The post. [volume] (Middleburg, Snyder County, Pa.) 1864-1883, 1876-04-06
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The Lost Children.

Born, rs tho writor was, in sight
Of John Browns Tract on the far
ther and eastern edge Of his memory
there are incidents Of strange excite
ment. One summar afternoon the
Rev. John Blodgett was preach ing
his second sermon, when man
stepped in at the door and said, Two
children lost = The Elder halted in
the midst Of u sentence, laid Of his
coat and with q Come, brethren and
friends, it is everybody's business to
seek aud to save that which is lost,
down lie came out Of the pulpit, and
the able bodied in the congregation
followed him out in the sunshine like
sheep 'hut know their shepherd, A
few short words told tho story. Two
little children, brother and sister, had
gone out on Sunday morning to pick
berries. Night came but not the
children aud / think that oil nights
in u wcoi, a Saturday night without
tho general household is the most
ljnely and dismal. A few of the
ncighbors had gone out with Ian
terus, horns and guns, and the moths
er had accompanied them, and had
beaten up the adjacent woods, aud
had worn out the wea,y night, and
the Sabbath dawned upon eyes dry
with namelcss fear and hearts bitter
with anguish. Many tune duriug
the dark hours had somo lantern y
decepted ray fallen upon q pile Of
leaves covering same bit of broken
limb, and a shout Of "Found y had
only plunged them into deeper sor-
row. And so the Sunday shone drea-
rily out. until q messenger came to
the village and gave the general a
larm.
The campaign was soon organized.
Nearly two hundred men were enlist
ed, and the plan was to attack u GER
tain spot 10 the woods, marching up
on it in extended line, at such dis.
tauce apart as to command the whole
space between every two, and 70 fairly
harvest the ground OF aNything upon
il of human interest. Guns were
d istributed, and the order were that
no cry should be raised, no piece
discharged, but move 10 silence that
should the children be found, one gun
should be fired ;if dead, two it a.
live, three 10 quick succession. But
they were not men on ly joined the
merciiul brigade, but mothers and
active girls, and they proved the
most observsut and vigilant of all,
for nothing so quickcns woman's
wit as love and grief. Aud so they
set forth. The boy Of that day re-
members the scene, as it it were now
before his eyes. The village was out
of doors. Groups of tho inlirm, the
woman and the children spotted the
picture like a lcopard's skin. The
tones wero subdued, there was list.
cniug, longing look on every face
Some of them followed out of the
edge of the village, and stood out
and listened. The settlement could
not have been stiller had it been a
deserted graveyard instead Of the
abode Of the living.
The shadows were travelling east
wardly. The sun showed golden
rim over the western hills and was
zone. Tie stars came peacefully out
over the whole heaven, as il there
were no such thins as grief in the
universe. Nine o'clock, and no sig
nal ele,nn. aud notSs shout mid
pisir, but no gun. The slow clocks
.icked slower. Stars went down one
after another, and those that tarrled
grew paler. There was a suspicion
Of dawn above tho woods. Aud then,
far off, faiut, and yet certain, there
was q report. Tho line came to an
instant halt. The lifted foot was lot
down softly upon the iallcn leaves,
lest there should be q second sound
and they should miss 1t. and so be
wrong In tho count. A half minute
and another signal. "Found, and
dead" SO fur they read. Was that
ani Was the story completely toldi
ltis at such times wa think last.
The electric flash is dull traveller
besides swift thought A few
seconds. and third gun broke the
Stiffness and cut the tense cord Of
enspsnse. aud let human nature
eesn fearful, grateful ovssesms.