Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1893-04-23
For the Sunday Gazette.

RED living at home with my father on
the homestead. NeighbOrs were Few
in fact, not nearly 10 plenty as were
Wild animals. Uncle JOhnuy tacint
lived two miles further down the road
and although I was farmers son,
learned of Uncle johnny Tie carpen.
ter's, builders and millwrights trade
aud we were always in demand, Uncle
Johnny and |, for twenty miles around
We were building mill that tnll b.
y0nd the Shawangunk mountains ~
Marlborough in sullivan county.
about fifteen niles from home, ana
winter came on aud caught us with the
job unfinished.
Either Uncle Johnny or I made 20 q
point to go home every Saturday uI-
tcrnoon and stay over sunday On
the particular Saturday that i am gO-
iug 10 toll you ~ 10 was my turn.
There was q promise Of biz snow
storm close nc hand. but / started
II was right after dinner. about !
o'clock. aud 10 save time ! struck out
into narrow foDtpath. not over plain
at any time. that led through the
woods instead Of taking the main road.
Iu about an hour the snow b".
gan to come down. aud In soft tiny
flakes the kind that means business.
II fell fast enough 10 soon cover up
tho path and my footprints ns well,
not hidden. SO that ] could Doe sure oi
my bearings
I stopped often and looked around,
FOR ! knew 10 would bc no trilling mat
ter TO stray out Of the path. II nigh,
mean night in the woods with Wild
animals for companions, and 10 was bit
ter cold
Along toward twilight which came
early that afternoon ON uCcOunt NJ the
storm. when | recknupd ! should De-
well along on my fifteen miles toward
home. entirely ont Of The forest aud on
the main road. ] noticed n fallen tree !
had never seen before. II was prcu.
liar 4 very large hcmlock with per
haps fifty or sixty feet Of trunk free
from limbs n bud evidently been up
rooted hy the wind and blown over
Its hinge main roots held 70 mp OF thr
hutt about siX feet the height of % m1u
from the ground. while iis branches
and tie muuuDr bon which th" tree
had lodged BOO falling supported thr
top ut just about thr same cloyu.
ton.
Il made mp certain I was ont of my
way and darkness wua fast approach
Ing Aftrr few minutes boo looking
around Tor some object 10y which ] could
take my bearings, ] started aruiu lu
half am hours time ] WIS back 900 thp
snmp place. aud | knew then ! hnd lost
my way and had hrcu walking around iu
n circle
climbed upon the fallen tree oul
paced buck aud forth it7 ruiitr length
strmning my eyes to catch @ glimpse OF
some familiar landmark. Through th,
gathering dusk mud fulIug SNOW ! could
not discern anything that gave rlvv
to my whereabouts | uurp more Nirurl
boldly ont, making trurkH for what
hoped would hc homo, aud in what
thought was the opposite direction from
that last taken
old lnllcu tree again loaned up hviur,
me, | was lost hoe vast forest, with GU,
Shnwnuruuk mountains that were iIlu
with fproriuus wild hoUst,. between ml
aud homo. aud there WIS r. drifting SNOW
storm aud IL wis already dark
Had / been walking Ia the right direc
lion I would then have boon wnrmiul
my numhcd feet and hands before th
cheerful blaze iu fathers litchcn, nu'
doing my part toward diaposug of Sistr
Carolino's hot supper How ] wished
was thcr'.
Again ] climbed upon that tree trunk
and this time sut down to think ] know
any further attempt Goo find my way on
with neither sun, moon nor stars. Wuul,
De- utterly useless. Uud That the nigh
must be- passed in that lonely forest
Also that N ] sucvumhvd 90 drOwNupe
aud fcn asleep should either Doc lrh2u
10 death coz eaton hN wild animal th
chance for the latter was excellent any
way.
Steel aud iliul were uoi plenty enough &,
bee carried iu cyvyuur.s pocket Aud 81
] could not build o. lire Tint wOu.l
have warmed me- aud also kept ava.
wild beasts.
pulled ont my large iackMilc.
WAS my only weapon of dctousc, "lhl
knife / thought aH I held it iu w
hand. lis probably gll That stands Zoe
tween nae and horrible death
Then | thought of the folks nc HON,
aud how anxious they must Doe boy thu
ime-pud wen. my neat move was q
Jump on that tree trunk aud cut q stou
oudgel that perhaps might be- " som
use Ia haud'to-haud bght with bear
or wolves.
| should yield 10 the intigue aud druws
ness that must before morning stro
over me. | would hc lost ! must thor,
fore place myself whore there was moth
ing convenient Ia lean against and nuns
keep in constant motion. A compare
lively open space must Doe chosen, whom
hungry animals could not spring frol
concoaliug undWbrush and take me una
wares.
Tho fallen trco trunk seemed the lcas
prilous place of any ID was mise
from the ground, and its length pemlttc
quito a walk back and forth So for Ola
third time / climbed upon it-thete {
plss tbs hours of long night
Ii grow darkor and darker Only IA
thu white snow and that my eyes Ma
gradually become accustomed To M
darkness ! would have hocn unable {
hive sccu even sufficiently 10 keep no
footing upon the big tree trunk.
In that way, pacing tO ana fro, Tim
passed mOnolonously. 4 was CROWN
cold and sleepy Few boots wore mad
at that time aud / wore only shoe
Already my feet were so numb that
had frequently TO stamp vigorously
restore the circulation, Several time
too. ] paused uncOusaOusly, nearly owe
come with sleep only 90 rouse myse
with a mighty effort aud resume wall
Ing.
by aud by heard tho cry Of wolves
the distance, coming nearer sometime
then sounding away In the distance, the
again coming nearer Every sense mu
be on the alert, Eagerly | strained eOl
and eyes that their approach might M
aud me of my guard.
Along about ~ or 1 o'clock as near
as ! could calculate, it had grown co
slderahly lighter and the SNOW had coas,
Go tall almost, when suddenly the
walked ont from behind clump OF tre
over &C my left two large hears / W,
much more afraid OF them than / IN
been OF the wolves and taking OUT n