at once, and that was
tho last I lynn,v 7 ,.nnl.on I ,,o,.e., -,