The Newtown bee. (Newtown, Conn.) 1877-current, 1889-02-08
FRIDAY. FEBRUARY 8, 1880.
CAUGHT IN A VERMONT SNOW
STORM.
c. S. MESSENGER IN WIDE AWAKE.

winter, There was TO pc n cnlluren per-
Torrance of the Mikado at Bennington,
VT. and Harry Wilcox, who lives in
White Creek, about six miles from Ben
nington, had been promised that he
might drive over in his pony sleigh and
take Mary Howe with him.
He was bright, active boy of II and
Mary little neighbor of his 10. They
were rather young folks to go travelling
without their mothers or fathers, but
Mary had an aunt Lueretia in Benning-
ton, who would take care of her there
and see that she was well wrapped up
when she should start to go home.
Harry had pony named Duncan,
which he drove to small wagon In Sum-
mer and now his father had given him
sleigh, as handsome as any large one
and provided with plenty of fur robes.
Harry had worked hard through haying
and harvesting and had actually earned
the mo ney that was paid for the sleigh.
His father, Mr. Stephen Wilcox, has
large farm and keeps great many
sheep, which he drives up on the noun
In Winter. Mary Howe's father also is
farmer whose house is about half a
mile from Mr. WilcoN's.
The day of the Mikado, Mrs Howe
brought Mary over to Mr. Wileox's and
saw her well packed in the sleigh with
Harry; and, although the sky was over
east, neither she nor Mrs Wilcox thought
much about the weather, only charging
Harry to keep the sleigh-robes tucked
in and to start for home as soon as the
performance should be over.
The young folks drove off merrily on
the snowy road and Harry sang some of
the Millado songs which his mother had
taught him. The sleighing was not very
good, because the snow was deep; but
Duncan pulled them along stoutly ano
they made the six miles in little more
than an hour and in good season for the
performance. 1t began to snow before
they reached Bennington.
Aunt Lucretia was at the hall to NEE
Mary and the performance delighted
them all. Harry heard, on the stage
all the Mikado songs his mother hat
taught him. He now understood bette
what they meant.
When they came out of the hall, &c wa
still showing and Aunt Lucretia sal
they had better stay all night. Harr
said 'Oh! mol Duncan would take ther
home in an hour;' and Aunt Lucreti0
without thinking very much about tn
snow, wrapped Mary up well and ID
them set out.
They found the drive less pleasant g
ing toward home. The snow was fal
ing fast and they had to bend their heat
TO keep il out of their eyes.
Il was hard for Duncan to wac
through it.
He broke into trot now and theI
yet Harry did not think for mome
that he would not bring them home
good time.
Harry and Mary talked about Il
Mikado in spite of the wind. Then thu
talked about snow houses and Har
asked Mary how she would like sno
house made of ice cream, so that s.
could sit in Il and eat the sides with
spoon!
The snow kept covering up their h'
and capes, but they would brush il
and laugh about 1t and pull the bear-sh
robe up higher, so that it would alm'
cover their heads.
They had got n long way past the Ii
house In the valley and some distaf
up the long hill they had to climb a
on which there were no houses, VIII
Duncan stopped. Harry spoke to hi
but the pony would not start Hal
touched him with the whip and the br8
little horse made few steps forw;
and then halted.
Harry got out of the sleigh and w
20 him and found him all of a trent
lie was high spirited pony and !
worked with all his might TO draw tn
40 far through the snow drifts and n
was almost dead. lie could not go 8
farther.
Harry did not know what to do.
first he thought Mary and he would h
10 walk back to the last house, but
saw that the snow was certainly
deep for Mary. She was frightened
began to cry. He said, Don't
afraid 1t will be all right in few n
utes.- and he covered her up snu
with the sleigh robes and put Dunes
blanket on him and told Mary to
warm while he would go back to the
house and get man to help them.
He started back through the DIR
which he found very deep. Some
them, through which Duncan had pl,
ed only little while before, were III
Harry's shoulder. lie found he G
not possibly go to the farmhouse
turned back to the sleigh, wonde
what Mary and he and Duncan wer
do.
He found Duncan had moved
"a oet under the shelter of clum
blrches and was out of the wind.
snow. however, was piling up fast
him and over the sleigh.
Just then he thought of Lieute
Greedy In the Arctic regions; how
men had often lain out in their slice
bags. In the snow storms, when on
long excursions across the Ice fields
he said to himself, ssIf we had
sleeping bagsl'' Then in momen
thought, s'why can't we sleep IN
sleigh with the robes over us?''
s.Mary,s said he, 1--WE have got to
here till they break the roads and
must lie down in the bottom OF the 8
and cover ourselves all up with
robes" "What will mother 90