St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1872-07-12
flor hr Children.
The Lost Baby.


road h\ the. bridge. til" search was car
,i,d ON with anxious hearts and eager
Steps. Every nook and corner where
even II mouse could hide. was examined
over and over again; but II" baby.
The brook was low: 80 low that baby
might have toddlcd over II without
hardly Nrttimg her feet. There Was no
danger there: and Vet for half Il mile
either side OF the bridge the bed OF The
little stream was thoroughly scanned,
50 there, could Ice no doubt left.
BabN's mother. hartheaded. with pale
face and trembling limbs. di>tracicdI\
hurried from place t" place. carry 'n%
IN her hand the little white >umh"nmrt
she had picked up near the doorstep,
the only thing that could he found be
longing To the missing darling.
Not half an houl before, baby had
been plil ing in the yard, cnoimg and
talking to herself. as she mIIrsed her rag
doll. and watched the pigeons on the
roof of the barn. There prints of hen
tiny shoes in the moist soil 10y the gate
the marks of dirty little fingers upon
the white palngs and that was all.
The hot August sun was almost at IT.
setting. and the shadows of the NAPLES
We're fast lcngthcnimg. What if night
should come and baby not he found
"A 4 i, head l,....,, St,,I,.t and
even then calling upon her mother to
save her!
BABY -
No answer; and the mothers fac,
grew whittier and her limbs weaker.
Il shall never see her again, :" sh,
cried sinking down upon the steps "t
the porch. "Nc>cr, never. never, And
| scoldcd her this morning. oh. my
little lamb"
I'VE shall find her yet" said old Mrs
Bailey, soothin"Il. "She'S got tired
and cuddlcd down to sleep somewhere
Or perhaps she's off with some of the
neighhols' childrrn.'
Bahy'> mother shook her head. She
knew that was only said To comfort her
All the children III the nrighhorhond
had been for the last hour engaged in
the search. She could see them Scour-
ing the field hey ond the house looking
behind the stone heaps and among the
blackberry bushes that skirted the field
Baby could not have been stolen. y,
suspicious looking character had been
lurking about. and nobody could have
got away with her without being seen.
There had been no one near the LouS,
all the morning, except old Deacon Pet
tlngill, VIII" left his wagon opposite the
gate long enough to look at il yoke OF
fat steers in the blrIIl ard
The sun went down at last. and one
10y one the nciyhhur> slowly came in
from the search and gathered around
the stricken mother. in the yard. Al
had words of comfort. but they sounde,
false and hollow.
II cant give her up 50. she m"aned
"Shc must Ice SomcW here near. He'll
longer"
II don't hcie>c shes been out>id,
the gate" said one. 1--WE can't fin,
amy trace of her anywhere. Seems t,
me she would have dropped her doll ("
something. if she'd gone far"
''Wr'Ve looked every where" said ON,
of the boys. ''We'Ne p"krd open e>rIN
bunch of bushes ON both sides of tn,
road. between here and Dunlap'S pas
tune naIS and She couldn't have got
any further than that. If she was il
the m"Win' lot we should see her Ger
taimlH, OF in the back pasture. hrcaIlS,
there ami any bushes or woods"
"llavr Nou looked in the we'll ," sal,
old Mrs. Tnmpkins. "N"W its just n
likely as not she's fell in there. I'll,
curhim' ant none too safe"
''She amt there we've looked" sal,
one of the boys. quickly noting tn,
-paSm of pain that passed over the fac,
of baby : mother at the words
"lhrrc'S Il team coming,' suddenly
shouted one of Il little knot of boys out
side the gate. ''NoN We can send wore
down t" the Village. aud raise EN- t,
help hunt.
Its Deacon Pcttcnyill'> horse" sal,
another. who hastily climbed the trmc,
for II better lockout. land the deacon,
driving. too. Something's the matter
he's putting ON the lickS.
"What'S he got in his lap ," aSkc,
one woman pecrimg through the dusk
"WhN d" believe it's baby"
There was Il rush to the gate as tn,
deacon stopped his horse with Il lone
Nv hoa :"
Lost anything p he inquired a> h,
stepped ont over the wheel. with Il lit
tie bundle III his arms.
ment the little cause of all the troubl,
and pain was tightly cla>ped in it
mothers aims.
Won sre." said the deacon. in an
swer t" the multitudinous inquiries a
to how. when and where he had com,
across baby, after left here. earl,
this afternoon. thought heard some
thing under the Wag"n-sc but
didn't pay any attention t" it. and for
got all about it before got home.
turned ont the mare and run the wagon
under the shed. for it began to look lik,
rain. Long about five o'clock Joel h,
went to take ont :, h,,, nf nv. meal th,