Cañon City record., 1899-02-23

| ne1f pdTEulB now Dccaiuc tuoiouShty
alarmed. and waited and watched the
long night through, firing guns at in
tervals. thinking to guide their 1oot-
steps homeward-
aAn hour before dawn jerome aud
lad made our preparations to go in
search As soon as daylight would allow
Of us picking up their tracks. 1t was
useless to leave before as we might 60
in q wrong direction, and, fortunately
for us, the tracks were not drifted over.
We therefore took up the trail from the
very door. II was tedious work, how
ever. following all the windings OF the
boys footsteps of the previous day.
Still, it was likely to prove surest and
speediest in the end
1--WE had thus been picking our way
carefully for about three hours, or, in
other words, il was then about ten
o'clock when the trails led toward
narrow cluster of trees. Upto this we
made haste and hurried through the
opening beyond, both of us evidently
Icing moved with the same impression
that the farther side would solve the
mystery of the boys absence.
"And il did.
"A couple of hundred yards out il
the plain we saw solitary poplar, con-
siderably larger than the DINERS there
about. The first thing that drew ouI
attention TO it were the two black OBJ
jects on its largest limbs. These OBJ
iects we speedily made out to be the
missing children.
But why were they there? And
casting our eyes about for the cause, il
was at once made manifest by seeing
three large. gaunt wolves sitting at
the base of the tree, watching the
forms above.
I'VE both simultaneously looked at
the printing of our rifles. and. although
the distance from where we stood was
considerable for the muzzie-loaning
guns of those days. yet we had no OPP
tion but TO try. as there was no other
point of concealment berween us and
the tree bu. the place we were in.
jerome selected an immense graf
fellow as his mark and picks d out one
of the others-a pure white, with black
ears and muzzle. We each took careful
aim and fired together at the word
three
When the smoke cleared away
from our guns we had the satisfaction
of seeing both animals rolling and
snapping their great jaws in the death
agony and the third disappearing in
full retreat over distant knoll.
"Reloading our guns as we went. we
hurried on with what speed we could
toward the tree. the fathers heart in
Jerome being stirred to its depths by
the awful dread he felt at seeing those
motionless figures. which made no per
>eptible move at our firing or approach
THE younger boy, Mark, was the
uppermost. and tied to the tree trunk
with his brothers belt. and. better to
secure his safety, his brother sat astride
of limb lower down and ciasped the
legs Of Mark and the trunk of the pop
lar with the same embrace.
AT first. as we gazed up at the poor
children. we thought they were both
lead, but when l. the lighter man and
the least overcome. ascended the tree,
found the younger long since past all
assistance, for his body was frozen
hard. But Williams still gave out some
warmth, but quite overcome with the
stupor that prrcedes death by exposure
TO excessive cold
.rortunateiy, before leaving the
house. I hAd showed into my pocket
4 small dask Of the very Prrest
Frunch brandy. some Of . small
auanti,y given TO me by the cap
tain of Jersey vessel that had vis-
lied the coast the previous summer As
best / could L forced portion of this
between his clenched teeth. which
caused him to cough, and at the same
time he opened his eyes for q moment
n dazed way.
Sufficient of the liquor had found
its way down his throat TO create gen
tie glow through his body. and after
moment or two he opened his eyes and
endeavored to speak. giancing up IN a
mute aud appealing why toward his
brother.
-His fingers were frozen. interlaced.
On the opposite side of the tree, but as
key were past all chance Of being
saved. and especially as they gave him
no pain, 1 wrenched them apart without
hesitation and lowered the boy to his
father.
"As we had all we could do to carry
the frozen boy to the house before night
set in, we concluded to leave the corpse
Of little Mark secured to the tree as he
was. There, at all events. he would be
fiec from any other wolves that might
be in the vicinity.
while old jerome built fire TO
make warm drink for the boy William.
| ripped off the skins of the dead beasts.
4. they were both beautifully furred
and of uncommon size. These I made
up in ball and hung them up for safety
from destruction until we came back
the following day.
"A trifle more of the brandy and some
warm Cruel brought William back TO
full consciousness. and we started for
the house, bearing him between us on
an improvised litter.
what night we passed, with the
vailings and lamentations Of the poor
mother at the loss of one son and the
crippling of the other!
Having been an assistant surgeon in
my younger days, found on examina-
ton of Williams frozen extrem,ties
that all his toes on both feet had to
some of. and all the fingers of the left
hand. But managed to save the thumb
end index finger ON the right one. the
possession of which has enabled him to
do many things that the want of them
would have prevented him from accom-
plishing.
"A few days after had performed
the operation on his hands and feet
g.-.A ~ a