Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1875-10-14

or timber wolf; but before he had time
to be fairly frightened the big, dark OBJ
iect said: Moo"
Sure enough, it was Ralleen, and joy
full meeting they had. Nels patted and
Rugged the good creature, and she seemed
fully as glad to see him. Then they both
laid down again, Nels cuddlingup to Raj
leen's warm back, for the night had grown
chilly, till the sun rose bright and warm.
Nels had some of Ralleen's good milk,
which size was glad TO spare, for his break
fast, and then he began to look for home.
He felt cheerful and hopeful at first; but
as the day wore on and nothing familiar
appeared he began to be forlorn enough.
He drove Ralleen before him, and they
probably wandered many miles. Ralleen
was world of comfort, and she seemed
quite eontented as long as Nels was in
sight. Her milk, too, kept him from suf
fering; but he began to think he should
never get home, and should have to live
on milk and sleep out of doors the rest of
his life, which was not pleasant pros
pect. Once he found a wild ducks nest
in the edge of slough and sucked some
of the eggs; but there were no berries or
anything growing that he could eat
The next night they slept on the ground
again, close together; and the second day
passed like the first and so on, till, on
the morning of the fourth day, they came
upon trail-which is what they call it
out West when they have started a road
and are waiting for it to grow
Nels was delighted to see this. He
knew it must lead somewhere, and he re-
solved to follow it. 1t was only a faint
track where wagon-wheelS had been over
the grass few times. Sometimes 1t was
so faint he thought he had lost it; then he
would see it again a little ahead. So he
pressed on, driving Ralleen. And they
had not gone far when he spied some
thing ahead of him where the trail passed
over lot Of gopher-mounds. 1t proved
to be monkey-wrench. Some wagon
that had helped make the trail had lost it
in jolting over the gopher-mounds. The
lonesome little boy picked it up as eagerly
as you would letter from your mother.
You see it was almost four days since he
had seen anything that suggested the
presence of a human being. 1t seemed to
him a year.
But his trouble was nearly over now. IN
five minutes from the time he found the
monkey wrench he saw a horse and wagon
coming down the long slope toward him
l., Al
Mr. Terham, who had taken a claim last
summer within five miles of the blossoms
and was considered near neighb0r- He
was coming back to look for his monkey
wrench, He remembered the jOlting over
the gopher-mounds, and knew he must have
lost it there; and SO, as he had not gone more
than half a mile when he missed it, and
as such things arc hard to get In q new
country he turned back for it. He was a
careful young man. and never went on any
trip in his wagon without puttingain his
wrench, piece of rope and a. few nails
IF your own team holds together you
never know whom you may find broken
down ten miles from anywhere" hewould
| say as he put them in.
Little Nels and his good Rallaen were
not exactly a broken-down team; hut the
monkey-wrench was certainly the means
| OF their rescue.
The young man pulled up, amazed
when he saw them, for there was not
human habitation, within ten miles Nels
almost cried for joy; but Ralleen wa:
rather Disguised when the rope WAS tieC
to her horns and she was made to keel
up with. Bob, the horse, in his tastes
walk.
Mr.. Terham4 had been twenty-five mile.
to the nearest village, and had various
supplies in his wagon, among which h
found something for Nels to eat, and b,
nightfall they were all safe at home.
The blossoms had. searched in every di
rection and had about given UP Nels,
least, for lost, knowing he could fine
nothing to eat and it has always beer
considered that Ralleen saved his life
~. 7. Independent.