Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-04-30
tx Men HARRY WAS LOST.
~ JULFL A. ABBOTT.


my iearest. Mothers are apt to be a lit
Il partial to the 3" baby" you know; but
dad some excuse for being fond of him
S.fc2 AID Sam were grown-up men, and of
ss@ IKE tdGt came between them and
EE dvrv only the row of little headstones in
1tle graveyard y0nder is left to tell the
ztari- SO L was we all petted and, maybe,
sfrUaad the child; nobody could help it,
1e W-as SO sweet and cunning.
Es's nigh upon thirty years ago, that day
7YEeR J oSiah-Jhat was my husband-and
13le boys came uD from the bayfield, and
n = a&bY was not with them. He had fol-
Owed them down in the morning, and as
&c did not come back l never once
-ltaG gfIt out that they'd let him stay to play
GboUt in the drying grass till dinnertime.
& here's Harry, pa?" | said, not wor
x5e1z bat thinking maybe he had stopped
tAs pick berries by the way, or to hide Tor
GSEgiG 60 find HIM.
Amt be homer" was all pa said, as he
scga a5ed his face with the towel
Z Mo- I said, and then | ChOked little
zzgssT couldn't say ne more.
& EiIat makes you so white, map" and
r3aa't be scared; Harry's round some
zrgsege all right, I'll warrant" said Seth
ard Saug, both talking together And 10
sF&h Ee said word or two of comfort.
s4se GGt / wasn't cOntented till I'd took a
Eoa& around the house and hunted it all
.7-aeg and called Harry Harryr' all the
ggtlIla tlIey three ate their dinner. But |
=liaEI fud him, though | went clear to
asz4 haV1sel8 and back, and looked in the
JgaEI and the shed chamber, and every
qvtstar ( thought he could be hid away.
e & gae time [ got back to the house again
.sGss&A Was out on the back stoop to meet
ZGP-
l}&zn't you find him, mother?" he
SAT- rs quick as l came near, and l see
&c hooked little worried, too.
No" / said. "When did he leave the
1ar-I5eId?"
re hain't been there today" he
answered, sort Of surprised-like. when
lid ,Ze go away?"
early this morning-eight O'Clock or
.sss" and then I felt all through me that
a.ize basy was lost.
leu see we hadn't a neighbOr for ever
ss3 faE SraUnd-the nearest was six miles
s42VGF, cross lots at that, and there wasn't
EIaG chat one till you come to the Cross
lEoR&s-Gen miles, if it was a foot. SO l
zTtW ke couldn't be gone to any house,
-ae nite--he was only five years old, and
Small Of his age, too.
We'd been on the farm six years that
snriug, so we'd had a chance to add CON
siderable 20 the original clearing, but for
zzi{ ghaG il wasn't much of walk to the
ot9sc1C woods that a quarter or a half mile
SrlcE az tie house stretched away miles
tsu ward the distant mountains.
#leiEe felt sure the boy was lost-and
gust GlEe Thought of my baby wandering
zItdEe through those thick, dark woods,
EJviur on berries, in danger from wild
sss.&s1s--for bears and wildcats were still
lnIdd{iu' plenty round abOut-Crying for
E4e when the night came on and dying at
last starved and worn out with hunger
,End weariness-why, it seemed as if |
es{s3Uid 90 Gra2y-SuCh horrible sights
LsaEge IB before me.
E1a and the boys wouldn't give in to it
,Et first, but finally, when they'd hunted
everywhere around the farm where even
Il est could hide, they came back to me
with white faces; but stopped only long
.s<sfsI3 ylI TO say Sam was going to neigh bOr
:. Ibcuae's 20 get their men-folks to help in
the search, while Seth and pa looked
zS@u1 the edge of the woods back of the
afaelas Meanwhile I was to wait, with
ysSaaG patience | might till my baby was
E<IzlasS O. they had given up the search. |
gs8as3 aot help, they said, and should only
ZE9iader them.
E3auEs went by-how, | know not-and
Ut IasG uelghbor Deane and his four stall
SssSlCg boys came over with Sam. Then the
.s<ssgCh began in earnest. OF course he
5z2cis1 he ia the woods-nO one of them all
sessyzsd ta have doubt of that-and guns
vseaUg HASTILY loaded, torches prepared Qor
ri1sa night WAS coming on), and the men
55Eadad into squads of two, each to go in
4 different direction. They would signal
@snca ctSlar by firing guns.
They heG gone, every one, and walked
~ Szaa down the floors of an empty house.
Il ss.2ss1 not try to tell you how those aw-
"a. ll,yQrs passed-how in every shadow
t>arner [ seemed to see my poor baby S
vVniG-CpeR, frightened eyes, or fancied in
esesas-y sound of the night my baby's cries
ESlg = mamma"
}V-2nd-bv the moon came up; it was
ysesEiF full and there wasn't cloud in al
Sac. ssT-g,, So that outof.doors it was almos
ias %Ggsrt is day. The lonely, darKeneG
Ep,s<ss seemed so full of haunting shad
aSws shat could stay in it no longer, anC
: vvss1Et out fEtto the bright, cold light out
SzSeIs There was just the least breath Of
-zESr soaring; { could see the willows a
sale foJt Of the ten-acre lot move then
>~scaaches lazilg as the light breeze swep
,1ssSIsEzgia them.
ANNu at the loot OF the ten-aCre lot
-3US WAIST besides the willows was there
-s4saa q Thought came that almost took my
el'se&eA 2way-a terrible, sickening dread
3 narrow, sluggish brook, more like {
.zsstpzSig ditch than anything else, ran clean
szs.EasS that lot first at the foot, and the
WILLOWS grew thick on either side-sC
ElsSctz that child could hardly force his
tSdzg &IaEough TO the water-and that was
WHY no doubt Josiah and the bows haG
overlooked the place.
BaElDy Harry was daring little fellow
end = pretty persevering one as well. How
<=sSz5tS be sure that be had not STRUGGLED
kIsEyag;G the low-hanging willow bushes
sszsrf fund his way to the water? And 4
Exs RSok-good God! he was drowned, he
yxxs 1sssd-my poorlittle baby! 1t seemed
ssx # almost flew across the garden anC
eIss Easgy-field till [ stood beside the water
II WIS dark, dirty stream, full of Shiny
S-szsxfIzg things, and frogs creaked dis
rrssssyss zIong the banks.
San shivered as | thought of my blue
e-T-sf boy, who might be lying beneath tn,
TxisEsa2zs green scum that covered tn,
Fxatsas- L could not bear the thought; bu
Ike ssTsul dread of it wouldn't let me res
aa<tain and II tarn ~