The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1875-09-24
LOST IN A CORNFIELD.
A Frenchman Loses Himself on an Illinois
Farm.

!
Farm.
We have received report this morn
ing from one of the townships in the
eastern part of the county, adjoining
the State of Indiana, and among other
items Of interest is the following, which
illustrates in striking manner not only
the unequalled fertility of the soil of
Illinois, but particularly the extreme
growth which crops of all kinds have
attained this season:
A Frenchman by the name of Cantell
A. Goodlie, living in the French settle
ment, having occasion on Saturday last
to visit his brother-in-law, living some
five miles distant ON the prairie, left
home about o'clock in the afternoon,
and to save q considerable distance, at
tempted to shorten his walk by taking a
cutoff through the intervening corn
fields.
To those unaccustomed to seeing Hi
nois corn-felds, it may be well to say here
that in that section of the country corn
is almost the only crop raised over the
whole extent of the country for miles
and miles, and the country being
comparatively young, there are but few
fences or even hedges to mark the divid-
ing line.
To the eye it is sea of corn, and
to Nh. Goodlie nearly proved q wilder
ness as dangerous as the trackless North
woods.
Shortly after he left home a severe
storm, such as we have had numbers OF
during the summer, arose and came
driving down upon him, and he was
drenched to the skin. The walking be-
came fatiguing at every step the earth,
moistened by the rain, adhered to his
boots in great quantities, until it be-
came impossible for him to drag them
after him. He took them off, and
pushed on the best he could but min
ute by minute the soil became softer I'M
til he sank nearly to his knees in the por-
Gus black earth. Night approached and
darkness settled down upon the fields.
He was miles from any habitation ; wet,
tired, and nearly exhausted unable to
get any landmark, however slight, by
which he might be guided to home or
friends. The tall corn waved over him,
and it's depths were impenetrable to his
eyes, and he realized that he must pass
the night i'll solitude as profound as if
he were alone in the midst of an African
jungle.
AS he could no longer tell the direc-
ton to go, and could scarcely drag one
foot in advance of the other, Re gave up
the hopeless attempt, and with clasp
knife-his constant companion-cut
down enough of the waving stalks to
make him bed and covering, and shiv-
eriug with cold and exposure, he sank
into heavy sleep.
Night passed, and the glowing sun rose
above the horizon and took its slow but
tireless course along the trackless sky,
and still he slept profoundly insensible
to the passage of time. The second
night sped by, and just as the gray light
of early dawn was lighting up the world,
he awoke. Confused by the light
after his long sleep, although unaware
that more than one night had gone by
during his rest, he stumbled about in un-
certainty for few minutes, until, ascend
ing small hillock, he cast his eyes about
aud there beheld his own home within
few minutes walk. In the darkness he
had become confused, and instead Of
getting forward, had constantly crossed
his own track, finally lying down within
a stones throw of his own fireside.
We can easily imagine with what eager
haste he crossed the dividing space for
in his lonely condition the sight of fa-
miliar face seemed an oasis in the desert
of life And great was his surprise at
his wife and children greeting him as
from the grave, for his pro-
tracted stay had made them fear that the
had struck him in his lonely
path, and search had been at once insti-
tuted, but without any result, as they
had not thought to search the adjacent
All hope was departing from
them when he returned.-JoLiot Sun.