Port Royal commercial and Beaufort County Republican. [volume] (Port Royal, S.C.) 1873-1874, 1873-11-13
PORT ROYAL S. c.. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 49, 1875

So Oracle eased her mind OF its butt
den, and soothed her conscience-for
had not Freddy promised ?-and bur-
ried on after Kitty, who was in ad-
vance.
Ard afSer her, toiling with might and
main to keep up, trudged little Fred,
rubbing away with his round chubby
! fists the tears that would come, but Of
which, being boy, he was secretly
quite ashamed.
Presently great, gorgeous clump Of
rhododendron, little in advance of
them, moved the two girls to u simulta-
neous ecstacy, They had never in their
lives seer er5thing 80 beautiful as this
great tropical-looking shrub, rising
high above their heads, and making a
glory in the air with its magnificent
pink blossoms. Heedless of Freddy,
they sprang forward breathless with
eagerness; and he, finding that his
short little legs were unequal to his am
bition, resigned himself to his position
libe O philosopher,
"Me tau't keep up, no way. Guess
me stay here, and rest Teddy. Oracle
sure find me when she come back
here" ,,.,
And so Oracle surely would, If lie had
kept right there in the path. But pres
emily a yellow butterfly flew by-one,
two, three-a cloud of yellow butter
flies, all going one way. 1t was too
much for Freddy.
"They be veal gold, I guess" he
cried, looking after them longlngly.
"Me get some for manma---;wear in her
ears-say, Thank 90, Feddy."
So the little short lego, set in motion
ega;. 81 the longing to please mamma,
started on once more, this time right
away from the path, in and ont among
the trees and the butterflies fitted on
before, as if blown by wayward wind,
here and there, here and there, but al
ways away from the path. And in half
on hour only the wind, ahd the butter.
iiies, and the Heavenly Father looking
down, knew where was Freddy.
The girls thought that it was not
more than fifteen minutes when they
turned to look, for him but then the
rhododendron blossoms were pink, and
the sky was bright, and bird with
golden throat sang to them and all the
time Freddy was stumbling on right
away from the path. Oracle was the
first to think of him.
"Why, where is FreddyP" she ask
ed, with startled face,
hOh, he's all right enough !" Kitty
answered, "trudging along on the path
like a little snail. Well go back for
him presently. Just see this kalmia.
We must get little for your mother"
Oracle yielded, to yield was the fatal
weakness of Her character. She gath
cred a splendid bunch Of kalmia then
some cardinal flowers burning at her
feet attracted her; and then, at last,
she turned resolutely:
"Now I must fhd Freddy. Poor
little fellow I shouldn't wonder if he
was crying. We've been away from
him as much as twenty minutes"
Kitty glanced at the western sky, and
saw the sun hanging low, great red
ball on the misty horizon. She made
no remonstrance now against looking
for Freddy. She was more frightened
herself than she would have cared to
own.
Back along the path they flew. Oracle
in advance. At last she looked round,
her face white with terror.
"It was here we left him, Kitty
Just by these blue flags. We started on
for the rhododendrons, you know. Oh,
where is he, where is he? Freddy !!
Freddy ! Fred !"
But no little piping treble made an
swer. Would that voice ever answer
her again And, if it didn't, what was
the use of living? And she had thought
she was tired of him.
The two girls made frantic little
rushes from the path in every direction,
not going far either way, for on every
side the woods shut in round them, and
already the twilight was coming fast.
At last Kitty said
at is of no use, we are wasting time.
1t is growing dark, and our best way is
to hurry home, and send some one to
look for him who can find him quicker
than we can"
"Well, then, You go, but I must stay
here and look. I've got to find him,
you know-he is my brother"
call very well, if you could" Kitty
said, dryly. - don't see how you'd
help matters, though, by getting lost
yourself, and giving the men two to
look after instead of one."
Oracle had not courage enough to re-
sist this argument, which, indeed, had
its firm base in self-evident fact so
the two girls hurried homeward breath
lessly. Once there, Kitty stopped out
side to tell the story to her father,
while Oracle burst into the room where
her mother was.
"You may do anything to me, man.
ma,-anything. If you should kill me,
I deserve it. And 1 don't think l should
care. I'm not fit to live"
"Then certainly you are not lit to
die :" and Mrs. Medford laid her hand
on Gracie's throbbing forehead. But
what is the matter? Why should l
do anything to You? and where is
Freddy p
"That's what I've done, manma,-
lost him y
"Lost my baby? Where?"
"In the woods, mother. He stayed
behind, when l thought he was coming,
and got lost"
"My baby, my poor little fellow,-all
alone in the lonesome woods, and night
coming onp
AS long as Oracle Medford lives, she
will never forget her mothers face at
that moment. She had never seen such
- 1ool, hof,ra Cba hooon IN cry but