Year: 1877

Some forty years ago the northern
part OF the State of New York. was very
sparsely settled. In one OF the remote
counties, which for a names sake we will
call Macy county, a astout-hearted settler,
named Devens, posted himself beyond
the borders Of civilization, and hewed for
his little family home in the heart OF
forest that extended all the way from
Lake Champlaiu to Lake Ontario. His
nearest neighhor was six miles away, and
the nearest town nearly twenty ; but the
Devinses were 80 happy and contented
that the absence Of company gave them
no concern.


Mr.. Devins' first attack on the stub
born forest had been over the brow of
the hill some four miles nearer Owenton,
but his house WAS burned down before
he had taken his family there from
Albany. lie had regretted that he had
not pitched his tent on the slope of
Otter creek so now he began with re-
newed energy his second home, in which
the closing in OF the winter of 1889
found him. He had sixty acres of rich
soil under cultivation at the time of
which we are to speak, his right-hand
man being his son Allan-a rugged,
handsome, intelligent boy of sixteen.


The winter of '39 was terrible one !;
snow set in before the end of November,
and, even in the open country, lay upon
the ground until the beginning of April,
while in the recesses of the forest it was
found as late as the middle of June.
There was great distress among the set
tc;I Ia oE lo oR
tion, to whom the deep snow was an i'm
passable barrier. The Devinses neither
saw nor heard from their nearest neigh
bors from the LIST Of December till near
the beginning of February, when q crust
was formed upon the snow sufficiently
firm to bear the weight of man, and q
friendly Cayuga Indian brought them
news of how badly their neighbors Jared.


Mr. Devins was especially touched by
the bad case of his friend Will Inman,
who lived on the nearest farm. The
poor man lay i'll OF fever Mrs. In
man was dead and temporarily buried
until her body could be removed to the
cemetery in Owenton, and all the care
of the family devolved upon Esther, his
daughter, fourteen years old. After short
consultation, the next morning breaking
bright and clear though very cold, it was
determined to allow Allan to go over the
hill to Inmans, bearing medicine, tea,
and other little necessaries for the fami-
ly. He was impressiyely warned to be-
gin his return ut 80 early an hour that
he might reach home before the short
days end, especially because of the dan
ger from wild animals. The severity of
the winter had made the wolves more
venturesome and dangerous than they
had been for many years. Mr.. Devins
had lost several sheep and hogs, and
deemed it unsafe for any of his family to
be caught far from the house at night.


Allan armed himself with his light
rifle, put some biscuits and cold meat
in apouch strapped TO his waist, mount
ed one of the strong farm horses, and
set out on his journey. The road
through the forest was better than he
expected to find it, and the snow had
been drifted off, but at the turns, and in
the thickest part of the wood, his horse
foundered through drifts more thar
breast high and more than once Allan
had to dismount and beat path ahead.
Therefore, he did not reach Inman's till
two O'Clock, and, by the time he had
helped Esther about her work, assistel
her young brother to get in gooG
supply of wood, and made things more
comfortable for the invalid, it was almos
sundown. He stoutly refused to wait fol
supper, declaring that the luncheon still
in his pouch would serve, and started
just as the short twilight came on. II,
was brave lad, and with no thought o
peril, went off, kissing his hand gail,
to Esther.


Tt took him an hour to traverse th,
first three miles, and then he came to
stretch Of comparatively bare grount