At midnight, while
replenishing the fire, I heard smart gusts of wind blowing from the
northwest. It was clearing off cold. Noticing that it seemed very light
outside, I went to the door and saw the bright arch of a splendid aurora
spanning the whole sky. It was so beautiful that I waked Addison to see
it.
By morning winter weather had come again; the snow slush was frozen. The
stream, however, was still too high to be crossed, and the swamps and
meadows were also impassable. We now bethought ourselves of another
route home, by way of a lumber trail that led southward to Lurvey's
Mills, where there was a bridge over the stream.
"It is five miles farther, but it is our only chance of getting home
this week," Addison said.
We were busy bundling Halstead up for the sled trip when the door opened
and in stepped Asa Doane, one of our hired men at the farm, and a
neighbor named Davis.
"Well, well, here you are, then!" Asa exclaimed in a tone of great
relief. "Do you know that the old Squire's got ten men out searching the
woods for you? Why, the folks at home are scared half to death!"
We were not sorry to see Asa and Davis, and to have help for the long
pull homeward.
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