The Bloomfield times. [volume] (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1867-187?, 1874-03-03

as if afraid Of her own voice, "poor missus
gone p
"Gone gone Not dead, Elpsey p cried
Orlando, in a shrielting whisper.
"Poor Elpsey don't know. Missus gone,
and Elpsey can't find her."
But when did she go, and how P'' ask
ed Chiron, at this moment stepping for
ward, for Orlando seemed for the moment
to have lost his power of utterance
She 60 yesterday morning." returned
the old woman, over whose face slight
shade of hope seemed to pass as she beheld
the old hunter "She went out into de
garden, an tinlr she was goin' to take
care oh her flowers. One hour two hour
went away, and de sun bimeby reach to
noon, but missus no come back I hunt
for her, an couldn't find her. went all
trough de woods, hunt in do brook-but-
but--she gone, an poor old Elpsey left
alone y
"But the dogs-the dogs p uttered
Chiron, "did you not set them ON the
track ?''
"Ah, Chiron," answered Elpsey, with
significant shake of the head, "de dogs no
dogs now same as dey used to be. Since
Massa Orlando gone dey do nothin' but
NOPE round an whine"
"This is indeed dark cloud upon our
prospects, murmured the old hunter.
"But courage, courage, Orlando. Let us
not faint by the wayside, for as yet all is
not lost"
"If my moSher be gone, then is all the
world lost to me-" calculated the youth.
"Tn bid farewell to Joy forevermore on
on earth"
"No, no-there are others on earth for
whom you must live. But give not up
yet. Let us search first, and not until all
search proves fiuitless must we sink in de-
spair."
"Search search p cried the yonth,
throwing off his detection. "I'll search
till there's not tree in the forest but bears
its image to my sight p'
The energetic, frenzied tones of Orlan-
dos voice went ringing through the air,
and in moment more a suppressed cry
from the hounds announced that they had
heard it. Chiron stepped through the
kitchen, opened the back door, and the
dogs rushed in. They sprang to the feet
of their returned master, leaped upon him,
licked his hands and his face, ard from
out their sparkling eyes there spoke a
language of true, disinterested affection,
/ such as the sons of men might emulate
with profit.
Old Elpsey could give no account of
: which way her mistress had taken, and the
trails from the house in all directions were
SO numerous that the footprints of Nor
giana could not be distinguished from the
others. The hunters placed some reliance
. upon the dogs, however, and calling them
, to his side, Orlando took his rifle from its
beckets and went forth into the garden.
5 Here he made a show of search, and called
several times for his mother. The hounds
watched his movements with anxious looks
7 and at length they seemed to comprehend
> their masters object, for with that beam
of intelligence which the bloodhound so
{ quickly shows, they bent their nostrils TO
the earth, and after running over the
? garden in various directions, they darted
, off towards the brook. Here they crossed
and after searching few moments upon
, the other side they started for the forest.
, Chiron and Orlando followed quickly on,
and ere long they were buried in the
depths of the forest. They could hear the
{ dry bushes and boughs orachle beneath the
{ feet of the hounds ahead, and, regardless
of the thorns and under-brush, they kept
: on in pursuit.
my mother could not have taken such
q course as this, said Orlando as he
, struggled through the thick underground
cit does seem strange that she should
have chosen such way" Chiron replied,
"but let's follow the dogs"
T "Ha what's this ?" uttered the youth,
as his eye caught a futtering shred ahead
of him. Heavens tits piece of my
mothers mantle ~ he continued, as he
picked from branch of wild thorn strip
of white muslin.
Orlando's eyes sparkied with new hope,
as he placed the shred within bis bosom,
/ and with an impulsive energy both he and
Chiron darted forward.
Hark /" uttered Chirop, as he stopped
and bent his ears to the ground. Scan
, you hear the dogsP"
"No," Orlando answered, also listening.
"See, 'tis high noon. Look, where the
; sunbeams fall through yonder opening in