The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1871-05-20
Mtsrellanp.
LED OUT OF DANGER,
ny JEAN INGELow.


t. and begins to look about him.
The coach stops; the midshipman, with his
hands in his pockets, sits rafting his money and
singing. There is poor WON IN standing by
the door OF the village inn /; she looks careworn,
and we'll she may, for in the spring her husband
went to London TO seek work. He goes for work,
and she was expecting soon to join him there,
when, alas, a feilow-workman wrote her word
how he had met with accident, how he was
very bad, and wanted his wife to come and nurse
him But she had two children and is destitute,
she must walk all the way, and she is sick at
heart when she thinks that perhaps he may die
among strangers before abe can reach him.
She does not think of begging, but seeing the
boy's eyes attracted to her, she makes courtesy,
and be draws his hand and throws her down a
sovereign. She looks at it with ncred ulo us joy
and then she looked at him.
Its all right" he Gays, and the coach starts
again. while full of gratitude, she hires cart to
take her across the country to the railway, that
the next night she may sit at the bedside of her
sick husband.
The mdshipman knows nothing about that
and he never will know.
Tho passengers 60 on talking--the little mid
shipman has told them who he is, and where he
is going. But there is one who has never Joined
in the conversation he is dark-looking and
restless mamie sits apart, he sees the glitter of
the falling coin, and now he watches the boy
moro closely than he did before.
He is a strong man, resolute and determined
the boy with his pockets full of money will be
no match for him. He has told the other that
his fathers house is In the parsonage of Y,
the coach goes within five miles Of it, and he
means to get out st the nearest point, and walk,
rather run, over to his home through The great
wood.
The man decides to get down, too and 90
through the wood; he will rob the little mid
shipman; perhaps, if he cries out and struggles,
he will do worse. The boy, he thinks, will have
no chance against him it is quite impossible
that hs can escape; the way is lonely and the
sun will be down.
No. There seems indeed little chance of his
escape; the nalf-hedged bird, just Auttered down
from his nest, has no more chance against the
keen.cyed hawk, than the little light hearted
sailor boy will have against him.
And now they have reached the village where
the boy is to alght. He wishes the other pass.
engers good EVENING" and runs lightly down
between the scattered houses. The man has got
down, and is following. The path lies through
the village ohurch-yard there is evening service,
and the door is wide open, for 1t is warm. This
little midshipman steals up the porch, looks in
and listens. The clergyman has Just risen from
bis knees in the pulpit and is giving out his text.
Thirteen months have passed since the bow was
in the house of prayer; and feeling of pleasure
induced him to stand still and listen.
he hears the opening sentences of the sermon,
ana then he remembers his home and comes soft
ly out of the porch, fall of calm and serious
pleasure. The clergyman has reminded him of
his father, and his careless heart is filled with
the echo OF his voice and his pra yers. He thinks
OF what the clergyman said of the care of our
Heavenly Father for US; he remembers how.
when be left home, his father prayed that he
might be preserved through every danger; he
does not remember any particular danger that he
has been exposed to, except in the great storm
but he is grateful that he has come home in safe.
ty, and he hopes whenever he shall be in danger.
which he supposss he shall be some day, that
then the Providence of God will watch over and
protect him. And so he pressed ownward to the
entrance of the wood.
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, fills into the path, and follows It lis
'oa 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,
aud the right one for the boy to take will be dark
and lonely
But what prompts the little midshipmau, when
nov nifty rods from the branching path, to break
into sudden run? 1t is not fear-he never
dreams OF danger. Some sudden impulse, or
some wild wish for home makes him dash out
suddenly after his saunter, with whoop and
found. On he goes as if running race the
path bends and the man loses sight of him. "But
l shall have him yet" he thinks she cannot
keep up that race 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 be-
lore MN. he gains upon it; another moment
ana 1t Will DC his. Now he gets the start again :;
,ney Come to the branching of the path, an1 the
bird goes down the wrong one The termination
to follow it is too strong to be resisted he knows
that somewhere, deep in the woods, there is a
cross track by which no can get back into the
track he has left; it is only to run little faster
ana he shall be home nearly as soon as though
he had followed the other.
IN he rushes; the path takes bend, and Le
Is Just out OF sight when his pursurer comes
where the paths divide. The boy has turned to
,he rlght-shs man takes the left, and the faster
'hey both run tho farther they arc asunder.
me white owl still leads him on; the path
gets darker aud narrower at last he finds that
ue mas missed 1t altogether, and his feet are ON
ao'' ground. lie founders about among tho
trees ana stumps vexed with himself, and pant.
ing aI'er ms race. At last he is upon another
track and pushes on as fast as he can. The
ground begins sensibly TO descend; he bas lost
MS way-out he keeps bearing on to the left
ana though is now dark he thinks he rnust
reach the main path sooner or later. ''
lie don't know this part of the wood. lint rims
on On, little midshirmanY Why did Won
chase that owl If you had kept the path win
me dark man behind you, there was a ohopco
tha' you might outrun him; or, if he had over.
,aken you, some passing wayfarer might have
heatd your riesand como to save you. Now YOU