The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1866-11-22

towards morning she slept, leaning
against a tree with tho baby on heI
bosom. But she started nervousIy in
her dreams, and at the first bird song
woke TO full Consciousness. With day
break came renewal of her courage
She would not weakly give up to die
Her friends would certainly find bel
to-day, or she would find them. She
saw near her some last years berries
and tough leaves of the winter green
And here acorns
A poor breakfast, but she ate what.
ever she could find, for tho sake of her
child more than her own. Tins day
also, she ran wildly through the tangle
of dead brakes and briars, growing
from the decay of centuries, over the
gullies and jagged rocks, past rude
branches that caught at and rent her
dress till she came to the dying en-
bers of fire. Here she fingered long
Her friends had been here; perhaps
Robert kindled this fire with his own
hands and for her. Hark, again The
search has commenced" this morning.
Echoing through the woods comes the
prolonged shrek of a dinner horn.-
She calls with all the desperation OF
one drowning; she rushes forward; but
the ground is rough, and, alas how
heavy the baby grows She is giddy
with the loss OF sleep, and the want Of
food The baby means, and will not
be comforted. In this way passes the
day ard another dreadful night. She
finds another fire. she stays by it, and
keeps it burning through the night, for
she is afraid Of wolves. Another NOR.
ming, and she is not found. Oh, will
not Heaven pity her? Have the sweet
April skies become brass to shut out
her cries for help? Has God forgotten
to be gracious2 The little one grows
weaker; he cannot hold up his head
Another terrible night; be means pitc.
ously; he falls into commissions; the
next day he dies. All day she carries
the little lifeless body in her arms, and
all the night, beneath the applying
stars, she holds it to her bosom. Poor
woman! we do not know what lesson
was meant to her by the good Father
But perhaps she has known long since
perhaps at this very moment she
thanks and adores film for that sore
and great distress, of which we cannot
hear at this far remove of time, without
heartache.
She carried tho little dead burden
day after day, until the purple hue Of
decay was settling rapidly over it. and
she felt with pang at her heart, that
she must bury it. Then she looked
about for spot where she might dig
the tiny grave, SO deep that the wilC
cat and the wolf might not scent il
out Weak as she. was, this was nc
easy task, but in her wanderings she
came upon giant tree, uptorn at some
former tlme By a hurricane. In the
soft earth where the roots had lain, she
scooped tho baby's resting place, ane
making it soft with moss, covered the
cold little form forever from her sight
Then she sat down by the grave in /
stupor Of grief Hour after hour passed
how long time she knew not, wher
she rose to her feet to commence the
dreadful pilgrimage. Then she notec
everything about the spot Here was
q rock, there stood an immense hem
lock. Yes, she would know the place
She could find it easily with Robert
Then began again the struggle through
the wilderness. Day after day, wcel
after week she passed on Her shoe
and garments were torn to tatters.-
But the days grew warmer, and tn,
fever that was burning in her VEIN
made even tho soft showers that fel
upon her, welcome. First she ate tn,
buds of trees and the black BIRCH
Presently she began to find younI
checkerberry leaves and now and the
she came upon the partridges nest an
greediIy sucked the eggs. After tim
there were red raspberries in tn
woods, and then she knew it was July
The trees had now put on afresh thei
beautiful garments. But for the deli
cious poetry that one finds in tn
woods, sauntering out from the bus,
life for an hour, she cared nothing.
{ She saw nothing but trees, trees, i
interminable succession, in bewilder
ing sameness 1t seemed years, ye:
. ages ago, that she swept the heart
: with birch broom, and sung the bab
+ to sleep in Roberts cabin. Her min
grew bowildered, still she went on, or
=, When she came to large stream sh
, went up towards its source till sh
, could wade across it, So she said; an
: she affirmed that she never crossed
, stream wider than a brook. She pal
q no attention to sun or moon as guid
+ or indication of the points of compass
). but she must have taken a northeastel
ly course. There was Black Rive
p Mill River, Waterqueechy, Whit
Waits Wells, flowing into the Connec
p icut from the Vermont side; but sh
r constantly asserted that she saw nor
a of them. Through July and Augu'
a there were berries of various kinds, an
n by means of these she sustained wins
4 little life was loft to her And no
4 the naples began to take on the goI
n geous crimson, and the silver bircht
to wear the pale gold of Septembe
8 the birds were leaving the forest o.
! casionally she had glimpses of brindle
n fur among the branches, or blac
a bear turned out of her path, afraid
s the human form; but no human bein
d did she ever meet, and long before, b,
man voices had ceased to call her nam
n Was she alone on the earth, and WI
: .kn oo,.tl, hnt ono uoat tuildarn eas will