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

They had gone, every one, and
walked up and down the floors Of
an empty house. shall not try
to tell you how those awful hours
passed-how in every shadowy
corner / seemed to see my poor
baby's wide open frightened eyes,
or fancied in every sound of the
night my baby's cries for "mamma. /"
BY and by the moon came up I;
it was nearly full and there wasn't
cloud in all the sky, so that out
of-doors it was almost as light as
day. The lonely darkened house
seemed so full of haunting shadows
that l could stay in it no long:r,
and l went out into the bright,
cold light outside. There was just
the least breath of air stirring; I
could see the willows at the foot Of
the ten acre lot move their branches
lazily as the bright breeze swept
through them.
Down a. the foot of the ten acre
lot. But what besides tho willow
was there 7 And q thought that
almost took my breath away-a
terrible sickening dread. A mar
row sluggish brook, more like a
mubby ditch than anything else,
ran clear across that lot first at the
foot, and the willows grew thick on
either side-so thick that child
could hardly force his way through
to the water-and that was why,
no doubt, Josiah and the boys had
overlooked the place.
But my Harry was a daring
little fellow and pretty preserv-
ing one as well. How could l be
sure that he had not struggled
through the low-hanging willow
bushes, and found his way to the
water' And If he had-good God /
he was drowned, he was dead-my
poor little baby! 1t seemed as if /
almost few across the garden and
the bayfield, till I stood beside the
water. 1t was q dark dirty stream,
full of Shiny, crawling things, and
frogs croaked dismally along the
banks.
How I shivered as I though. of
my blue-eyed boy, who might be
lying beneath the water. could
not bear the thought; but the
awful dread of it wouldn't let me
rest till knew for certain, and I
tore off shoes and stockings and
stepped down into the water. 1t
crept like a living thing around my
ankles and above them half way to
my knees. 1t was thick with mud.
and l could not see an inch below
the surface. So l stopped down
and scooped my arm along on either
side of me, reaching to the bottom
and out to each slippery bank.
1t was awful work. Now and
then my hand touched q frogs cold,
clammy back, and only knew it
was not my darling's dead hand or
face when it jumped from beneath
my fingers. Reeds and long grass
es brushed against my ankles, and
my heart stood still while / bent
to lift my baby's faxen curles.
Once a sharp stone cut my foot and
I fancied it must be the metal
buckles on Harrys shoe. Once,
too, q snake coiled around my arm,
and for o moment I dreamed of my
baby's clinging fingers. Then /
shook off the hideous thing and
went on wcarily, yet with re=olute
patience.
After what seemed to me long
hours the bottom of the stream
grew thick with pebbles, the water
grew clearer and shallower, and the
willows were gone from the banks.
/ could walk upright now, and ]
could sec thro' the clear water all
that lay beneath. So l vent on
faster but more hopeful. / had
entered the edge of the woods by
this time, and the moonshine pene-
trated but dimly.
Still / kept on. hoped for no
thing. My heart was sick with
utter despair, and yet when / came
out into a little open place where
the water, sweeping round the foot
OF an im'aense pine tree, made the
tinnicst of little bays, and / saw
Eay boy lying fast asleep on the
very brink OF tho water, ] felt no
surprise.
Yes, II was my boy-my baby
wet, hungry and cold, but sale
safe in his mothers longing arms.
l did not faint. / she'd no tears. l
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