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ADVENTURE ON'LAKE WINNIPIS
SEOGEE.
BY CLARA AUGUSTA.
Evening set in colei and gray. Lnti 1
noon the sky bad been clear; but, as
the sun (ftclined, a thick, leaden haze
had obscured his sickly light, and ap
pearances gave promise ol the coldest
night of an unusually cold season. The
up train on the C Railroad was de
tained by the immense drifts of snow
which had formed upon the lines; and
was past nine o’clock when the pulling
locomotive came slowly and laborious
ly up to the little depot at A . the
northern terminus of the route.
As is usual in country places ns well
as those more thickly settled, quite a lit
tle company had assembled in the prin
cipal room of the building, to talk over
the severe weather, and discuss the
probability of the non-arrival of the
train that night. With the first sound
of the omnibus whistle, the narrow
door of the depot was crowded with
anxious heads, each striving to pierce
farther into the darkness than its neigh
bor.
The usual variety of passengers
alighted; each one anxious about his
or her baggage, and each one particu
larly certain that it was in just the place
where the freight-master protested it
was not; but it is with only one of this
motley assemblage that we have to do.
She was a young lady, our heroine,
and dressed with extreme elegance.
Springing hastily to the platform, scarce
ly touching the extended hand of the
gentlemanly conductor, she gazed anx
iously around her for a moment, and
then made her way to the window of the
office, which was pushed back to allow
the official within to receive the express
boxes, and separate the mails. The
man started as her low. musical tones
fell on his ear :
“Can you tell me the distance to
Wolfburu?”
“Twelve miles, mnrm ; and no pas
sage there for five days ; roads complete
ly blocked !” and he was turning away.
She put out her hand to stay him.
“No passage?—it cannot be! I must
be in Wolfburu within four hours, sir!
My mother is dying there !”
“ Sorry—very sorry, indeed ! but it
is an utter impossibility to think of do
ing such a thing! Why, maria the
thermometer stands at 10 degrees below
zero, this very minute, and it will be
still lower before midnight 1”
“ I know the cold is intense; I dare
say the way is replete with danger; but
niv mother, the mother who brought me
into existence! is dying there, and I
must go to her!” The voice ot the
young girl became choked and broken
as she ceased.
“It's a hard case, I must admit; but
it's no use to think of attempting to get
to Wolfburn to-night —the coach road
is ns impassable as the Alps, and the
only track is across the lake; but nei
ther man nor beast could live on that
bleak route half the distance! lam
sorry, marm \ but I only speak the
truth about it.”
The pale face of the young lady
blanched still paler, but her voice was
firm.
“Cold and perilous though it be, 1
must go to my mother. Were I sick,
she would move heaven and earth, but
she would stand by my bedside! I can
not let her die, and I so very near her,
and yet not in her presence 1 I must go
if I go on foot and alone 1”
“ Rash gjrl! it would be no better
than suicide to attempt the passage of
the Winnipisseogee on such a njght as
this, even with a strong horse and an ex
perienced guide; and such cannot be
found, who will brave the horrors of the
night for love or money.
“ Lady, I will go with you !” aud the
crowd parted before the tall, fiuely built
young man who came hastily to the side
of the strange girl. “ I am unknown
to you, aud my station in life is humble ;
but if you will trust me, the confidence
shall not be misplaced !” He removed
the cap from his head, and stood erect
and dignified before her—a strikingly
handsome youth, clad in a rough garb
of gray. There was the fire of a lofty
spirit burning in his deep, hazel eye,
and around the classically carved lips
dwelt an expression half stern, half ten
der. The clear blue eyes of the lady
met his fixed yet respectful gaze, search
ingly —she put her hands in his.
“ God bless you, sir ! There is one
true heart in New Hampshire. I will
trust you.”
An expression of pride and gratitude
swept over the young man's face, and
he bent his head low before her as he
said —“ In half an hour I will return
for you,” aud with a firm, clastic step
The H artwell Hun.
* A *,*
By BENSON & McGILL.
VOL. IV—NO. -a.
he left the depot.
The young Indy dropped into a seat
by the fire and, covering her face with
her hands, seemed lost in a painful reve
rie. The listless “hangers-on” about
the place gathered together iu a little
knot about the office window—there was
anew subject to discuss.
“Fool enough is Will Argensen to
undertake the crossing of the lake to
night! He’ll be frozen stiff, in tny
opinion, afore the day breaks,” exclaim
ed an old man, evidently the oracle of
the company.
“And the gal?—it's a shame though,
for she’s a sweet lookin’ critter! Hea
ven pity her, and take care of her! for
she’ll need somebody’s care before the
night’s through !”
“ She's iu good hands, though,” said a
a third member of the coterie, withdraw
ing his pipe from his mouth as he spoke,
for Will is as noble a lad as ever breath
ed the air of Hampshire! lie knows
every inch of the Winnie, as well as I
know the road to mill; and his horse is
a powerful deal more intelligent than
many human folks, anyhow 1”
“Argensen will do well enough if
there ain’t a squall; but it strikes me
the sky looks rather hazy, and, depend
upon it, this lull ain’t for nothin’ !” said
a fourth, peering anxiously out into the
darkness; “and if there should be a
squall—then—then" arid the speaker’s
involuntary shudder finished the sen
tence. The men drew closer together,
as if for mutual protection, and there
was a silence of a few minutes, broken
at last by the old man who had spoken
first.
‘‘ Only last winter poor Henry Blee
cherwas frozen to death on the shore of
the Rattlesnake Island ; and then just a
week afterwn rds, poor Cap’ll Deer—been
on the lake all his lifetime —got bewil
dered in the squalls, and died out
there all alone in the dark and cold, and
his folks to home settin’ up to daylight
expectin him! Oh, it' was awful —
drradful to think of, but nothin to what
it would be if a woman—a young, ten
der. beautiful woman” —a tear wet the
hardy face’of the old mountaineer, and
he turned to dry it on the coarse hand
kerchief.
At this moment the brisk jingle of
sleigh-bells was heard .at the door, and
before the eager listeners could spring
forward to open it upon the new comer,
Will Argeusen entered wrapped up in a
buffalo robe.
“ I am reaily to attend you to Wolf
burn, if you still think of going,” he
said, addressing the lady. Slie arose
quickly' at the sound of his voice, anil
accepting the large blanket which the
ticket-master kindly offered her as fur
ther protection against the inclement
weather, she followed her conductor out
into the dark, piercing night, and was
lifted into the sleigh which awaited
them. Argeusen wrapped the buffalo
robe closely around her, and attaching
the large glass lantern, which he had
carried in his hand, to the front part of
the cutter, he sprang in. The horse was
a large powerfully built animal, of a
dark iron gray ; and his fiery eyes, as
well as his long, slender neck, showed
him spirited and strong.
The eager crowd of idlers left their
warm quarters by the stove, and gather
ed around the sleigh and its occupants,
some expostulating on madness of the
twain in setting out on such a night —
others wishing them Godspeed, and amid
the murmured acclamations, they drove
off.
Haifa mile on term firma, and the
horse’s feet rang sharp and clear on the
ice of the Wiunipisseogec. Thesumm'its
of the tall blue mountains which arose
on either side of our travelers, were
shrouded in ati impenetrable mist, and
the light w ind w hich blew was insuffici
ent to break up the clouds of rime that
filled the air.
Little or no conversation passed be
tween these two people, so recently
thrown together. Argensen was occu
pied with thoughts of the perilous un
dertaking before them ; the lady, with
the image of her dying mother—dying
without a kiss of her only child to
sooth her passage through the dark void
between time and eternity.
With anxious eye, the young moun
taineer scanned the thickening air, and
the terrible thought would flit across his
HARTWBLL, HA., WEDNESDAY, FBJWIUJU.AB, 1880.
brain—“ If the squalls should rise?"
Nearly four miles of the journey was
passed over in safety. They had reach
ed the dreariest part of the road, and
the darkness became almost palpable.
Mountains black as Erebus completely
walled in the shining track of ice, and
by the piercing of the cuttei, and the
careful progress of the horse, they knew
that drifts of snow and bilges of ice ob
structed the way. The wind steadily
increased, and cut the face like a sharp
icicle. The breath of our travelers
congealed almost before it left their
bodies, and the dark sides of the horse
were covered with a feathery frost.
The cold became intense, permeating
the thick buffalo skins as if they had
been mere cobwebs, and the delicate
frame of the young girl was chilled
through. Bravely she suppressed the
deathly shivers that involuntarily stole
over her, but Argensen felt the effort,
and drawing his arm around her, he
said, iu a low, earnest tone:
“ Lady, wo are strangers, but it is no
time to stand for ceremony, when one is
freezing ! Sit ns close to me as possible,
and lay your face here upon my breast;
the wind is* rising to a gale, and the
squalls will be upon us ere long!”
With one powerful hand lie guided
the horse ; with the other he held close
to his side the little, trembling form of
his companion ; and the noble gray, as
if feeling that everything depended on
their reaching the end of their journey
before the breaking of the squall over
their heads, tore bravely on.
In vain ! in vain! in vain ! The
mad wind bore along the ebon clouds
with swiftness of lightning, and scarce
ly more than five miles of the journey
wefe passed ere it burst upon them in
all its fury. The dreaded “white eye”
enveloped them. Hail and minute par
ticles of frozen snow, in thick, continu
ous sheets, blinded the eyes of the brave
Argeusen, and shut out the dim over
arching sky. The horse drew up under
the lee of a wooded island, and could be
induced to go no farther. Argensen
clasped both arms about his paralyzed
companion, and waited the progress of
the storm. Heavily and more heavily
she leiwied upon his shoulder, and at
length the fatal truth rushed over him
with appalling force —the sleep that in
variably precedes death by freezing was
upon her! He sprang up wildly.
“ For the love of heaven, awake!
Rouse yourself! To sleep is death !"
A faint moan was the only response.
He tore off the buffalo robes which en
veloped her, and vigorously chafed her
cold hands, and breathed upon her icy
lips. For a time he feared that he held
only death in his arms; hut at last, by
the dim light of the lantern, he saw a
flush steal over her face, and her eyelids
slowly unclosed.
“Is it my mother holding me?” she
said dreamily ; then as if remembering
all, she drew herself attay from the arms
that supported her. Argensen soothed
and encouraged her until the storm
broke and the clouds swept away. A
few faint, struggling stars burst through
the billows of vapor, and, like angels’
eyes, looked down upon the desert of
snow. Two hburs they waited there —
two hours of agonizing suspense —ere
the noble horse could be made to pur
sue bis way. With more than a mere
brute instinct, he knew the dangers of
the way in the thick darkness and storm
and refused to subject his master to
greater peril.
As the wind sunk to rest, and the sky
became clearer once more, our travelers
went on, and after an hour’s swift trot
they arrived safely at Wolfburn. The
necessary inquiries being made regard
ing the whereabouts of the young lady’s
mother, Argensen drove her to the
house specified, and yielding to the ur
gent solicitations of his fellow voyager,
he went in with her.
The first question of the afflicted girl
was answered in such a manner that the
warm blood flushed over her cheek and
'brow, aud a fervent “Thank God!”
, hurst from her lips.
“ Mrs. Huntington is better, much
better,” said the lady, whom Miss Hunt
i iustton addressed as “aunt;” and .Julia
—for that was the name of her who had
put to such a trial the courage of Wil
liam Argensen —advanced towards him,
I aud laying both hands upon his, she
Devoted to Hart County.
burst iuto a flood of tears.
He took both the hands and pressed
thorn to his li|is. It was all the rewurd lie
asked—all she sought to give.
*„* * # * * *
One year later, and in one of the
most splendid residences in Boston
there was a wedding—the groom was
William Argensen, the bride .Julia
Huntington. That night of horror had
become the parent of love stronger
than death—more enduring than life,
and before that love the haughty pride
of Julia's mother had melted away like
snow before the sunshine. The noble
young mountaineer, for the sake of that
love, left the hills and valleys lie loved 1
and in a celebrated university, his mind
already rich in royal gifts of Nature’s
God, became refined in the flames of
heaven-sent knowledge.
They arq very happy now in their
gorp. ms home—that fair young wife
and,that noble husband ; and olten do
they bless the fortune that caused them
to pass THAT NIGHT UPON TIIK WINNI
riSSKOGKE.
Mr. Stephens Administers a Just Rebuke.
ir<iAtnofon Dispatch Atlanta Constitution.
One of the most urbane and affable
of gentlemen is the great Georgia com
moner, Hon. A. 11. Stephens, lie is
especially considerate to worthy Geor
gians who respect themselves and are
courteous to their superiors. Hut he
never hesitates to promptly rebuke
those who do not come withing the pale
of respectability and decency, as the
following episode will show : The Other
evening a number of Georgia bloods
were in the lobby of the National hotel
carousing and making themselves noisy
in denunciation of the Georgian
because of the stand lie took in sus
taining tlie nomination of Census Su
pervisor Simmons. The next evening
one the number called on Mr. Ste
phens for “a few lines ” to aid him in
obtaining an appointment. The great
Geor-gian looked at him a moment and
then stated : “ 1 believe you were with
a crowd of rowdies the other night down
stairs, and I learn you were all drunk.
I also heard you were abusing me. Now,
young man, you may denounce me if
you please. I care nothing for your
good or ill will, but I cannot sign the
application of one who is addicted to
drunkenness; for if you received an
appointment you would soon be dis
missed. When you learn to conduct
yourself as a gentleman should, and
abstain from the use of intoxicating
drinks, 1 will aid you in obtaining em
ployment, but until then I trust you
will seek assistance elsewhere.” The
The young sprig thereupon retired a
wiser, and it is to be hoped a better
man.
A Negro Tries to Ravish a White Lady
in a Memphis Church.
At Memphis. Tenn., on the 10th inst.,
at 10 o’clock, while Miss Mollie Quin
lan, a most estimable young lady, who
is scarcely 17 years old, was engaged in
her devotions at the foot of the altar in
St. Peter’s cathedral, she was startled
at feeling someone tightly clutch her
about the neck and attempting to throw
her backward upon the floor. She
screamed for assistance, when her as
sailant, who was a negro, Clasped his
hand over her mouth to prevent her
cries being hoard. The young lady
managed, however, to again call for
help, which fortunately reached the
ears of the sexton, who hastened inside
the church and found her struggling
with her would-be ravisher. Seeing the
sexton approaching, the negro fled and
made good his escape. The attempted
outrage lias created the greatest sensa
tion. St. Peter’s Cathedral is the lar
gest Catholic church in the city. It
stands almost in the shadows of the
station-house, and the idea that a young
lady should be subjected to such an
outrage and at such a place caused
<rreat indignation, and if tine negro
brute should he arrested his life would
be in danger, as bold threats have been
made to lynch him if caught.
Miss Quinlan’s face and hands bear
signs of the severe struggle. She
says that when she entered the church
no one was to be seen. The supposi
tion is that the negro, who is young —
not exceeding twenty years of age
seeing her enter the church, followed
$1.50 Per Annum-
WHOLE NO. 181.
her iu, and finding them to l>c its only
occupants, conceived the idea of rav
ishing her. It was an attempted out
rage that stands unparaleled iu the his.
lory of crimes in tlift city.
A Western Judge.
A paper published somewhere out
West gives the following report of a
Judge's sentence lately passed on a
criminal. Brunilcy was doubtless a
“ hard case," hut what kind of a “case”
the Judge is, our readers may determ
ine.: “ Brmnley, you infamous scoun
drel ?—yon haint a single redeeming
trait in your character —your wife and
family wish we had sent you to the
penitentiary. This is the fifth time I've
had you before me, and you have put.
me to more trouble than yotir neck is
worth. I've exhorted and prayed over
you long enough, you scoundrel! Just
go home and take one glimpse at your
family, and be off in shwt. order, and
don't let us hear of yon again. The
Grand Jury have found two otjier in
dictments against you, but I’ll discharge
3'ou on your own recognizance, and if
I ketch you in this neck of woods to
morrow morning nt daylight, I’ll sock
you square in jail and hump you olf to
Jeffersonville in little less than no time
—you infamous scoundrel! If i ever
ketch you crooking your linger at man,
woman or child—l'll sock you right
square into the Jug —stand up ! you
scoundrel! while I pass sentence on
you!”
Little Folks' Dictionary.
A writer in the Sohoolday Magazine
has gathered together the following
dictionary words as defined by certain
small people here and there :
Bed time—Shut eye time.
Dust —Mud with the juice squeezed
out.
Fnu—A thing to brush warm off
with.
Fins—A fish’s wings.
Ice—Water that stayed out in the
cold and went to sleep.
Monkey—A very small boy with a
tail.
Nest egg —The egg that the old hen
measures by to make new ones.
Pig—A hog’s little boy.
Salt—What makes your potato taste
bad when you don’t put anV on.
Snoring—Letting off sleep.
Stars —The moon’s eggs.
Wakefulness—Eyes all the time
coming Unbuttoned.
Isn’t it True I
The man who marries without any
trade, profession, visible means of sup
port, or a rich father-in-law to feed him,
is pronounced a fool; but a young wo
mon who weds without possessing any
knowledge of the first rudiments of
housekeeping; who knows how to cat
bread, but not how to make it, and
whose knowledge of domestic affairs is
limited to getting up in time to eat a
cold breakfast, is said to have made a
good match. Will the female at the
head of the class please stand up and
tell us why young women should not
be just as competent to preside over a
household, as the man who is to pro
vide for the same ? When she has un
answered this question satisfactorily,
we will go down in our grab bag and
get another conundrum for her.
A minister who had been reproving
one of bis elders for over indulgence,
observed a cow- go down to a stream,
take a drink and then turn away.
“There,” said he to his offending el
der, “is an example for you. The cow
has quenched her thirst and has retir
ed.”
“ Yes,” replied the other, “that is all
very true; but suppose another cow
had come to the other side of the stream
and had said, “ Here’s to you,” there’s
no telling how long they might have
gone on.”
Avery singular case occurred re
cently in Roxbury. A little boy was
seriously ill with diphtheria. He was
the owner of a small* dog, which had
been denied access to the sick room.
The dog managed to slip in, and before
the attendant could take him, he sprang
to the bed and most affectionately ca
ressed the boy, lapping his face and
mouth. The little boy began to re
cover his health, but the dog died with
every symptom of diphtheria.
*- " --•* * S sr -W Jgy-A.m.iW,. . J
PARAGRAPHICAL.
Signatures In lead pencil are good in
law.
Gee. Toombs has generously con.
tribe ted S6O for the relief of the suffer
ing poor of Ireland.
If you wish to keep ripe watermelons
until C hristmas, give them two or three
coatings of varnish to keep out the air.
An observing old lady says: “It’s
the quiet young man iu the corner, who
lets his rivals do all the talking, that
usually marries the girl.”
A man who takes one drink too
many is often denounced an a fool; bu 4
nothing is said of the woman who gets
three sheets iu the wind on wash day.
“ George, dear, don't you think it's
rather extravagant to eat, butter with
that delicious jinn?" “No, love; its
economical. Same piece of bread does*
for bot h."
The two important events in the life
of mail are when lie examines his up
per lip and sees the hair coming, and
when lie examines the top of his head
and sees the hair going.
\n Irishman, recommending a cow,
said she would give good milk year
after year without having calves, be
cause it ran in the breed, ns she cnm
from a cow that never had a calf.
"Are you a professor of religion, my
little fellow?" asked a lady of her pas
tor's six-vear-old boy, recently. “No,
mam," was the little boy’s prompt re
sponse. “I’m only the professor’s son."
A letter was mailed at Des Moines
the other day with this inscription on
(lie envelope : “ Postmaster, if not de
livered in 865 days burn it, and I will
send a man for him.” It is believed
to lie a dunning letter.
A Texas “onion party” is thus de
scribed : One young lady takes an on
ion into the room, bites a piece out,
then a young gentleman is admitted,
and if, after kissing all the girls, bo
fails to tell which bit the onion, they
are all compelled to kiss him.
Rowland Hill : Do you sav sin is too
strong for you ? It is not 'too strong
for Omnipotence that dwelleth in you.
I don’t want so much to be afraid of
going to hell, as to be afraid of sin.
Let me be afraid of sin, and then 1 need
not be afraid of going to bell.
You are more sure of success in the
end if you regard yourself as a man of
ordinary talent with plenty of hard
work before you, than if you think
yourself a man of genius and spend
too much fime In watching your hair
grow long, that you may convince peo
ple that you are not like other folk.
Nothing is more demoralizing to a
man than to lose faith in his fellows.
The man of faith and honor is not apt
to be suspicious of others, and docs not
willingly believe evil. The lover of
scandal and the ready believer in it are
alike deficient in honor and morality,
and are the bane of well-wganized so
ciety.
During a thunderstorm a negro boy
was kicked by a vigorous mule, and
just as he was picking himself up, a
stroke of lightning hit the mule and
killed him on the spot. “Well, dar!"
exclaimed the negro, “if dis chilo
hain’t got powerful friends to ’venge
his insults, den dar’s no use tryin’ to
hub faith in anything!”
Oglethorpe Echo : It is said that Mr.
Stephens is still pining for a young
lady he loved in Madison, Ga., while
teaching school there in early life. The
name is not given, but we have heard
the story before, and can inform the
inquisitive public that the grand-daugh
ter of this great statesman’s first and
only love now resides in Lexington.
Oglethorpe Echo: Mr. George Nor
ton says that he finds a half bushel of
salt per acre sown over wheat early in
the morning, when it begins to head, a
sure preventive of rust. He has test
ed the matter by selecting a spot where
the rust had appeared, and by % sprink
ling salt around it the spread was in
stantly checked. A little land-plaster
mixed with the salt is also beneficial.
This is a cheap experiment and one
worth trying.
Oglethorpe Echo : We do not be
lieve that Felton can again carry the
Seventh District. The true inwardness
of this canting hypocrite has been
brought to light, and he is now held in
contempt by all honest men. We had
rather see Mr. Ackeinan, an avowed
Republican, in Congress than this poli
eal abortion. He is without party or
principle, and is the veriest traitor in
Georgia. He endorses slanderers of
his own people, and is seeking to break
down the party that has and must con
tinue to save Georgia from negro and
Radical rule.