Year: 1876

not wander that he fell over his own
threshold in state of extreme exhaus-
tion.


AS it was, his wife must needs give up
the vain search she had been making in
the nei2hborhood Of the shanty. She had
a 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 lin Jones's
shanty could give would hardly keep them
from freezing.


Burton had stayed upon the forty.acrc
lot all day, waiting for chance to shoot
his old partner, Jones. He had not heard
of the arrival of Jones's wife, and he con-
cluded his enemy was a coward. and left
him in possession or else meant to play
some treacherous trick on his way home.
So Burton resolved to keep a sharp look
out, but he soon found that impossible,
for the storm was upon him ia its binding
fury. He tried to follow the path but he
could not find it.


| Had he been less afrontiersman, he must
have perished there, within furlong of
his own hut, Butt endeavoring to Keep
the direction OF the path he heard a smoth-
| cred cry, and then something rose up COW
cred with snow. and fell down again II e
raised his gun to shoot it, when the Great
urc uttered another cry, so human that h e
put down his gun and went forward. 1t
was child.


| He did not remember that there was
such child among all the settlers at New
ton. But he did not stop to ask questions.
He must without delay get himself and the
child too, place of salty 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 'papav And Bur
ton held her more closely and fought the
| snow more courageously than ever.
He found the shanty at last, and rolled
! the child in a buffalo robe while he made q
fire. Then when he got the room a little
warm, he took the little thing upon his
knees, dipping her aching fingers in cold
water, and asked what her name WAS.


Kitty she said.


Kitty said he and what else


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 one day, and now she be-
lieved that Burton was her father. Burton
sat up all night and stuffed wood into his
impotent little stove to keep the baby
from freezing to death. Never having
anything to do with children, he firmly be-
lieved that Kitty sleeping snngly under
blankets and buffalo robes would freeze If
he should let the fire subside in the least.


AS the storm prevailed with undated
fury the next day, and as he dared neither
to take Kitty out nor leave her alone, he
stayed by her all day and suited the stove
and laughed at her droll baby-talk, and
ted her on biscuit, fried bacon and coffee


On the morning. OF the second day the
storm subsided. 1t was cold, but knowing
somebody must be mourning Kitty tor
dead. he wrapped her in skins, and with
much difficulty reached the nearest neigh
bor's house. suffering only Il frost-bilten
nose by the way


That child said the woman to whose
house he had gone, lis Jones's; seed 'em
take her outen the wagon day before yes
terday.'


Burton looked a moment ut Kitty in per-
plexity. Then he rolled her up again and
started out. travelling like mad the WON
al said, as She watched him.


When he had reached Jones's he found
Jones and his wife sitting in utter wretch
ednesS by the fire. They were both sick
from grief. and unable TO move out of the
house. Kitty they had given up for buried
under some snOw-mound. They would
lind her when Spring should come and melt
the snow-cover OFF.


When the exhausted Burton came in
with his buffalo skins, they looked at him
in amazemeEt. But he opened it and let
out little kittyiand said


Here, Jones, is this your pet kitten?'


And Jones got up and took his old part
ner hand and said: Burton, old fellow,
and then ehoked up and sat down and
cried helplessly.


And Burton said Jones, old fellow.
you may have that forty-acre patch Ir
came mighty near maxim me the murderer
of that little Kitty's father


No. you shall take it yourself, cried
Jones, 1T l have TO 90 to law to make
you And Jones actually decided his IN
terest in the forty acres to Burton. But
Burton transferred it all to Kitty


This is why this part OF Newton is called
kittys Forty.