Year: 1879

one, on account OF his quarrel with Bur-
ton, and had been beating against the
Arctic hurricane, and trampiug through
the treacherous pillows of snow for an
hour, we cannot wonder that he fell over
his own threshold in state of extreme
exhaustion.


AS it was, his wife must needs give
the vain search she had been making in
the neighborhood of the shanty. She
had sick husband, with frozen hands
and feet and face, to care for. Every
minute the thermometer fell lower and
lower, and all the heat the little cook
stove in Jones' shanty could give would
hardly keep them from freezing.


Burton had stayed upon the forty
acre lot all day, waiting for chance to
shoot his old partner, Jones. He had
not heard of the arrival of Jones wife,
and he concluded his enemy was cow
ard, and had left him in possession or
else meant to play some treacherous
trick on his way home. So Burton re-
solved to keep sharp lookout, but he
soon found that impossible, for the storm
was upon him in its binding fury. He
tried to follow the path but he could
not find it.


Had he been less frontiersman he
must have perished there, within fur
long of his own hut. But endeavoring
to keep the direction of the path he
heard a smothered cry, and then some
thing rose up covered with snow and
fell down again. He raised his gun to
shoot it, when the creature uttered an
other wailing cry, SO human, that he
put down his gun and went cautiously
forward. 1t was a child.


He did not remember that there was
such a child among all the settlers at
Newton. But he did not stop to ask
questions. He must without delay get
himself and the child, too, to place of
safety, or both would be frozen. So he
took the little thing in his arms and
started through the drifts. And the
child put its fingers on Burton's rough
cheek, muttering "papa!'' and Burton
held her closely and fought the snow
more courageously than ever.


He found the shanty at last, and roll
ed the child in buffalo robe while he
made fire. Then when he got the
room little warm he took the little
thing upon his knees, dipping her aching
hands in cold water, and asked her what
her name was.


Kitty" said she.


kitty" said he, "what else p


kitty" she answered, nor could he
find out any more.


"Whose Kitty are yOu?''


Your Kitty she said. For she
had known her father but that one day,
and now she believed that Burton was
her father. Burton sat up all night and
stuffed wood into his little impotent
stove to keep the baby from freezing to
death. Never having anything to do
with children he firmly believed that
Kitty, sleeping snugly under blankets
and buffalo robes, would freeze if he
should let the fire subside in the least.


AS the storm prevailed with unabated
fury the next day, and as he dared
neither to take Kitty out or leave hel
alone, he stayed by her all day and
stuffed the stove. and laughed at hel
droll baby-talk, and fed her on biscuit
fried bacon and coffee.


On the morning of the second day
the storm subsided. 1t was cold, bu
knowing that somebody must be mourn
Ing for Kitty for dead he wrapped he
in skins, and with much difficulty reach
ed the nearest neighbor's house. suffer
ing only from frost-bitten nose by tn,
way.


THAT child" said the woman t.
whose house he had gone. sis Jones';
seed 'em take her outen the wagon da,
before yesterday


Burton locked moment at Kitty il
perplexity. Then he rolled her u
again and started out, 'traveling lik
mad," the woman said, as she watche,
him.


When he had reached Jones', he foun,
Jones and his wife sitting in ute
wretchedness by the fire They wer
both sick from grief. and unable to NOV
out of the house. Kitty they had give
up for buried under some snow mound
They would find her when Spring shoul
come and melt the snow-cover off,


When the exhausted Burton came il
with his buffalo skins, they looked a
him in amazement. But he opened
and let out little Kitty and said:


"Here, Jones, is this your pet kit
ten 2"


And Jones got up and took his oil
partners hand: Burton, old fellow |!
and then sat down and cried helplessly


And Burton said: ''Jones, old fellow
you may have that forty-acrc patch.
came mighty near making me the mul
derer of that little Kitty's father"


"No ! you shall take it to yourself,
cried Jones, eff [ have to 90 To law I