The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1861-03-23
Strange story Of stray Child.l

Late last Autumn, q farmer living near the
Adirondacks, in New York State, went out to
cut timber on O mountain in remote and soil
tary locality. He took his son along with him,
little 10y of about four years of age After
having been employed for short time, he missed
the child, who had been amusing himself IN
chasing kid which he found on hill, and he
became alarmed lest he should have fallen into
one of the many ravines, or stumbled over some
of the rocks or precipices with which the place
abounds. No trace of the boy, however, could
be found. In vain did he call upon his name,
for no answer was 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 crossing deep gorge which runs on
the south side 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
child to make its way. In the evening he
found means to send to the settlement an ac-
count Of the circumstances, and several humane
persons, accompanied by the distracted mother,
came to aid his search for the poor child in this
wild and rocky region. One Of them happening
to cross over the gorge alluded to, perceived
there the impression of the boys footsteps, and
these were occasionally traced all the way down
~
trace Of the unfortunate little wanderer, and
were filled with the most painful apprehensions
that he must have been carried off by the stream
Gong along its banks, and crossing ravines and
sleeps, which they conceived it almost impossible
the child could have passed and climbed, they
again found the print Of his naked feet on the
soft sand OF small riyulet; and by applying
measure which they had taken Of the former i'm
pressions, they found it exactly to correspond.
They we're therefore induced still to go for
ward, 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 ia
Their and mother, without finding any other
traces of the boy. Night was now coming down
on the forest; and as the search had continued
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 torn corpse OF her son
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 a handkerchief round a 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 csiled the rest OF the party
to approach, when a little further down the
bank he perceived the boy with his feet in the
water, and his head resting on stone in quiet
Sleep. JOHNNY Johnny" cried the trem-
bling father, "are you alive?" The little pill.
grim, lifting his head from his rocky pillow, ex-
claimed. ooh, father, is it your Why didntyou
come to help me catch the little kid." The 1T
lie fellows cap was filed with pebbles, with
which be had pursued the kid from rock to rock,
rom hill to hill, and through the ravnes for up
ward Of five miles, bare-footed,. over one of the
most rugged tracts in the State, and had been
or twelve hours without tasting morsel of
God. The sudden joy of the mother had nearly
cost her her life, but the young wanderer was
ound not to have suffered injury from his long