The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-12-03

sheltered head, waiting and Watching in
the very patience of despair.
Her husband went for help, and his
neighbors responded to his call, They
hurried to the spot by scores, and the
pond was dragged, but the bodies OF the
children could not be found. Again and
again they repeated their efforts, but
with like result.
The storm had spent its fury, the thun-
ders ratified far away in the distance, and
through The riffs in the black clouds a
full summer moon poured down its sill
yer light. The men stood round the
yellow circlet of water, regarding each
other in silent perplexity, when far away
came the sound of tremulous cry. The
father listened intently. 1t came again
a long and mournful cry.
"'Tis Gyp," he said, dashing of
in the direction of the sound; "he's
found EN-"
Debbie and her neighbors followed,
! through the dripping, moonlit forest.
AS they neared the spot, the dog heard
them coming, and the howl changed into
q joyful bark. He came bounding out
to meet them, from beneath little cop
pice, thickly rooted with vines.
There they were, side by side on the
reeking moss, little Totty fast asleep,
with her curly head pillowed on Marks
arm. Mark was wide awake, his eyes as
bright as diamonds.
The moment he caught sight of his
mother, he burst into tears.
"Poor MOTHER" he cried out, 81 was
! q naughty boy to make you suffer so
but didn't mean to be. We met Tom
Saunders in the wood, and he told us
there was some jolly big strawberries
down by the pond, and / thought we'd
get 'em to please father. But lofty
walked so slow the storm was up by the
time we got there But got the straw
berries, and bouncing big fellows they
are. Here they are, father; held on to
'em. BY the time 1 got my basket full,
the wind was blowing great guns, and
lofty began to cry. / took her in my
arms, and the wind took my cap off, and
whirled it plump into the middle of the
pond Oh, my buttons, but it did rain
The drops hit my head like bullets! But
l Rugged Totty tight, and ran and ran,
but somehow L couldn't run right; the
storm had turned me round. L saw this
place at last, and we crept in, and poor
Totty soon cried herself to sleep, and
dozed bit too, for the first thing knew,
here was Gyp, putting his cold nose on
my cheek"
They journeyed homeward through
the glittering summer woods, and as they
reached the cottage the Sabbath morn
was breaking, fair, and sweet, and holy
"a type of that eternal morn which is to
come the east, one blaze of gold and
purple, birds twittering on every spray,
lambkins bleating from the green hill
tops-God's blessed peace resting on all
| things like n benediction.
The grateful parents bore their little
ones in, and Debbie hustled about, pre-
pairing hot draughts and dry garments.
"And now," she said, when every
thing was done, and Totty lay asleep in
her fathers arms, her brown chubby
feet peeping from beneath her snowy
frock-" now, husband, we'll get 'em to
bed, and let 'em have a good sleep poor
little dears, they neei it. P"
She led the way into the bed-chamber,
and turned to arrange the little trundle-
bed but she recoiled with a cry of sur.
prise and horror.
The white pillows and dainty coverlids
were one mass of charred and sulphur
GUS ashes and one corner of the room
was all torn and splintered. In Their
absence the lightning shaft had struck
their dwelling, expanding its deadly fury
on the pillows where the little heads OF
their children would have lain had they
been Mt home. There had been death
and danger, and out in the wild night
safety and deliverance. Gods provi-
dence had saved them