The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1871-03-17

the sermon and then he remembers his
home, and comes softly out of the
porch, full of calm and serious pleas
ure. The clergyman has reminded him
of his father, and his careless heart is
filled with the echoes of his voice and
of his prayers. He thinks of what the
clergyman said of the care of our
Heavenly Father for u.s. he remembers
how, when he left home, his father
prayed that he might be preserved
through every danger he does not re-
member any particular danger that he
has been exposed to, except in the great
storm but he is grateful he has come
home in safety, and he hopes whenever
he shall be in danger, which he supposes
he shall be some day, he hopes that
| then the providence of God will watch
over him and protect him. And so he
presses onward to the entrance of the
wood.
"Are not two sparrows," he hears, "sold
| for farthing? and one shall not fall to
the graund without your Fathers notice.
But the hairs of your head are numbered.
Fear not, therefore we are of more
value than many sparrows."
The man is there before him. He has
pushed himself into the thicket, and
cut heavy stake; he suffers the boy to
| 90 on before, and then he comes out,
falls into the path, and follows him. 1t
! is too light at present for his deed OF
darkness, and too near the entrance OF
the wood but he knows that shortly the
path will branch off into two, and the
right one for the boy to take will be
dark and lonely.
But what prompts the little midship-
man, when not fifty rods from the
branching Of the path, to break into a
sudden run? 1t is not tear-he never
dreams of danger. Some sudden impulse,
or some wild wish for home makes him
dash off suddenly after his saunter,
with whoop and bound. On he goes
as if running a race the path bends,
and the man loses sight Of him. " But
| shall have him yet" he Thinks he
cannot keep up that pace long. The boy
has nearly reached the place where the
path divides. when he starts up white
owl, that can scarcely fly as he goes
whirling along close to the ground before
him. He gains upon ii ; another moment
and it will be his. Now he gets the start
again they come to the branching of
the paths, and the bird goes down the
wrong one. The temptation to follow it
is too strong to be resisted he knows
that somewhere, deep in the. wood, there
is cross track by which he can get into
the track he has left it is only to run a
little faster, and he shall be home nearly
as soon.
On he PUSHES; the path takes Il bend,
| l. Of. ,1,rht
pursuer comes where the paths divide.
The boy has turned to the right-the
man takes the left, and the faster they
both run the farther they are asunder.
The white owl still leads him on the
path gets darker and narrower; at last
, he finds that he has missed it alto
gether. and his feet are on the soft
! ground. He founders about among the
trees and stumps, vexed with himself
and painting after his race. At last he
,, hits upon another track, and pushes on
as fast as he can. The ground begins
sensibly to descend he has lost his way
but he keeps bearing to the left and
though it is now dark, he thinks he
must reach the main path sooner OF
later.
He does not know this part Of the
, wood, but runs on. Oh, little midship
man why did you chase that owl? Il
g you had kept the path with the dark
! man behind you, there was a chance
that you might outrun him ; or if he
: had overtaken you, some passing way
: farer might have heard your cries, and
come to save YOU Now you are run
j ming straight on to your death, for the
! . Il n
bottom of this hill. Oh that the moon
: might come out and show it to you
+ The moon is under a thick canopy o.
t heavy black clouds, and there is not {
o star to glitter on the water and make il
, visible. The fern is soft under his feet
as he runs and slips down the slopine
+ hill. At last he strikes against a stone
stumbles and falls. Two minutes more
; and he will fall into the black water.
;. "Heydey " cried the boy, "what',
. this? Oh, how it tears my hands Oh
this thornbush? Oh my arm CAM
, get free T. He struggles and pants
Q "All this comes of leaving the path,
+. he says; Il shouldn't have cared fol
+ rolling down if it hadn't been for this
( bush. The fern was soft enough. II
never stray away III wood at night
( again. There, free at last And my
jacket nearly torn off my back y
e With good deal of patience, and 9
g great many scratches, he gets free of the
: thorn which had arrested his progress
. when his feet were within yard of the
| water, manages to scramble to the bank
e and makes the best of his way through
Y the wood.
e And now, as the clouds move slowly
onward, the moon shows her face on the
: black surface Of the water and the little
! white owl comes and boots, and flutters
G over it like wandering snow drift. But
5 the boy is in the wood again, and knows
e nothing of the danger from which he
l has escaped. All this time the dark
!, passenger follows the main track, and
$ believes that the boy is before him. AT
last he hears a crashing of dead boughs
and presently the little midshipman's
e voice fifty yards before him. Yes, it is
S too true the boy is in the cross track
@ He will pass the cottage in the wood di
S rectly, and after that his pursuer will
t come upon him.
The bow bounds into the path but rs