The prairie news. [volume] (Okolona, Miss.) 1851-1875, 1858-03-25


for my all had gone glimmering up tn
road like streak. Rainbow seemed anx
ious for the chase, Notwithstanding tht
days travel. | waved my hand for thu
rest of the party to travel on, that woule
overtake them shortly, for | had no idea
that Kate would 60 very far before stop
ping. My horse then bolted up the roae
with all his might. I travelled, | sup
pose, about mile, and then began to be
little anxious, but rather expected
every moment, to see her standing in the
road waiting for me, but saw her not
Two, three miles and still no sign. On
on I sped under whip until the shades Of
night so dimed my pathway that | was
compelled to slacken my gait. Fate seem
ed against me, for soon after, my road
forked. What | was then to do, | knew
not, for it had grown too dark to see the
horses hoof prints. What shall l do
Rainbow, thou ever sagacious and faith
ful animal, give thee loose rein, choose
Whatsoever thou mayest, but lead me
rightly. He seemed to understand me,
for after scenting both roads, he turned
his head in the direction had came, gave
a loud snort and started back at full speed,
which gave me to understand that she
had not been there. then grew despe-
rate; | was in wilderness, perfect
wilderness; | was lost, my Kate was lost
all was lost. | cried aloud for my
Kate, my own dear Kate but no voice
came, save the VOLTS howl or the owls
hoot. On | rode; cloud which, in my
agony, had not noticed, had suddeHln
arisen, dark as the Egyptian night, the
lightning's lurid torch, with its incessant
blaze, lit my pathway.
Gentle reader, hast thou ever loved !
Hast thou ever felt that "sweet idolatry
cnslaving all the SOUL" or
g Is there heart that never loved,
Or felt soft woman's sigh;
Is there man can mark unmoved,
Dear woman's fearful eye"
We had been raised from childhood
together no Joy had she ever known but
was mine, doubly mine no childish grief
or sorrow had she ever felt, but | par
took her tears | would kiss away and bid
her weep no more. But oh, Kate, where
art thou now; would that | We're with
thee that / might again kiss away thy
tears and console thee in thy sorrow.--
But lost in the depths of this wild, wild
woods lost in this deep dark forest, no
one to protect thee from the prowling
beast, no cover to shelter thy gentle form
from the pelting rain. The heavens seem
ed to turn loose its laundering artillery,
peal after peal, came enough almost to
shake the earth to its very centre. All
above one solid sheet of fire. This sub
lime scene | perhaps might, at any other
time, have admired, for there is nothing
so calculated to inspire me with awe and
reverence as the mightiness of thunder
storm but now my thoughts were far
differently occupied. But what was MY
CONSERVATION at finding that my horse
had quilted the road, and was leading me
knew not where; l had been travelling
to the wind and the rain beating him in
the face had caused him to turn. | was
now almost distracted knew not what
| should do, but concluded, after short
while, to wait until the storm should
abate, knowing that if had not strayed
too far that Rainbow would lead me back
to the road; but in the midst of this storm
! did not seek shelter, / did not want
any, but unconsciously stopped under a
large oak with wide spreading branches,
and foliage so dense that l was in some
measure protected from the rain. Up to
this time had not given myself a single
moment for reflection; it was then that
l thought most seriously of the i'll fated
consequences thought of everything
that | had ever known, seen, heard, or
felt in which my dear Kate had been at
all Interested of every childish whim; of
how often, in my mischief, | had torn
down her little play house, overturned
her table upon which were set her little
tea things, which were to me nothing
more than old pieces of broken plate, but