Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-03-15
s1ontha' Column.
ROBINS ADVENTURE.

Robin Goodspeed lived in small
village in Illinois. His father was
the only storekeeper and stockbuyer
in the village.
One bright July afternoon Robin
was having romp with his little
brother and sister, when his father
called him aud said, 'Robin, ] have
an errand for you
''All right, papa; what is it %
"Wtl, my son, [ have bought
some cattle from Mr.. Hamilton, and
| told him to bring them in
on next Thursday, but 1 find that
l must have them on Tuesday, so 1
want you to 60 out and tell him. Do
you think that you can remember
what l have told you?''
ssTm afraid not, replied Robin.
81 may forget in five minutes.
"Well, then, I'll write a note to
Mr.. Hamilton" and Mr.. Goodspeed
did as hastily as possible, and gave
it to Robin, who hurried away on his
errand, for he knew that he had no
time to spare, as Mr.. Hamilton lived
four miles away. The road led him
through a quarter of mile of woods
near the village. 1t was open the
rest of the way. Having reached the
| farmhouse where Mr.. Hamilton lived,
Robin delivered his message and hur-
ried back, for there was a storm ris-
ing in the West.
While going through the woods
near the village, he saw squirrel in
the top of a tall oak. He thought
! that he had time to secure it before
it would begin to storm; SO picking
up stick he climbd the tree. When
he got near the top he stepped
upon rotten limb. 1t broke and he
fell. His foot slipped in between two
large limbs, and his whole weight
came down upon it and drove it
down until it was impossible to ex-
tricate it.
Robin pulled and jerked and wrig
gled and twisted, but to no purpose.
He could not get his boot out of
the tree. He called for help, but no
help came. Soon the wind sprang
up and it began to rain, lightly at
first, but getting harder until it pour
ed down in torrents. The wind was
blowing a perfect hurricane. The
tree in which Robin was held pris-
oner swayed from side to side. He
thought that it was going to be blown
down, and he knew that if it was, he
would very likely be killed, for he
was in such position that if the tree
fell, one of its largest branches would
fall on him. He was about thirty
feet from the ground. Every now
and then he was filled with terror on
hearing the crash of tree near by,
which had succumbed to the hurri-
cane. Presently he heard a loud
cracking directly to the west. He
knew what that meant. 1t was a
large oak, and as the wind was in the
west, it was almost certain that it
would fall right upon the tree in
which ROBIN sat, almost scared to
death. For some cause or other the
tree swerved little to the right, tax
ing with it one of the limbs between
which Robins foot had been held as
in a wise. 1t was a narrow escape
for Robin, who lost no time in getting
down to the ground. His feet had
!, hardly touched the ground, when the
!, tree also was blown down, with q
deafening crash-another narrow es-
cape! Robin grew sick and faint as
he thought: ''What if | had been in
, that tree when it fell ?"
r However, he soon recovered him
self, and made his way among the
trees ont to the open country. Al
last he emerged from the woods, and
in few minutes reached his home
where he was soon warmly clothed IL
1 a dry suit, and began to tell of bis
adventures to the family, who haC
supposed that he had stopped a
2 some neighbours house to get out O.
r the storm, and who predicted that hi
would catch his death from the wet
ting that he had; but Robin suffered
nothing worse shan slight cold.