The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1888-11-22

telegraph to Bennington, and then W
shall feel easy"
How can you get to Eagle Bridg
through the drifts p
"Well, can't go in sleigh, but
will take Pdtchen and go on horse.
back"
Mrs, Wilcox was thankful indeed fo
this, and Mr., Wilcox went off in few
minutes on his greet horse Patchen,
About an hour afterwards he plunged
into his neIghbOrs yard, calling aloud
Howe, get out your team and hrinl
all hands to break the roads to Benning-
ton, Harry and Mary started home al
five O'Clock and must be in the drift:
somewhere"
Mrs. Howe heard this and almost fell
to the floor. Mr.. Howe sprang for his
great coat and called to his hired men,
while Mr.. Wilcox hurried to his own
house. AS be rode into the yard, Mrs.
Wilcox came to the door with light
and saw on his face that the children
had st rtei for home;
David" shouted Mr.. Wilcox to his
man, yoke the oxen to the sled-don't
stop to take Patchen's saddle off. Hur-
ry-wlfe, where is Hero? call him give
me some bottles of hot water and a
flask of brandy, be quick =
In few moments his wife had these
ready, and when he got into the yard,
d vid h ley. his man, had the oxen there
and Hero. the st, Bernard dog.
Mr. Howe has gone by with two
yoke of cattle. said David, land called
| out to me to tell yOu"
Mr.. Wilcox laid the whip over his
oxen's backs and pushed on after Mr..
howe. Soon both teams got where the
drifts were too deep for them, but the
two fathers and their men worked like
tigers with their shovels opening path
for the oxen.
Mr.. Wilcox kept sending Hero for.
ward, hoping he would find the sleigh
with Harry and Mary in it. saying,
"Hero, 20 find Harry, go find Harry.
pointing t. the road. Hero would
p'unge fo. wsrl and be gone ten or tif-
teen minutes, and then come back ST.
lent.
The men all worked with desperation.
1t took them more than an hour to go a
mile. At nine O'Clock they had not got
half way to Bennington, At ten the
SNOIil CfhStN dIl sbOu Jile luOOu HnOue
brightly. They were nearly at the top
of the hill which Harry was ghing up
when Duncan's strength gave out. At
the top Mr.. Wilcox looked down the
road ahead. He could see nothing but
the white lane of snow leading away
toward Bennington.
Now, Hero" he cried, good boy
on, Hero. find Harry, find Harry.
Hero Ieaped forward again. The men
and oxen labored on.
A few minutes aft.rward David Riley
spoke II heard Hero bark, Mr.. Will.
cox For sal Mr.. Wilcox, Il did
rot hear it," Yes, there it is," said
David, and in moment all hands heard
He has found something cried Mr..
Wilcox. "Oh, my child, my child /"
On pushed the men and the oxen, but
very slowly, The sound of the dogs
voice came nearer and shortly Hero ap-
peared, barking wagging his tail. As
soon as he had seen Mr. Wilcox and
knew he was coming, he bounded for
ward again aud was soon out of sight.
When near the foot of the hill the
party looking ahead could see Hero in
the snow on one side of the road. He
was barking loudly, On they pressed
and soon came up with the dog:
Mr., WiicOq sprang to Heros side and
there, in front of him, was a mound of
snow which might contain the sleigh
and children.
"Oh, my Cod said he. my child, my
child r. He stepped forward with his
shovel and began gently to push the
snow from the iop of the mound, In
little while he saw a movement in the
snow and thon hoard whinny from tho
pony, who was alive, but had been
buried so deep that he had not heard the
dog, Hero was almost wild when he
heard the pony's whinny, for Duncan
and he were great friends.
Mr.. Wilcox and Mr.. Howe threw
down their shoveIs and began to dig
down to the sleigh with their hands.
They trembled. fearing to come upon
the frozen bodies of their children,
Shortly the black bear-skin robe be-
gan to show itself and seemed to lie fat
as though the sleigh Contained no occu-
pant. They have left the sleigh" said
Mr.. Wilcox, land tried to go to the next
house, and are probably lost" Mr.. Howe
worked on, and seizing the robe, turned
is over, when another robe laid flat
came in sight. This he pulled off and
there, with their faces turned up in the
full light of the moon, lay Harry and
Mary asleep. They might be dead
they lay so still, but David Riley, who
had pushed his face down near to them,
called out, They're asleep" and so
loudly that Harry stirred and opened
his eyes.
Mr. Wilcox. strong man that he was,
cried like baby, and think there was
hardly a dry eye IN the party.
Now, men, said Mr.. Howe, "get
the teams turned round for home"
When this had been done. the sleigh
ana pony were both lifted on to the big
OK sled.
Harry and Mary were seated again in
the sleigh " ith the bottles of hot water
at their feet, and the happy party set
out for White Creek, Hero barking and
leading the way.
When they drew near to Mr.. Wilcox's
house. David Riley said, "I'll go ahead
and tell Mrs. Wilcox, but he was so ex-
hausted with the shoveling he had done
that he could hardly 60 faster than the
oxen. AS he came Into the yard the
two mothers heard Hero bark and came
anxiously to the door. David staggered
toward them and gasped, "They are safe,
Mrs. Wilcox"
Il thank my Heavenly Father" she
said, and swooned to the floor.
Mrs. Howe, who was herself crying
for joy, with David's Ieady help, carried
her into the sitting room and laid her on
the sofa, and in minute Harry was at
his mothers side, 1t was not long be-
fore she revived and clasped her boy in
her arms.
IF hadn't read Lieutenant Greely's
book, mother. | shouldn't have known
what to do, said he.
Mrs. Howe and Mary staid all night
and Mary helped Harry feed Duncan in
the morning. Hero lay in Duncan's
stall with one eye open and he and Dun
can became greater friends than ever.
THE AGENTS FATE.
n r,N rpI-N-TN- T,1r No, a 1900