Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-02-14
story Of a straxsa ChiId.

Late last autumn farmer living near the Adiren-
dacks, in New York State, went out to cut timber
on the mountains, in remote and solitary locality.
He took his son along with him. little boy of about
four years of age.After having been employed for
short time he missed the child, who had been anus
ing himself in chasing a kid which he found on the
HILL and he became alarmed lest he should have fall
en- into one of the many rayines, or stumbled over
some of the rocks or preclpices with which the
pisee abounds. No trace Of the boy, however,
could be found. In vain did he call upon his name,
for no answer returned. The anxiety of the
father led him from place to place with the utmost
rapidity, sometimes finding the print of his sons
little feet on the leaves but he never dreamed of
Of the locality alluded to, down the steep and rocky
side of the mountain to the margin of the Hudson.
Over this gorge he conceived it impossible for a
child to make its way. In the evening he found
means to send to the settlement an account Of the
circumstances; and several humane persons, accom-
panied by the distracted mother, came TO aid his
search for the poor child in this wild and rocky re-
gion. One of them happened to cross over the
gorge alluded to, perceived there the impression Of
the boys footsteps, and these were occasionally
traced all the way down to the margin of the Hud-
son, where they lost all trace of the unfortunate
little wanderer, and were filed with the most pain
full appreAensions that he must have been carried
of by the stream.
Going along its banks, and crossing ravines, and
sleeps, which they conceived II almost impossible
the child could have passed and climbed, they again
found the prints of his naked feet the soft sand
of a small rivulet, and, BY applying which
they had taken of the former impression, they
found it exactly to correspond. They were there
fore induced still to go forward, though they had
now proceeded upward of four miles from the
place of their setting OUT and they continued for
the space of about another MILE accompanied by the
anxious father and mother, without finding any fur
Their traces of the boy. Night was now coming down
on the forest 4; and the search had now contin-
ued eleven hours, over rugged space Of five miles,
they thought of retracIng their steps in despair
the distracted mother tearing her hair, and starting
at every white stone, and figuring to herself the
specter of the corps of her at the bottom
of every cliff or stream which they passed. At
this time one of the party who had been before the
rest on looking into the stream of the Hudson,
found handkerchief round stone in the channel
of the river which he recognized to be that of the
child, and had now little doubt that he would be
found drowned near this place in the stream. He
called the rest of the party TO approach; when
little further down the bank he preeeiVed the boy
with his feet in the water. and his head resting
stone in a quiet sleep. Johnny Johnny cried
the trembling father, are you alive?" The little
pilgrim, lifting his head from his rocky pillow,
claimed, % Oh Father is it you? Why didn't you
come to help me catch the little kid?n The little
fellows cap was filed with pebbles, with which he
had pursued the kid from rock to rock from hill to
hill and through the ravines for upward of five
miles, barefoOted, over one of the most rugged
tracks in the state and had been for twelve hours
without tasting mOrsel of food. The sudden joy
of the mother had nearly cost her life. but the
young wanderer was found not to have suffered in
jury from his long peregrination.