Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1874-04-02
MLLERsBURG, HOLMES COUNTY, o. THURSDAY APRIL 1874


I'll run for Peter" said Mrs. Meri
vale.
"And I'll go to the top of the hil
and try if can see them coming" sal,
Mrs. Vladimir, and away hurried tn
two mothers as if life depended upol
their eXertions.
Mrs. Merivale ran to the field for Pc
ter, but he had gone to the blacksmith
shop to get the plowshare repaired
Away she flew thither.
The fear that the children would no
be restored to them alive, for tim,
made Mrs. Merivale frantic. She re
membered intuitively another occasion
a few years before, when an acciden
had nearly robbed her ofRuth. Thank.
to the timely skill of physician the
child was spared to her.
"Peter. Peserr.' she cried, as soon a:
she came within hearing, ''come home
quick, and go and search for Ruth and
Claude. They have not yet returned
from the back fields. / am. afraid they
are lost,''
"What!" cried Ethan Conrad, the
blacksmith, ''llttIe Ruth Merivale
lost?
"Aye, and poor Claude with her."
The blacksmith flung down his ham,
mer and tore off his leather apron.
"You'll need assistance" he cried, and
ran to the middle of the road and roar
ed at the top of his lungs, "Children
lost"
A dozen people came out of their
houses.
The Blacksmith roared again, "Ruth
Merivale and Glance Vladimir are
lost.'
Every body was in the street. The
cry was taken up, and in less than ten
minutes.not.less than hundred people
were gathered about the blacksmith.
"Where? when:" was asked by a
score of voices.
ain the great swamp
"We must find them to-nightw cried
the blacksmith. sect lanterns and
guns, and material for a bonfire, and
meet at Mrs. Merivale's In twenty
Directly across the way from the
blacksmith shop was the Deaths Head
resort of Vladimir OIL his
sprees. At that very moment he was in
there OH spree. The blacksmith
rushed into the tavern and cried, "Val-
dimir. Vladimir! Your Claude is
lost i'm the Great Swamp! Come man !"
Vladimir glared at the blacksmith
with half-crazed stare, and said: "Is
lost is he? What business has he to be
lost? Is lost is he? I'll whip the hide
off his body when l got 'ome!" The
drew back his powerful arm
to deal him blow. Somebody caught
his arm and cried, "Hold, Conrad! you
would not strike drunken man."
"He's bruten' said Conrad.
"True; but your striking him won't
ind the poor boy.
"You're right" said the blacksmith,
''let's awayn'
Vladimir, cursing at every step, stag
yered to the door and pitched headlong
into the street.
By this time nearly the whole village
were gathered in the street.
Then they sent over to Mrs. Meri-
vale's.
Z. Mrs. Vladimir was crying and wiring
ng her hands in despair. Mr.. Meri-
vale had come home and gone to the
fields in search of the children.
Quickly learning all that could be
learned regarding the direction the
children had taken, the searchers with
Ethan Conrad at their head, started for
,he back fields and the great swamp.
It was now near sundown and they had
not moment to lose. They fastened
70 the fields and soon found traces of
.he children. They traced them to the
ash tree, and thence to the hill where
hey had eaten the berries.
They hallooed Justify for them, but
no answer came.
s'If they are in the open field," said
he blacksmith, "they could scarcely
near us!'
"Possibly not" said another, "they
nay be asleep"
ave must be thorough in eur SEARCH"
'aid the blacksmith, 'we must go across
;hc field in rank. They could not have
,rsssed the creek
Placing a man on the bank of the
creek the line of men was extended at
light angles for a distance of at least
lightly rods from the creek, or the whole
,xtent of the clearing. As it was not
Iuite dark, the torches were not yet
needed. At "a word they started slowly
across the field, scrambling through the
Driars, ever rocks and through the low,
md wet places. At every fifteen min
ltes they halted and called the children
BY name. By the time they were across
he field it was nearly dark.
"Light the torches!'' cried the
"and now for the great
swamp"
As they were about entering the
'wamp enc of the men stationed near
he creek gave a loud halo.
"FOund the children z" was asked in
'tantly.
"No; but I've found Il handkerchief"
The mother went to the spot and iden-
ified it as belonging to Ruth.
'HoOray. Now we'll find them.''
"What if they had fallen into the
,reek ?" At thought of this the mothers
we're half frantic.
''They did not enter the swamp"
little further careful search
strengthened the probability that they
must have gone down the creek.
1t is several hours since the chill
lren left the clearing and we turn to
hem.
81 do wish / could find the way"
,aid Ruth, for the first time dcspond-
ng.
Then Claude began to cry.
That reused Ruth to new energy.
"I'm sure it isn't far now," she said,
'and we'll hurry on"
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