San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1891-07-30

ror in the cry. 1--WE are lost in the
woods And il is nighs"'
I'VE shall be all right tomorrow" he
said Cheerily. When we have tried all
the wood paths one of them must be the
right one" And he proceeded to tread
down circle in the snow, and with the
hatlhet to cut Off the tender hemlOck
bou-ls. with which first he heaped the
s,r;.gn and then made dry spot for the
horses. which he fed and blanketed.
And after they hal divided the ample
luncheon they had brought from Palter-
cr's he had the mother and daughter lie
down on the htlnlocE boughs, covering
them with the thick robes, and took up
his round as u sentinel about them.
oh, mother" he heard Annie whis-
pering. there are wolves in these woods!
They will smell the horses!''
Not down as far as this" said JOnn.
''Peachblow says there isn't wolf south
of the camp. You can sleep as safe as if
Won were down in Port. | shall keep
watch all night" And he did, pacing
round and round his little bivOuac,
Watching the stars wheel slowly down,
where the roof of the forest bOughs was
thin, and pausing now and then to gaze
at the young girl in her innocent sleep,
where the long lashes swept the pale rose
cheek, and the lips seemed to him to be
half parted, as if they must be speaking
to angels in her dream. He felt, with a
sinking heart, as he gazed, that if she
knew who it was that watched her she
probably would have less feared the
wolves. More than once the mother,
waking from her own weary browse,
saw him leaning there against the bOle
Of big tree, with folded arms, his eyes
upon the sleeper as if upon saint in
shrine, and then look of anguish writh-
ing over his face, as he turned away,
that belonged not to a strong and happy
youth, but such as one might have if
shut ont from heaven.
But in the first gray of the morning
The horses were put in. and while the
others still lay on their LemlOck boughs
the team was making its way out again.
Il have found the lay of the land by
the way the stars were going" he said
TO the mother; and before long they were
in the open road-dawn flushing all the
heavens above, the snow below, and
turning the whole forest into twinkle
Of rainbows-a and on the way to a safe
end Of their journey.
He's man worth keeping" said Mrs.
Sibley to her husband. Il wouldn't lose
sight of him
He's brought home the horses all
right said Mr.. Sibley. And he took
John home with him that night, and
found plenty for him to do next day in
the great warehouse of supplies, and
listened to various suggestions that
seemed to occur to the youth as a new
conner there, kept him busy, and when
spring came sent him behind the Morgan
colts with u wallet full Of money to pay
off the men in camp.
He's treasure, that lad" said Mr..
Sibley, when John returned with his
vouchers all correct. ''LuCkiest days
work / ever done when come acrost
him. Saved me his keep already in small
leaks. He's too good to last. Some out
about him somewhere. Durnd eff can
find it though"
Il don't believe in crossing bridges
fore You come to them" said the fussy
little mans wife. Il don't believe you'll
ever come to this one. He's as good a
boy as treadS sole leather"-
LAS good boy as hasn't been found
ont. Well, you spread your saving grace
over him, mother, and less see if he'll
want a better home n this is"
And in his few spare half hours John
W.. invited into the sitting room, and
presently if anything was wanted by
the home people it was to John that they
went instead of to the busy husband and
father, and it was taken for granted that
on Sundays he should have seat in the
family pew. And thus one year passed
and another, and the third year found
John Dean keeping Mr.. Sibley's books
and his bank account, collecting his
moneys, making MS payments, going and
coming between the lumber camps, en-
gaging and paying off the men-in short,
the trusted and faithful intimate Of his
business, always firm and strong and
ready, always bright and gentle and
obliging Mr. Sibiey used to say it was
as good as an open fire and mug of
cider to see Johns face ON II gloomy
evening, and there was many a rosy
young girl in the Port who thought no
less, and looked shyly aslance at his
face once so bleached and now with a
healthy tan and a ruddy color beneath
the white brow, at his wholesome mouth,
whose bright laugh was not hid by the
tawny shadow of the recent mustache
at the sparkle of his happy eyes, at his
shapely shoulders and his easy bearing.