The Southern herald., 1892-02-26

lake cannot help thinking how those
fierce beasts once gave me my severest
lesson in skating. 1t was away up in
the northern part Of Wisconsin one
bleak December day, years ago, that l
went out to friends house some miles
from the little town where lived. l
was only fourteen years old then, but,
like every other boy in that cold eli
mate, where ice begins in October and
lasts until April, had skated ever since
was six years old.
took my skates along as my friend
lived near q lake, and there had as yet
been no snow, which every boy knows
spoils the ice. We had great fun skat-
ing for several days.
One Thursday afternoon about three
o'clock started to walk home, some
six miles. Dear old Mrs. b, Char
lies mother, carefully warned me not
to leave the main road, and / prom
ised, but soon forgot my promise, so
when I came to path which ''cut
across" through the woods and which
knew would shorten my walk a mile
or so, took it, and had not left the
main road many minutes when it be-
gan to snow, so softly at first that |
| did not see how necessary 1t was to go
back to the main road. Deeper into
the woods l went and faster fell the
snow. My path was rapidly getting
harder to follow At last stepped on
its hard surface into the soft mass of
each side. foundered about till got
turned around. Then tried to find
the path again It was gonel Every
part seemed equally soft to my tired
feet. The sun had gone down and
darkness came on as kept pushing
through the ever-deepening snow.
thought every now and then to strike
the path again, but Ilo trace of it ap'
peared.
II must have been six o'clock when
the snow ceased to fall l leaned
against a tree and tried to think which
way home was. began to get drowsy
and would no doubt have gradually
slid down into the snow and sleeI
that would have ended in death hac
not sound come that lifted me to my
feet erect and trembling. 1t was only
a bark, and to a city boy might have
been mistaken for the bay Of distan
deer hound.
But to me, boy of the frontier i
meant the bark Of a wolf-and it tolC
! me that the beasts had smelled me out
Almost before had time to realize my
danger the noise had ceased to be th'
bowling Of a single wolf The erie
were caught up and repeated from dit
ferent parts Of the forest as the ami
mails gathered on the trail. l wa
! getting weaker and weaker with tn
fright and the advance Of night, but
: plunged forward until, rising over tn
crest of q little hill, saw lake be
low. To cross was TO be wholly at tn
\ mercy of the wolves, whose howlin
bv this time seemed SO near that
fsncied could see them jump from be
hind the trees upon me.
Should climb into treeP Whs
good would that dO2 In the first place
benumbed with cold as was, ho'
could l get up, and then how could
keep awake through the night, and
nod might mean falling to the ground
: All this shot like fash through m
: mind. No, 1 said, I'll stay on tn
Z ground. But what to do? Oh, thol
9 awful howls. how near they are. AL
i. what was that dark spot on the lake
b In a sheltered cove the wind eddie
u had blown the snow to one side, lea
ing a large circle of clear black ic
tbe iov of a skaters heart
AZ / stood trembling with ne
Sbiyer at every fresh bark OF the rapi'
= " nearing wolves passage from
lssson in natural history rose betol
evolves are afraid Of fire and mar
> p.rsons have saved their lives by !
felt in my pocket and found son
matches That heap of brush ov
/. ,berel Under the top there must
v Tome dry branches ] tore on v