National opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1865-1874, 1867-07-12

her baby i'll her arms from Mrs. |
Greens, expecting momentarily to !
meet her husband, but she went on
carelessly, her attention being di- !
rected in part to the child ;and sud !
denly looking up, she discovered no
white scars of the axe on any trees
in sight. But she fancied she had
only stepped out of the track, and
might in a moment regain it. "A
vain fancy She went on, but
, nothing familiar met her eyes.
The night came on. The little
? birds went to rest, and the owls
S commenced dolefui hOoting. She
was alone with her infant in the
I great sea Of forests where never
e Moodman's axe had echoed. She
II was lost. She sat down, faint and
tired, and woman-like began to cry.
J. Hark That was certainly a hui
man shout. She arose, and holding
4 her course, ran breathlessly toward
it. And now she thought she heard
+, it again. further off. Many hours
Ill the night were spent in rushing,
with hysterical sobS and palpitating
. heart, towards the voices of her
S friends, so near that she could hear
them but SO far away that no eff
e fort of trcnzied strength could en-
L able her to reach their protecting
Q power.
e What pity it was! Toward
morning she slept, leaning against
e Il tree, with her babe on her bosom.
. But she started nervously in her
o dreams and at the first bird song
v awoke to full consciousness. With
! daybreak came renewal of her
courage. She would not weakly
s give up to die. Her flieuds would
certainly find her to-day, or she
N would find them. She saw near her
l. some last years berries and tough
z leaves of wintergreen and a few
n acorns. a poor breakfast, but she
ii ate whatever she could find, for the
sake of her child more than her own.
This day also she ran wildly thro'
the tangle of dead brakes and briers,
growing from the decay of centuries,
over the gullics and Jagged rocks,
past rude branches that caught at
e, an,krent her dress, till she came to
Il. the dying embers of II fire. Here
IL she fingered long. Her friends had
IN been here !; perhaps Robert had
~ kindled this fire with hisown hands
IN and for her. Hark, again :! the
)d search has commenced this morn
al ing. Echoing through the wood
~ comes the prolonged shrek of tn
he dinner horn. She calls with all th,
tie desperation OF one drowning, sh
ii. rushes forward, but the ground il
&, rough, and, alas, how heavy the ba
rn by grows. She is giddy with th'
I'd loss of sleep and the want of food
'h The baby means, and will not bt
ld comforted. In this way she passes
lc the day and another dreadful night
I'll She finds another fire; she stays b.
er it and keeps it burning through th
night, for she is afraid of wolves
I'd, Another morning and she is almos
as hopeless. q, will not heaven pit
iis her The little one grows weaker
lis cannot hold up his head. Anotht
WI terrible night he means piteonsly
of he fails into commissions the neA
Ter day he dies. All day she carrie
re- the little lteless body in her arms
and all night beneath the unpityin
he stars, she holds it to her bosom.
od She carried the little dead burde
ch day after day. until the purple hu
It'll of decay was scttingapidly over il
ed and she felt, with pang at he
rct heart, that she must bury 1t. The
or she looked about for spot wher
de she might dig the tiny grave, $
,ut deep that the wildcat and the wo
he might not scent it out. Weak q
she was, this was no easy task, br
an in her wanderings she came upon
'ou giant tree, uptorn at some torm
me time by hurricane. In the SC
earth where the roots Ind lain 81
the scooped out the baby's restli
lar place, and making it soft with mos
covered the cold little form forcv
Dor from her sight. Then she sat tlov
go in stupor of grief. Honr aft
hour passed, how many she KIN,
hro' not, when she rose to commence 81
tent dreadful pilgrimage. Then she L
hey ted everything about the sp'
ut Here was a rock, there stood an il
ply. mcnse lIemlock. Yes, she won
''wc know the place. She could find
we're easily with Robert. Then beg
the struggle through the wilderne
but Day after day, week after wet
ere. she passed on. Her shoes ",
and worn to fragments and fell from
,odS feet. Tier garments were torn
pred tatters. Bat the days grew wal
men or. and the fever that was burnl
gain in her veins made even the s
crn, showers that fell upon her, welcoi
First she ate the buds OF tr
ear. and the bark OF birch. Presell
vt T. she began to find the young che
lays erberry leaves, and now ana u
n ely she came upon patridgc's nest a
,rds, grcedily sucked the eggs. Aite
,ong time there were red raspberries u
try black thimbleberries IN the "9o'
incd and then she knew 1t was -"
tart. The trees had now put on fires n I'M
ODDS beautiful garments. But for tne
Ac. licious poetry that one mas III /,
NJ woods. sauntering out from the !.
nncr sy life for an hour, she cared m ',o'
,,ntii no IN She saw nothing but tre'
. of trees. in intcrminablc succession.
/ ,Lo II seemed years, yes, ages ~
iar .n ,bat She swept the hearth Will
A A H.. H. ls.,