Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1874-05-06
When Harry was Lost.

| u ~ W De t ulllc l'dItidl W tue
oaby" you know; but l had some
excuse for being fond of him.
Seth and Sam were grown up men,
and of the five that came between
them and Harry only the row of
little headstones in the graveyard
yonder is left to tell the story. So
it was we all petted and, maybe,
spoiled the child; nobody could
help it, he was so sweet aud cum
ming.
It's nigh upon thirty years ago,
that day when Josiah-that was my
husband-and the boys came up
from the bayfield, and my baby was
not with them. He had followed
them down in the morning, and as
he did not come back I never once
thought but that they'd let him
stay to play about in the drying
grass till dinner time.
"Wherc's Harry, paS" I said
not worried, but thinking maybe
he had stopped to pick berries, or
to hide for Carlo to find him.
"Ain't he home r. was all pa said,
| as he scrubbed his face with a
towel.
"No," said, and then I choked
little and couldn't say any more.
"What makes you so white, ma :"
and don't be scared; Harry's round
somewhere all right, I'll warrant"
said Seth and Sam, both talking
together. And Josiah he said a
word or two of comfort, too, but
/ wasn't contented till I'd took a
look around the house and hunted
it all over and called Harry Har-
ry p all the while they three ate
their dinner. But / didn't find
him, tho l went clear to the hay
field and back, and looked In the
barn and shed chamber, and every
where I thought he could be hid
away. BY the time l got back to
the house Josiah was out on the
back stoop to meet me.
"Didn't you find him, mother 7"
he said, as quick as l came near,
and / see he looked littlo worried
too.
NO." I said. "When did he
leave the field :"
"He hain't been there to-day"
he answered, surprised like.
"When did he go awayw
"Early this morning-eigh.
o'clock or so )" and then / felt all
through me that the boy was lost.
You see we hadn't q neighbor
for ever so far around-the nearest
was six miles away, Gross lots at
that, and there wasn't but that one
till you come to the Cross Roads
ten miles, if it was a foot. So /
knew he couldn't be gone to any
house, the mite-he was only five
years old, and small of his age, too.
We'd been on the farm six years
that spring, SO we'd had q chance
to add considerable to the original
clearing, but for all that it wasn't
much of a walk to the thick woods
that quarter of mile back of the
house stretched away miles toward
the distant mountains.
Well, l felt sure the boy was
lost-and just the thought of my
baby wandering alone through
those thick, dark woods, living on
berries, in danger from wild beasts
for bears and wild cats were still
middlin' plenty round about-cry-
ing for me when the night came on
and dying at last, starved and worn
out with hunger and weariness-
why, it seemed as if l should go
crazy-such horrible sights came
up before me.
Pa and the boys wouldn't give
in to it at first, but finally when
they'd hunted everywhere around
the farm where even q cat could
hide, they came back to me with
white faces but stopped only long
enough to say Sam was going to
neighbor Deans to get their men
folks to help in the search, while
Seth and pa looked along the edge
Of the woods back of the house.
Meanwhile / was to wait with what
patience l might, till my baby was
found or they had given up the
search. / could not help, they
said, and should only hinder therl.
Hours went by-how, ] knew
not-and at last neighbor Dean
and his four stalwart boys
came over with Sam. Then the
search began In earnest OF course