Year: 1872

deavored to free itself from the cover
ing, had brought it nearer to the fire
place, under the mass of glowing en-
bers. A howl of rage and pain followed
as it sprang out again upon the floor, Its
covering sheet of fire. Another
bound and it landed upon the bed,
its fiery cover, and uttering yelps OF
pain it sprang again 10 the floor and
rushed around the room for chance to
escape.


The bed was all afire in a moment,
and Mrs. Sloey uttered cry of des-
pair as the flames caught in every di-
rection and a dense volume of smoke
rolled up through the aperture in the
oft.


Faith er in heaven, must we perish ~
exclaimed the mother, as she pressed
the child to her breast. Husband,
husbandi why do you not come and
save your wife and child from this hor-
rible fate ?"


No answer to the frantic ejaculation
came to the ear of the distracted wo-
man save the cracking of the flames as
they caught upon the dry wood of the
cabin, and sent their forked tongues up
to the spot where she stood, while her
ears were filed with the sharp cry of
the wolf as it ranged round and round
in its vain endeavors to escape, while
ever and anon the flames would catch
upon the fur, where it was already
scorched off in its first contact with
the fire, causing it to utter howl of
agony.


Although death stared her in the
face, Mrs. Sloey was not a woman to
give up SO long as there was chance
for life left to her. As we have already
said, there were no windows in the loft,
SO that avenue of escape was denied
her. The roof was covered with hewn
plank fastened to the ridge pole and
the top log of the sides by means of
stout " Hooden pins. To remove one or
more of these was her only chance of
escape, but to do this with her own un-
aided hands seemed to be impossible.
Half choked by the smoke and her
child clinging to her and crying with
all its power, she felt about her to find
some instrument to aid her in the ac-
complishment of her purpose; but all
she could find was stout stick of wood
that her husband had placed there to
season for an axe-helve. Inserting this
with all her strength between the log
and one of the planks, she essayed with
all her strength to raise it from its
place, but without success. Finding
this one immovable, she tried another
and another, with like result.


Hotter and more sitting grew the air
about her, louder cracked the flames
below, and tiercer became the cries of
the imprisoned wolf, while the cries of
her child rang above all, and rendered
her well nigh desperate. Hope was fast
leaving her. But one more plank re-
mained untried, and she had gone the
length of the front side of the cabin.
With the energy born of despair she
inserted the stick, and pried upward
with all her strength, and to her great
Joy it moved slowly and the welcome
fresh air of heaven came pouring in
upon them.


Inspired by hope she attempted to
start another one by its side, but, with
all her strength she found it impossible,
and yet the aperture was not large
enough to admit her passing through,
and again the pan gs of despair seized
hold upon her heart.


The heat was becoming terrible, and
the opening she had made in the ROOT
seemed only an outlet for the smoke,
which, as it poured out, well nigh
stifed her. Clasping her child, she
thrust him through the opening, and





she was about to let him slide to the
ground, at the risk of dashing the life
from his body, when the sound of rapid
footsteps were heard, and the next mo-
ment the well known voice of her hus
band sounded like music in her ears, as
he came across the clearing, and by the
| light of the flames that had begun to
break out in several places, saw his
child and the head of his wife on the
roof


"Quick, husband, for the love oi
Godl'' shouted the mother, as she still
retained hold upon her child. And
in hardly more time than it takes to
tell it, he was upon the roof, and with
his strong arms had torn up another
plank, and sprang to the ground with
his child, and in a moment more his
wife was by his side, with heart over
flowing with joy at their escape.
The cabin was burned to the ground
with all its contents, including the au
thor of all the mischief. A new one
was erected, and therein, in after years
the story we have narrated was often
rehearsed to those that claimed theil
hospitality.