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

oi"S'ou sttcdul Wluer tudii DIOOk.
she pad no attention to sun and
mool.s guide or Indications of the
points o. the compass, but she must
have - -en nOrthwesterly direc-
to. There was Black River. Mill
River, Watergueechy, 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 varl
Gus kinds, and by means Of these
she sustained what little lite was
left her.
And now the maple began to take
on the gorgeous crimson, and the
silver birches to wear the pale gold
of September, the birds were leav-
ing the forest. Occasionally she
had glipses of brindled fur among
the branches, or o 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 ceased to call her name.
Was she alone on the earth, aEd
was the earth one vast wilderness,
without outlet, without aclearing or
settlement Had God taken all
lite but that Of the brutes, and for
gotten her, OF ordained her to wal
der forever. Trunping, tlamplng,
with her feet bleeding and cracking
at first, and atterward calloused
naked or nearly SO, knowing moth
ing of time or place, she was fast be-
coming idiotic. When she was hun
CRY she sought food, but the great
idea lingering in her mind was that
of pressing on. Since the luxuri.
ance of summer had filed the forest
with ferns and new growth Of
brier and underbrush, there was
more trouble of passing through.
But she became quite accustomed
to the rough work and the frequency
at last became a steady, constant
habit, almost the labor of life to her.
One day in October the inhabi-
tants of the village of Charlestown,
\. H., were startled into the wild
est excitement. by seeing nearly
naked, emaciated woman with her
hair streaming upon her shoulders,
walk with bewildered gaze along
their street. She told them she was
Robert Harris's wife and she was
lost.
..Robert Harris's wife, who disap-
peared from the opposite side of the
river in April exclaimed the villa
gers. GLOW had she crossed the
Connecticut Where had she been
all this time But she told them
she had never crossed the Connec-
ticut. And she had been lost in the
woods all this time. There was no
lack of hospitality the wanderer
was Immediately clad and fed and
cared for to the utmost. Volunteers
went at once and brought her hus
band, for the story OF his bereave
ment was we'll known ON the Charles
town side of the river. We can only
imagine the meeting and what tears
were shed at the thought of the lit
tie forsaken grave by the urroOted
, tree. But it is said that joy bells
were rung in the village, and the
poor woman, a living skeleton, was
lsed and pettcd-everybody
yieing with her neighbor to lavish
every good thing upon her, until
her weakened mind received rs
tone again. AS she constantly as
serted she had never crossed the
river, it is supposed she wandered
into Canada, and going round the
+ river to its source, OF crossing where
y it was brooklet, passed down on
the New Hampshire side of the riv
;, er, till she reached location just
opposite that from which she start
h ed.
9 When she began 10 grow strong
again, her mind recurred constantly
:, to the grave in the wilderness. Sh,
. described to her husband its sur
, roundings, and he went out to lool
a for it, but without success. AS sool
as she was able, she went out will
4, her husband and other friends t.
n search, but the baby's grave wal
a never found. 1t was thought yer,
n strange that she in all her wander
+ ings, never met rowing Indian, ,bu
F., so it was. The Indian tribes ha,
;, disappeared from New Englan'
~ since the French and Indian wal
.~r ~ but, however that may be, the frs
f. human being she met after the bur
"a al of her infant, strange as it ma
-, seem, was in Charlestown. Thi
- singular legend bas descended t
orr the writer from a descendent OF hers
- who was the third child born i'll tn
49, town of Rockingham, VT, and th
X " story is an undoubted fact.