Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1861-12-24

the time we found most OF the animals
at no great distance, but two animals were
missing, and the poor child was not to be
discovered Then we became alarmed in
earnest, and commenced a search for her.
hurrying from one point TO another, and
shouting her name and halloong contin-
ually. This we did for couple of hours,
and then my poor wife sat down and
wrung her hands in deep despair. | sug-
eested to her that Hattie might even then
be home alarmed at our absence, and this
inspired her with sufficient strength and
hope 10 get there. where she sank down
under a new disappointment helpless as 4
child
"-Ah, sir, that was a time of terrible tri-
al to me,-ny sweet child lost, nv wife
utterly prostrated, and not another soul
near to give me aid and sympathy |
could not stand 1T long | at once hurried
to the nearest ncighbor. The man imme-
dlately set off to rouse other neighbors,
and his family ac ompanied me home -
by midnight quite party had assembled
at the house here but it was decided not
to begin the search for Hattie until the
following morning.
AT daybreak seven of US went off in
quest of the poor child, taking along a
couple of dinner-horns and some three or
four rifles, in hopes of reaching her by
sounds louder than our calls and shouts
We took the regular COW path to the pas
ture, and searched through the swamp
thoroughly in the vicinity of the bridge.
The pasture was hilly and much covered
with trees and bushes, and we were Seve-
raj hours getting through with that; then
we spread off in different directions, and
occupied the day without success. Oh,
what a horrible night was that to me
which followed
For four days we secured the country
in every direction, without getting any Ii
dings of the poor child and then all, even
the most sanguine in finding her gave her
up as utterly lost; and, completely worn
out and heart-brokcn, threw myself down
wishing for death TO relieve me of my
misery
1t was on this evening that younger
brother who had been away on journey
up the country, returned with Bruno, who
had been his sole travelling companion.
The sight of the dog, whose sagacity had
long been the wonder of all who knew
him, excited in my breast faint hope
that he might yet find his young mistress,
either living or dead; and with this idea
uppermost in my mind, half insane as
was, | talked to him on the sad affair Just
| as if he were blessed with the understand
ing of human being. Never shall | for
get the sorrowfui bat singularly compre-
hensivc expression of his brown eyes, as
he kept them fixed upon mine all the
while | was speaking 10 him .and, when
| had done, he turned away with a low,
mourning whine, and suddenly dsap-
peared
Early the next morning my brother
shouldcred his rifle, and announced his
intention of trying his fortune in fresh
search for the poor child; but all the men
had gone home, and | was too much bro
ken down with grief to accompany him
and so, calling for the dog, and not finding
him. he set off alone.
1T was somewhere about the middle Of
the daQ that | WAS sitting by the bed of
my nearly distracted wife, trying to soothe
and console her as best | could when sud
denly Bruno, \ HON had entirely forgot
ten in tae meantime, came bounding into
the room. lookint soiled and fatieued, as
from a journey, and at once began to bark
aud whine in 4 strange, peculiar manner,
running to and fro between me and the
door
/ Il do believe the dog has found the
! child exclaimed |, starting to my feet
with a new hope.
God grant it, cried my wife, wiring
1 inr her hands
/ Try to be calm. at least till | return"
/ said feeling a new life in my veins
/ i hurried out, the dog preceding me
and barking ioyously Ilcthcn struck of
+ in a direction different from any had
taken in our search for the girl, barking
( excitcdly, looking back every few steps
and thus seeming To urge me to follow
I him This did as fast as the nature of
I the ground would permit, running most Of
1 the way Into and through the deep,
/ dense wood down Il gloomy hollow, and
up the steep side of . Wild rocky noun
tain, the faithful dog led distance of
three miles, keeping just so far in advance,
and always timing his gait to mine.
AT length we reached a spot more wild
rock and gloomy than | had yet seen;
and Ginning to the top of cJlf Bruno
gave vent to a series of strange sounds,
! sometimes between a bark, a howl, and a
wall alternately looking back at me and
down to some object evidently ii.r below
him Pressing forward, with emotions
that | have no language to describe, but
which seemed to still the very beating of
my heart, and rendered me sick and faint,
gained footing beside the dog, and
looking down into n pit or basin, sur
rounded on all sides by prccipititous
rocks-a strange formation indeed be
held my poor child stretched out on the
earth motionlesS, and as thought, dead.
/ Nv brain recled at the sight, and 1t Is a
wonder did not fall Perhaps did, for
/ how got down to her | never knew; but
my next remembrance is Of sitting on the
earth, cl sping the poor, bruised starved
creature in my arms, thanking God with
al my heart that held my living darling
4 child
II took off my coat tore it into strips,
lashed my child to my back, ciambered up
tbs rocks, and thus carried her home, and
tainted with fatigue and emotion just in
side the doorway.
That she eventually recovered you have
an evidence in her presence here tonight
In searching for the missing cows, she
had lost her way, and becoming frightened
she had wandered off, she knew not whith-
and had fallen over the rock during the
night, injuring herself SO severely a. to
be unable to escape from the pit, where
she had remained FIVE mortal days with
ont food. Only for this noble animal, her
homes might have been bleaching there to