Vermont daily transcript. [volume] (St. Albans, Vt.) 1868-1870, 1868-08-08


forest had its ownsecrets.
When Mrs. Harris started with her
baby in her arms from Mrs. Green's OK
pecting momentarily to meet her nus
band, she went OH carelcssly, her atton- /
ton being directed iii part to her child, |
and suddenly looking up, She discover
ed no white scars of the axe on any tree |
i'm sight. But she fancicd she had only |
stepped out of the track, and might in
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 commenced q |
doleful hooting. She was alone with !
her infant in the great sea OF forest
where never woOdman' S axe had echoed.
She was lost. She sat down, faint and
tired, and, woman-lillc began to cry.
Hank! That was certainly a human
shout. She arose, and holding her
course. ran brcathless toward it. And
now she thought she heard it again,
farther off Many hours in the night
were spent in rushing with hystcrlcai
sobs and palpitating heart, towards the
voices of her friends, so near that she
could hear them, but so far way that
no effort of strength could enable her to
reach their protecting presence.
What pity il was Towards morn
inc she slept, leaning against tree,
with the baby ON her bosom. But she
had started ncrvously in her dreams,
and at the first bird-song aWokc to luil
consciousness. With daybroall came a
renewal OF her courage. She would not
weakly give up to die. Her friends
would certainly find her to-day, or she
would find them. She saw near her some
last years berries and tough leaves OF
wintergreen and few acOrns. poor
breakfast, but she ate whatever she
could find, for the sake other child more
than her own. This day also she ran
wildly through the tangle ofdead brakes
and briers, growing from the decay OF
centuries, over gullies and Jagged rocks,
past rude branches that caught at and
rent her dress, till she came TO the dying
embers of q fire. Here she fingered
long. Her friends had been here; per-
haps Robert had llindled this fire with
his own hands, and for her. Hark,
again! The search has commenced this
morning. Echoing through the woods
came the prolonged shrek ofthe dinner
horn. She calls with all the despera-
ton of one drowning; she PUSHES for
ward, 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 pas
ses the day and 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
morning and she is almost hopeless.
Oh, will not heaven pity her? The
little one grows weaker he cannot hold
Rp his head. Another terrible night ;
Dmoans piteously he falls into con-
vultions; the next day he dies. All day
she carries the little lifeless body III her
arms, and all night, beneath the I'M
plying stars, she holds it to her bosom.
She carried the little dead burden day
after day. until the purple hue of decay
was settling rapidly over it, and she
felt with a pang at her heart that She
must bury it. Then she looked about fol
spot where she might dig the tiny
grave, so deep that the wildcat and tho
wolf might not scent it out. Weak as
she was, this was no easy task, but III
her wanderings she came upon Il giant
tree, uptorn at some former time by 8
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 form forev
er from her sight Then she sat down
by the grave in a stupor of grief. Hour
after hour passed, how many she knew
not, when she arose to her feet to com
mence the pilgrimage. Then she noteC
every thing about thespot. Here was
rock, there stood an immense hemlOclk
Yes, she would know the place. SHE
could find it easily with Robert. Ther
began again the struggle through the
wilderness.
Day after day, week after week, sh,
passed Oh. Her shoes were worn t.
fragments and fell from her feet. He
garments were torn to tatters. But tn,
days grew warmer, and the fever tina
was burning in her veins made ever
the soft showers that fell upon her, wei
come. First she ate the buds of tree
and the bark of birch presently sh
began to find the young checkerberr,
leaves, and now and then she came up
on the partridge's nest, and greedil,
wasred raspberries and black thimble
berries in the woods, and then she knew
it was July. The trees had now put OF
afresh their beautiful garments. Blu
for the delicious poetry that one finds il
the woods, sauntering out from the bus,
life for an hour, she cared nothing. Sh,
saw nothing but trees trees, in inter
minable succession. 1t seemed years
yes, ages ago, that she swept the hearth
with birch broom, and sung the bah,
to sleep, in Roberts cabin. Her minl
grew bewildered still she went OH on
on. When she came to large stream
she went up towards its source till sh
could wade across. SO she said, an,
affirmed that she never crossed a STREAM
wider than IA brook. She paid no atten
ton to sun or moon as a guide or indica
ton of the points Of the compass, bu
she must have taken Il northwestern,
direction. There was Black Mill, OFT
Quechee, White, Waits, and Wells Riv
ers, flowing into the Connecticut from
the Vermont side; but she CONSTANT.
asserted that she saw none of them