Year: 1859




for ''heip," and that's the sound heard. Sc
terrible was this storm that when he sung Out
/ he wasn't more than ten yards from my cab
in. h had a sort of fence around. my claim
that, in front of the cabin, was five feet high
The horses had pulled the sleigh over this, and
were heading for my door, when they broke
through the crust Mr.. Grant, as soon as he
heard me speak, saw through the whole thing
at once, and knew that Nate Cooley was a
faithful friend, and he feared his faithfulness
had cost him his life. He brought him in first
The Doctor came next, and in few minutes
was all right, and to work they both went on
Nate. But it wasn't any use. His pulse
was still, his body was cold, and though they
rubbed him and tried all they could to get
some warmth into him, they had to give up.
For one of the trueSt hearts that man ever
knew had stopped beating. Then the Doctor
| came tome, and found me in brain fever
He said another hour would have been too
late to help me. And while he looked to me,
Grant went out to take care of the horses.-
I'll give you some idea how it showed that
night, whenI tell you that Grant had to go
ent every ten minutes while that storm last
ed,and shovel away the snow from those hors-
es' heads. He knew it wouldn't hurt them
to have the snow over their backs, so all he
did was to keep their heads and necks above
the SHOWS.


"The storm ended, and they took care of
Mates body till they could bury it, l suppose,
for never had the heart to ask about it, and
as soon as they dared they brought me to
Grants cabin. After came to my senses, it
was good while before could get out of my
bed, and did not get back my strength for
most year. l was so feeble that couldn't
do anything for a long time but think. And
it did seem to me that hadn't done much
to other people to deserve such kindness from
them, let alone that old Nate Cooley had lost
his life in SAVING NINE And my past life
did look mighty mean, | assure you. Here
was Gray, as kind to me as if was his son,
and Mrs. Gray, was a real mother to me-
And then Martha, she treated me like bro
ther. We hadn't any preachers out there,
bDt one day | heard Mr.. Grant read to his
family prayers, "No man liveth to himself
and no man dieth to himself" And l made
quite sermon on that text All there was
to it was in the application.


''Now here's my life saved by another
mans death and other peoples kindness, and
wouldn't it be Internal mean in me to keep
on living for myself? Why, Of course it
would !''


And so made up my mind to live for
other people after that. | saw that all the
solitary life | had led was wrpng, ana de-
termined to live with people and try to do
them some good and make them happy if
could. Well Eve kept tolerahly well 10 that
resolution, ana though our town has grown
to bc right smart town, don't want to move
but am willing to stay and make it all the
town ! can, and besides call Mr.. and Mrs
Grant father and mother now, and there amt
any body round US that's happier than we
are, when Martha and 1, and father and mo-
ther get to playing with little Nate. He hard
ly knows how to say Grandpa and Grandma
yet, but he's learning fast.


"There were two things in my life that
seemed awful hard when they happened.-.
The first was the ruination of that leg, the
second was that sight of Nate Cooley froze,
But | see now they were good for INC =
for if it had not been for that painter,
I'd been trapping still unless the Indians had
got me. And if it had not been for that ter
rible sight that Christmas night, thrae years
ago, ] would have been hard hearted and cold
and selfish But as it is, that Christmas and
its results taught me that no man liveth for
himself, and no man dieth for himself, ard
made an altered nan Gt lie. So now when
Christmas comes around, always want to
tell people that the only way to have "Merry
Christmas" themselves, is to make others hap
nv ~