American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1876-01-08
A BACKWOODS STORY.

UNCLE WALTER was just as fond of tell
ing stories to the children as they wer
fond of listening, and this is one U
them:
"a young married couple, whom W,
will call Mr.. and Mrs. Edwards, hat
settled few years ago on what WAS thcI
an immense forest on the shores of LAX
Ontario. They made clearing which
they converted into a little farm, an(
built hut, which in a few years gave
place to a more substantial log house; and
there they lived, with still a 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
we're boys-Edward, nine; George, six !;
and the baby, not quite old enough to
walk.
lone afternoon the children were at
play, when Edwards was chopping in the
border of the woods a few rods from the
1 house.
1.-THE wind had blown over a large elm
tree, tearing it up by the roots, which had
lifted large mass of earth with them,
and left hole in the ground six or eight
feet across and one or two feet deep.
mass of roots cot and eafaX rose like the mud
plastered end of log hut and afforded
the children a 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:
CSC Boys, it won't be safe to play there
any longer!'
"s 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 schy after he had
learned it. l wish you'd let us; it's
real nice here
"'But this log is almost off. 1t will
drop in 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
90 Maria has gone to the house and
ward.
Jewell, take care of him, then, and
yourselves too
$50 the boys took the baby out of the
hole, Edward giving him a 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 forgot
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 was
cutting parted from the stump, and the
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 sohy l didn't want you to
play in therep
'The two boys FASTENED to the spot to
see what had occurred; but the father no
ticed that Edward, as he ran, looked about
him, alarmed and confused.
"'What are you looking for, Edward %
his father asked Where's the baby?'
''' He was out there-iust a little while
ago. II don't know where he isl Ed
ward stammered, and began to cry with
terror.
eHe remembered that it had been all he
and George could do to keep the baby out
of the hole any time that afternoon, and
that he had last seen him creeping away
in that direction. He was naturally
good boy and very fond of his little broth
err and the thought of what had now hap
pened through his negligence filled him
with the Widest grief.
ooh, he is killed, I knowp he
shrieked, running frantically around the
stump and seeing how closely the tremen-
dous mass had crushed down again into
the hollow.
Maria, hearing the alarm, came rum
ming from the house, followed quickly by
her mother. A terrible scene ensued-
The mother and children were beside
themselves with fright and terror. And
no wonder! Think of it! that dear little
baby crushed under the stump, which a
hundred men could not move!
Mr.. Edwards alone kept his head
clear.
{" Look In the woods he said to his
wife, all about. He may be behind some
log Edward, Maria, run to the neigh
bors! tell them to bring their oxen and
log CHAINS quick as you can go! George,
help your mother searchr
As for himself, he ran for a spade and
began to throw out the earth under the
child most likely to be, working as he |
never worked, before nor after, in all his |
life
George and his mother searched the |
woods in vain, while the father dug as |
Meantime Edward and Nlaria |
ran to the nearest neighbors, told them
the strange, horrible story, and Mr.. Elder,
Mr. Eggleston, MIR. Worth, and their boys |
and men left everything to go with their
yokcs of oxen, horses and chains to help
pull the stump over-it, indeed, it could
be pulled over at all.
q But before they reached the spot,
while the mother was wildly searching
and the father rs wildly working, George
cried out: % mamma, hear baby some
whereof
" Mamma listened. Papa listened. A
faint cry came from the direction of the
house. Mrs. Edwards flew in that direc
ION, followed by her husband and George.
Louder and louder grew the cry as they
went nearer and nearer; and there, after
I'll, was the baby in the house, which he
lad reached by some roundabout course,
having missed the hollow by the stump,
md, finding the kitchen deserted, had
inaily set up his little howl of lonesome
less and alarm.
"When the neighbors came they, of
course, had good laugh over the affair;
md ii anyone laughed it was Edward,
Who had been so lately in a fury OF fear
md selfreproach, thinking twas his own
wicked Carelessness that had caused his
)aby brothers death"
And what became of that baby?" the
hildren wanted to know.