The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1876-08-11

"Please, grandpa, tell us astory about
when you was little boy"
go, if you wouldl' exclaimed the
other children.
"Well," said grandpa, 'let Hattie
climb up on my knee, and therest of you
sit down on the grass where YOU can look
towards the river, and 1 will tell you
how my little sister Lucy wss lost, when
she was four years old, just Hattie's age,
and was the age of Horace here.
1t was in haying time, and father and
his men were very busy in that meadow
you see down by the river. JOhn Bangs
another boy about my Own age, and
mYself were helping, when Lucy came
to us and told us that mother aid it was
time to go after the cows. Lucy liked
TO come down to the meadow, and as it
was in sight of the house, mother often
used to send her, and she would 90 back
with father when ne left his work.
"Away up on the mountain side,
across the river, father had chosen a
favorable spot and cleared q piece of
land, which he had made into a pas
ture Here the cows were kept at this
time of the year, and jain and l start
ed to bring them home. We had to
cross the river on foot-bridge, only the
width Of one plank, and then Climb the
mountoin by path through the woods.
We hpd gone some distance, when we
heard something behind us, and looking
back we saw Lucy hurrying along to go
with us, instead of staying with father as
we had supposed.
We stepped little while to consider
what should be done 1t was nearly
night, and if we went back with her,
it might be too dark by the time we re-
turned to the pasture to find the cattle |
On the other hand, we did not dare to
send her back alone, for fear she would |
fall from the narrow bridge, although |
she must have crossed it when she fol- |
lowed US. So we concluded the better
way would be to take her with US, not |
she would be quite q him !
trance. This delay made 1T rarsr7-fate
when we reached the pasture aQd then
we discovered that the fehce had been
broken, and the COWS were nowheretO be
seen.
"Here was a new difficulty, and we
we're puzzled to know what to do with
Lucy. We finally left her sitting near
a large tree, and charging her not . stir
till we came back, we took turn Though
the woods, John in one direction and
I in another, hoping to find the COWS
before it grew too dark tosee them. We
made our round and came back 10 the
starting place; but Lucy had disap-
peared We searched in every direc-
ton, and called her name over and
over very loudly, but no answer came,
and it was already too dark to see much.
We soon concluded she must have
started towards home, and we took the
path, searching and calling as we hur-
ried along, but found no trace Of the
missing girl. We reached home and
she was not there. Great was the ex-
citement when we told our story, and
as soon as possible all who were ft for
the work started out with lanterns and
torches to renew the search, while some
of the younger children went to alarm
the neighbors. All through the neigh
borhood the story spread, and all hearts
were stirred. Before morning hun
dred men were searching the mountain
for the lost child"
Grandpa paused, and sat for few
moments lost in thought, while the
children waited breathlessly for the
story to be finished. At length RObbie's
curiosity could be restrained no longer
and he asked, What are you thinking
Of grandpa p
81 was thinking that many OF those
men had children of their own whom
they loved better, but they left them to
search for little Lucy, because their
dear ones were safe at home, whie this
little lamb was lost on the dark noun
tain. A thousand times have been
reminded of the shepherd who eft the
ninety and nine and went .TTSto seek
the one sheep that had gole astray.
8 For the son of man is come 3 seek and
save that which is lost
Again he paused for a mment, and
then went on: All night bng they
searched, but by some mean they all
missed the place where the hild was.
She had got tired of waiting fa the boys
and started to go home, but bad strayed
of, she never could tell whea. When
she became tired out she lay 5own and
slept till daylight awakened hr. Then
she started again, and found hr way to
the river, where her steps coul3be traced
along the shore to the only place for
miles where she could have goue through
without being swept away, sDd there
she crossed and made her wg to the
nearest house. She was Immediately
carried home, and / shall neysr forget
mothers look as her child wassDoo more
placed in her arms. She fed tie hungry
wanderer, and when she was overcome
with sleep, mother sat gazing into her
face, as though she could never Let her
go out of her sight again.
In the meantime the guns had been
fred, thus giving the signal hot had
been agreed upon in case of sueoess and
the men began to troop dow from
the mountain and gather at tie house
where W the rescued child lay sleeping.
They could not be satisfied witbout
seeing the object of their efforts. and so
father took her up, carried her into the
front yard, and climbing up on some
thing, held her so that all could go her
very plainly.
L rarf1nn,bef uro11 x.,s4l