Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1872-07-10
The Lost Baby.


Baby was lost
Up and down, high and low, everywhere
about the house, and barn, aud woodshed, in
the garden and down the rod by the bridge,
the search was carried on with anxious hearts
and eager steps. Every nook and corner
where eve, mouse could hide, was examin-
ed over aH1 over again but no baby. The
brook was low so low that baby might have
toddled over it without hardly wetting her
feet. There was no danger there yet for
half mite either side Of the bridge the bed
of the little stream was thoroughly scanned,
so there conld be no doubt left.
Blby's mother hareheaded, with pale face
and trembling limbs, disiraetedy hurried
from place to place, carrying in her hand the
little white sunbonnet she had picked up near
the doorseps the only thing that could be
found belohging to the missing darling.
Not half an hour before, baby had been
playing iaihc yard, cooling and talking to
herself, as she nursed her rag doll, and watch
cd the pigeo on the roof Of the barn.
Thire wer, prints Of her tiny shoes in the
moist soil the gate, the marks Of dirty lit.
tic fingers on the white palings and that
was all.
The hot agust sun was almost at It's set
ting, and III, shadows Of the naples we're fast
engthening What if night should come and
baby not y iiand What if she were wand
ering farge, and further away. while were
seeking l,n What if she had been stolen,
and was o'-ln then calling upon her mother
to save ne
BabytN
No answer; aud the mothers face grew
whittier aul her limbs weaker.
shali never see her again !" she cried,
sinking down upon the steps Of the porch.
Never, never, never And | scolded her
this morning. Oh, my little lamb
Ave shall iod her yet" said old Mrs
Bailey, soothingy. Shes got tired and
cudiled down to sleep somewhere. Or per-
hars she's of with some Of the neighbors
children
Babys mother shook her head. She knew
that was only said to comfort her. All the
children in the ncghborhood had been for the
last hour engaged IN the search. She could
see them securing the field beyond the house,
looking behind the stone-heaps and among
the black berry bushes tha. skirted the field
Baby could not have been stolen. No sus-
picious looking character bad been seen lurk.
ing about, aud nobody could have got away
with her without being seen. There had
been no one near the house all the morning
except old Deacon PettingilI, who left his
wagon opposite the gate long enough to look
at yoke Of fat steers in the barnyard
The sun went down at last, aud one by one
the neighbors slowly came in from the search
aud gathered around the stricken mother, il
the yard. All had words Of comfort, but
they sounded false aud hollow.
can't give her up So" she moaned
" She must be somewhere near Help mt
look a l,stle longer--just a little longer"
don't believe she's been outside th
gate, said Que. ave can't 6ud any trac
Of her anywhere. Seems to me she woul'
have dropped her doll or something, if she'
gone far"
We've looked everywhere" said one o.
the boys. We've poked open every bunc
Of bushes on both sides Of the road, betwce
here aud Dunlap's pasture bars and sh
couldn't have got any further than that. L
she was in TIE mown' lot we should see he
certainly, or in the back pasture, becaus
there ant any bushes or woods"
Have you looked in the well2" said oil
Mrs Tompkius. Now it's just as likely a
not she's iell 10 there TIE curbin' ant non
too safe"
" she ant there we've looked, said on
of the boys quickly noting the spasm Q
pain tr passed over the face Of baby
mother u the words
I L., 81 nttf
ed one Of knot of boys outside the gate
Now we can send word down to the village
and raise 'em to help hunt"
4" It's Deacon Peitingills horse" said ar
other, who hastily climbed the fence for
better lookout, "and the deacon's driving
too. Something's the matter. He's putin
on the licks."
Whats he got in his lap" asked on
woman, peeriDg through the dusk. why
do believe it's baby"
There was rush to the gate as the deaco
stopped his horse with loud "Whoa !"
Lost anything?" he inquired as he steT
ped out over the wheel, with a little bundl
in his arms.
baby BABY" and the next moment tn
little cause Of all the trouble aud pain wa
! tightly casped in its mothers arms.
You see," said the deacon, in answer I
, the multtudinous inquiries as to how, whe
aud where he had come across baby, aftc
| left here, early this afternoon, thought
heard something under the wagon-seat br
( didn't pay any attention to it, and fuTgot II
about it before got home. turned out ii
mare aud run the wagon under the shed, f
it began to look like rain. Long about f,
o'clock Joel he went to take out bag OF ry
t meal that brought up for Piper's aud all
once, aa he was lifiin' it onto his back,
/ dropped it sud hollered right out Con
here, deacon, says he, where on earth d
this come from 2 was grindin' scytl
out at the east end of the shed, but dropp,
it pretty quick and started He was holdir
up the buffalo from the hind end Of the wa
on and there, do you believe it, was tn
= cuuniu' little cre'ur' with her rag doll Gu
+ died up to her, lyin' on some meal.bags ia
e asleep. She must have crawled into Il
/. wagon and laid down while | was lookin'
d the steers, and the jol,in' got her to sleep.
tell you wasn't long hitching' up again; al
g never drove so like all-possessed but on
before in my life, and that was when Hira
broke his leg fallin' off the barn.
/. So baby was found, and the whole neig
! borhood, as one great heart, brimmed ov
O with Joy while the mother, close to who
II breast the little ired head was clasped, pou
!, ed out her soul in fearful gratitude to hi
/ who had, through that brief, but bitter lcsso
! taught her more of the divine nature Of To-
"a than she had before learned in all the days
her iaotdtfhood. Selected.