The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1867-07-05

4
toward il. Aud now she thought she heard
it again, farther of. Many hours in the
night were spent in rushing, with hysteri.
cal eobs and palpitating heart, towards the
voices of her friends, so near that she could
hear them, but so far away that no efTert of
frenzied strength could enable her TO reach
their protecting presence What night
II was Towards morning she slept lean.
ing againsta tree, with the baby on her bo-
som. She started nervously in her dreams,
and at tho first bird song awobe to CON
seriousness. With daybreak came q re-.
newal of her courage. She would not
weakly give mp TO die. Her friends would
cel taiuly find her to- day, or she would find
them. She saw near her some last years
berries and tough leaves of wiutergreon
and a few acorns. A poor breakfast, but
she ate whatever she could fGd, for the
sake OF her child more than her own. This
day also she ran wildly through the tangle
of dead brakes aud 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 embers OF fire. Here she
| fingered long. Her friends had been here;
perhaps Robert had kindled this fire with
his own hands, and for her. Hark again
.
Echoing through the woods comes the pro
louged shrek Of diunor horn. She calls
| with all the desperation Of one drowning /;
she rushes forward, but the ground is
rough, and alas how heavy the baby
growsl She is giddy with the loss Of
sleep and the want of food. The baby
means, and will not he coinforted. In this
way passes the day and another dreadful
night. She huds another fire; she stays by
II and keeps 1t burning through the night,
| for she is afraid Of wolves. Another morn.
ing, aud she is almost hopeless. D, will
not heaven pity her? The little Que grows
weaker ; he cannot hold up his head. An.
other terrible night ; he means piteously /;
he falls into commissions the next day he
dies. Ali day she carries the little lifeless
| body in her arms, and all night, beneath
tho Implying stars, she holds it to her DO,
som.
She carried the little dead burden day
after day until the purple hue of decay
was setting rapidly over it, and she felt,
| with pang at her heart, that she must
bury it. Then She looked about for a spot
where she might dig the tiny grave, So deep
that the wildcat and The wolf might not
scent it out. Weak as she was, this was
no easy task, but in her wanderings she
came upon a giant tree, uptorn at some
former time by hurricane. In the soft
earth where the roots had lain she scooped
out the baby's resting place, and making
it soft with moss, covered the cold little
torn forever from her sight. Then she
sat down by the grave iN a.stupor OF grief
Hour after hour paseed, how many she
knew not, wheh she arose to her feet TO
commence again the dreadful pilgrimage
Then she noted everything about the SPOT.
Here was rock, there.stood am immense
hemlock, Yes, she would know the place.
She could find il easily with Robert Then
beganNgain the strugg le through the wilder
ness. .e. ... ft.H.aHrs ID tH '
Day after day, week after week she passed
on. Her shoes were worn to fragments
and fell from her feet Her garments were
torn to tatttrs. But the days grew warmer,
and the fever that was burning in her veins
made even tAe soft showers that fell upon
her, welcome, First she ate the buds of
trees and the bark of birch. Presently she
began to find the young ohsckerberry
leaves, and now and then she came upon
the partridge's nest, and greediIy sucked
the eggs. After time there was red
raspberries and black thimGlc.berries in
the woods, and then she knew ii was July.
The trees had now put on alresh their
beautiful garments. But for the delicious
poetry that one finds in the woods, saun.
tering out from the busy life for an hour,
she cared nothing, She saw nothing but
trees, trees, trees, in interminable isucces-
sion, in bewidering sameness. II seemed
years, yes, ages ago, that she swept the
hearth with a birch broom, and sung the
baby to sleep in Roberts cabin. Her
mind grew bewldered, still she went on,
on. When she came to large stream she
went up towards its source till sho could
wade across it. So she said; and she af-
hrmed that she never crossed a stream wider
than brook. See paid no attention to sun
and neon as guide or indication of the points
Of the compass, but she must have taken
northw esterly direction. There was Black
River, Mill River. Waterqueechy, White
Waits Wells, flowing into The Connecticut
from the Vermont side ; but she constantly
asserted that she saw none of them
Through July and. August there were
berries of various kinds, and by means Of
these she sustained what little lie was left
her. ,,.V p .t.yt
And now the naples began to take on
the'gOrgeous crimson. and the silver birches
to wear the pale gold of September, the
birds were leaying the forest. Occasionally 4
she had glimpses of bridled fur among the
branches, or black bear turned out of
the path, afraid Of the human form but no
human being did she ever meet, and long
before human voices had censed to call her
name. Was she alone oil tho earth, and
was the earth ono vast wilderness without
outlet, without clearing or settlement
Had God taken all life but that of the
brG!es, and forgotten her, or ordained her
to wander forever? Tramping, tramping, |
with her feet bleeding and cracked at first |
and afterwards callOused; paked or nearly |
SO, knowing nothing of time or place, she |
Was fast becoming idotic. When she was !
hungry she sought for food, but the great |
idea lingering in her mind, was that of |
pressing on. Since the iuxurianee of sum.
mer had filled tho forest with ferns and a
new growth of brier and undeTbrush, there
was more trouble OF passing through. Bnt
she had become quite accustomed to the !
'ongh work, and the frenzy at last became
steady, eopstaut babit almost the labor
IF life TO her,
oae day il October the inhabitants of
he village Of Challestop, N. H.. We're
''arted into the widest excitement, by !
ee nG a nearly naked, emaoiated woman,
With her hair streaming uponher shoulders,
walk with bewldered gaze along their
treet. Size told them she was Robert
iarlis' wife and she was lost. .,,....r., l.
Robert Harris wife, who disappeared 4
rom the opposite side OF the river in Aprill" |,
the villagers. How had she
,rossed the Connecticut? Where has she
cen all this time % But She told them she
lad never crossed the Connecticut And