The new Northwest. [volume] (Portland, Or.) 1871-1887, 1873-01-10
cHAPrER XXXvu.

CHAPTER XXXVU
THE LIFE OF MAGGIE HEWITT.
81 have a faint recollection of q home
somewhere very unlike, the one 1 was
accustomed to inhabit, and a fair pale
face has often come to me in my
dreams. Then again l would remember
two little boys rolling hoops and teach
ing me to play horse and many child
ish sports, and a sweet, fairy form with
long curls has often fitted before me,
but whether it was a little sister or not
l cannot say"
'It was doubtless my husbands sis
ter" interrupted Mrs. Summers, tAIin-
ME Summers, who was your guest at
the time you We're stolen, and who still
lives in hopeful anticipation of again
beholding the playmate Of her infancy"
Minnie? Yes, Minnie was a name
/ remember. And we both live to meet
again, thank God! OF my father and
mother / know nothing, but my nurse
Patty I distinctly remember for,
though the cause of all my misery, still
/ loved her almost to idolatry, and it
was but natural, for she acted as my
mother for many years.
''On the day on which I so myste-
riously disappeared I was playing with
Minnie as you call her, though l had
forgotten it, when Patty, who was
watching her opportunity, beckoned to
a dark, strange-looking woman, who
was at the head of a band OF gypsies,
and whose name was Lodowisli. Com
ing forward, she quickly caught me up,
presenting me with large orange and
some candy, and tossing some more and
a gay red scarf TO my little playmate,
she slipped slyly out into the road with
me and ran with the fleetness of 4 deer.
1 soon found myself in a carriage driv-
ing as fast as it could, and in an hour
was safe within the gypsy camp, whose
tribe was on the tramp towards North
Carolina. So quickly was it done, and
1 was loaded with 50 many delicacies,
that L scarcely needed that 1 was with
a stranger until became surfeited with
sweets and tired, when I began crying,
Mamma. oh, where's my mammaT in
tones so piteOus that the heart Of my
captor was moved, and it was with diff
ficulty that she could pacify me by call
ing my attention to the horse on which
she was riding with me in her arms.
Presently the motion lulled me to sleep,
from which l did not wake until 1 was
safe with my kidnappers and many
miles from home and friends. Seeing
so many dark, strange faces around me,
/ began screaming frantically for my
mamma and then for Patty, until, swal-
lowing some dark liquid which they
forced down, again fell into deep
sleep, from which I did not awake for
forty-eight hours. What happened dur
ing that time I know not, but when
awoke the first person L saw standing
over me was Patty, weeping. threw
my arms convHlsively around her, beg
ging her to take me TO my own mamma.
Call me mamma now,' was her
only answer.
'Eyeing her keenly between my sobs,
tried to comprehend what all this
meant; but as my grief was that of
childhood, in a few days all passed
away, and I was as happy as ever, play
ing with the little swarthy children
around me, the merriest Of the lot.
81 afterwards learned from Patty that
she had been sold by my father, and be-
ing infuriated at the act and his former
severity, had stolen me out of re-
venge. Pretending to submit willingly
to her fate, she had deceived her new
master into the belief that he had moth
ing to fear from her, thus throwing him
off his guard. The day after my disap-
pearance they commenced their jour
ney. That night, watching her chance,
she arose at midnight and escaped to
the gypsy eneampment. They having
oeeh WeH oribed by articles of iewelry
Deiolgihg 10 my mother, had promised
TO wait at a certain place; TINS If was
that found her standing ovar ,,,o. -,
1 awoke from my long sleep. Instant
search was at once made, but She r,ar
aged to keep out Of the way tbropoI a.
cunning OF the gypsies. They would
travel at night and camp in the daT-
time. As soon as they STONED pott,,
would search for thiclzIy foIiagod 49,.
which she would mount with M, = \ ~
arms. The gypsies would then CAM, !
little distance of; where they would -
main day or two, amusing me yer,
much by singing and playing the tam