Weekly Trinity journal., 1873-08-23
THE DOCTORS BABY.


excitement.
"Well, l never ~ he exclaimed.
"Drollest thingw
"Why, what is it, Doctor f'' we all
demanded.
"Just you come out here to the swampr'
cried the Doctor. "Come quickw and
catching up one of the blankets, he strobe
off again. The spider was hastily set
aside. We resumed our snow shoes, and
followed after him as fast as possible; but
he had gained quite start. We did not
come up with him till he had entered
among the cedars, and was coming out
upon one Of the open holes, which looked
still broader and muddier since the thaw.
On the very edge where the icy snow
bordered the black muck, the Doctor
threw up. "There~ he exclaimed
"For pity's sake, just look thereW point
ing to the mud. "Them's what gets me
Little baby's feet ~
We all started. Sure enough, there in
the mud were some little footprints not
more than three or four inches long, toes
and all, as plain as could be, patted down
into the soft muck. Some little foot had
evidently run along there not many min
utes ago. "Just made, too ~ continued
the Doctor. Then, after hurried glance
around, he stopped to examine them.
Wash winked to me, then to Raed and
Wade, who were regarding us with curl
Gus looks. We all choked down great
grin. Unless we were much mistaken,
we had "soft thing" on tho Doctor.
"Well, if this don't beat the Dutch 2"
resumed the Doctor standing back step.
"Thcre isn't house within fifteen miles,
that know of. How the little thing
ever got up here is more than can guess; I;
but (stooping down AGAIN. it's baby's
foot fast enough"
at may be that an Indian family is
camping about here, not far off," sug-
gested the hypocritical Wash. "Perhaps
this is q little pappoose."
Barefooted, too" observed Wade;
''or else nothing but q very thin mocca-
sin. Look at those little toe marks |,
Can't be over year and half or two
years old"
Poor little thing, it must be lost"
remarked the Doctor reaectively, and
with touch of feeling which did him
credit, but came near making us shout
with suppressed merriment. "And boys"
cried he with suppressed gravity, 1--WE
must try to hunt it up. Poor baby, here
all alone in the dark swamp! lie can't
be far off, either"
"If it's lost child we certainly ought
to hut ii up" said Raed.
"And if it's little pappoose l should
like to see it," remarked Wade.
"Mere common humanity demands
that we find the lost baby" Wash affirm
ed.
So we all began to search along the
borders of the muck hole with affected
zeal; but the doctor was in earnest.
"Ah, there's where he stopped to play
in the mud. See where his fingers clawed
it up there |" said he. "And here's
where he clambered up on to the snow;
and out here is another track. He's left
the hole, and gone of to the woods"
Here and there we could still see the
little footprints close together on the damp
snow as We hurried on.
"See where he broke off those tender
sprouts |" Wash noticed. Little cub!
isn't il curious? l wonder where his
mother is? I've heard Of children being
carried off by wild beasts, and SO growing
up to make wild men, Perhaps we've
stumbled upon an example!"
"Like enough" said the Doctor.
Luckily it was getting too dark for
him to sec our faces.
81 declare he walks for little one ~
said Wade after while. "Why, we've
come as much as quarter of mile from
the muck holeW
A few moments after We came out to
large yellow birch tree or rather stub; for
it was oil docayed, and evidently hollow
having a great open hole in the trunk at
the roots. The little foot-marks led di-
rectly toward this hole.
"You don't suppose he's crawled into
that hole, do you ?" asked the Doctor.
~ declare, he hasp' continued he, point
ing to track in the wet punk within the
aperture. "Gone in there as l live I"
We all took look.
The inside of the tree had rotted away;
and the hollow cavity extended both up
ward and downward into the root beneath
the ground-a dark hole indeed.
"Fell in there I'm afraid !' exclaimed
the Doctor. "Baby, little chuck are
you down thcre2 Likely as anyway
there's water at the bottom! If it were
not so dark down there Got any match
es, boys9 Let's make torch"
pulled off crispy roll Of the curlcd
bark, and lighting it, let it down into the
opening. The Doctor had not thought of
looking up the hollow trunk. Nobody
would expect baby to climb tree, of
course. But the moment VIC put in the
fire, there was great scrambling over
head on the inside; and shower of dust
and punk came rafting down.
"Gracious !' exclaimed the Doctor.
The little rascal is up, instead OF down J
| don't believe it is child. But that is
baby's foot fast enough" said he, step
ping back, and again examining the track.
"Yes. little brat! Scared, l suppose.