The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1875-12-30
A BACKWOODS STORY.

UNCLE WALTER was just as fond OF tell
ing stories to the children as they were
fond Of listening, and this is one Of
them:
a young married couple, whom we
will call Mr.. and Mrs. Edwards, had
settled few years ago on what was then
an immense forest on the shores of Lake
Ontario. They made a clearing which
they converted into little farm, and
built q hut, which in few years gave
place to more substantial log house; and
there they lived, with still few wild cats
and bears for neighbors, while other
neighbors more to their liking were
slowly increasing in number around them
when this thing happened.
"They at that time had four children,
and the name of the eldest was Maria.
She was aged twelve The other three
were boys-Edward, nine; George, six; +;
and the baby, not quite old enough to
walk.
cone afternoon the children we're at
play, when Edwards was chopping in the
border of the woods few rods from the
house.
"The wind had blown over large elm
tree, tearing itu by the roots, which had
lifted large mass of earth with them,
and left a hole in the ground six or eight
feet across and one or two feet deep.
cover the north side of this hole the
mass of roots and earth fbse like the mud
plastered end of log hut and afforded
the children pleasant shelter from the
wind that autumn day as they played
horse in the warm sun, calling the hol-
low behind the roots their stable.
"Mr. Edwards was chopping at the
PROSTATE trunk near where it joined the
roots, and the children were having a
merry time Just on the other side of that
shaggy wall, when suddenly he left his
ak sticking in the log and cried out
"Boys, it won't be safe to play there
any longern
"'Why not?' asked Edward, who, like
some other children have heard of, al
ways wanted to know why he couldn't
do this thing or that, and often didn't be-
lieve much in the sohy after he had
learned it, Il wish you'd let us; it's
real nice here
"' But this log is almost off. 1t will
drop in a few minutes, and then the
stump may drop back where you are, by
its own weight. I've known roots to do
such a thing. So away with you, and
take the baby, if Maria hasn't taken him
already
"' Maria has gone to the house and
left us to take care of the baby said Ed
ward.
"Well, take care of him, then, and
yourselves too
$50 the boys took the baby out of the
hole, Edward giving him ride on his
back, while George drove, and went to
play in the woods little farther off
"Mr. Edwards continued chopping
and the boys soon became so much inter
ested in some new game that they forgo
all about the baby; while he, left to take
care of himself, and thinking, no doubt
the hole behind the upturned elm roots {
very comfortable place, crawled away once
more in search of it
"Suddenly the trunk Mr.. Edwards wa:
cutting parted from the stump, and thu
root as he had more than half expected
flew back into its place with dull, heavy
thud.
"'There, boys, he cried, triumphantly
you see now why l didn't want you tt
play in theren
"The two boys hastened to the spot to
see what had occurred; but the father no
ticed that Edward, as he ran, looked abou
him, alarmed and confused.
"'What are you looking for, Edward
his father asked Where's the baby?'
| 90 He was out there-;iust little Will
ago. IL don't know where he is Ed
ward stammered, and began to cry witt
terror.
"He remembered that it had been all h
and George could do to keep the baby ou
of the hole any time that afternoon, an
that he had last seen him creeping ava
in that direction. He was naturally
good boy and very fond of his little broth
er, and the thought of what had now hap
pened through his negligence filled hin
with the widest grief.
"'Oh, he is killed, I known h
shriekcd, running frantically around tn
stump and seeing how closely the tremer
dous mass had crushed down again int
the hollow.
"Maria, hearing the alarm, came rur
ming from the house, followed quickly b
/, her mother. A terrible scene ensuet
The mother and children were besid
themselves with fright and terror. An
no wonder! Think of it that dear littl
baby crushed under the stump, which
hundred men could not move!
"Mr. Edwards alone kept his hea
clear
Look in the woods he said to hi
wife, all about. He may be behind som
log. Edward, Maria, run to the neigi
bors! tell them to bring their oxen an
log g-chalns! quick as you can go! Georg'
help your mother searchn
"As for himself, he ran for a spade an
began to throw out the earth under I'll
side of the stump where he thought til
child most likely to be, working as i
never worked, before nor after, in all h
life.
"George and his mother searched I'll
woods in vain, while the father dug O
fruitlessly. Meantime Edward and Mari
ran to the nearest neighbors, told thel
the strange, horrible story, and Mr. Eide
Mr.. Eggleston, Mr.. Worth, and their boy
and men left everything to go with the
yokcs of oxen, horses and chains to hel
pull the stump over-if, indeed, it coul
be pulled over at all.
"But before they reached the spo
while the mother was wildly searchin
and the father as wildly working, Geort
cried out: 20 mamma, hear baby som
where!'
Mamma listened Papa listened.
faint cry came from the direction of IL
house. Mrs. Edwards flew in that dire
ton, followed by her husband and Georg