A BUZZARD HEROINE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2462, 21 April 1888, Page 2 (Supplement)

A BUZZARD HEROINE.

Not many miles from the town of Old is situated the schoolhouse of Mira Valley School District. This houso is a small frame structure, and the nearest dwelling to it is at least one-half mile distant.. Thursday morning, 12th January, when the biizzard caine, they were in the little schoolhouse, Miss Minnie Freeman, the teacher, yet in her teens, and 13 pupils between the ages of 6 and 15 years. The children were wrought up to the highest pitch of excitement by the fury of the storm. Xn the inidst of the teacher s assurance that all would be well a terrible gust of wind struck the building; the windows rattled, the house shook, and the door of the structure was torn from its hinges. It was then the young teacher realised the necessity of preparing for emergencies. With an exhibition of rare judgment she gathered her little brood together, and securing a coil of stvoug, heavy twine, began with tho larger ones and tied tho children together by the arms and bodies, three abreast. This completed, she huddled her charges around the stove and waited the pleasure of the storm kinir. Its furious work came sooner than was expected. Tho terrific Kale, sweeping everything before it, struck tho building and carried away, in the twinkling of an eye, the entire roof of tho structure, leaving the frightened little ones exposed to the elements. The time for prompt action had arrived, but the plucky teacher was equal to the emergency. Taking the youngest and frailest of her charge ill her arms, she tied tho remaining end of the twine around her own body, aud with all the words of encouragement she could muster, the courageous teacher started with her " team" of frightened little ones out into the fury of the storm. Those who have braved the terrors of a Nebraska blizzard need not be told that it required courage to enable a young girl to breast those furies, having in her keeping the lires of 13 little ones and the happiness of 13 homes. Thoso who felt and suffered from the offects of Thursday's storm need not be told that the act of that young girl was one from which strong men might quail. Selecting her way carefully, following in the course of the storm, the brave girl led her little charges through the snowdrifts and blinding blizzard, now cautioning them about their steps, now encouraging them to cheerfulness, and all the way herself bearing an additional burden of somebody's darling, urging them into renewed efforts. And thus it was that afier a wearisome journey of three-quarters of a mile, through all the fury a storm could muster, the little band reached the threshold of a farmhouse, where they received a hearty welcome. At tho house where they found shelter one of the children made its home, and if the eyes of a loving mother filled with tears as she pressed her little one to her heart they were not dried when she gave to the brave young teacher an embrace in which was embodied all the love and gratitude withiu a mother's heart. It is safe to say that the subsequent reception of Miss Freeman in all the homes whose little ones she had rescued perhaps from death was equally as warm as that accorded in the first instance.