Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1878-08-15
Saved by a Fish of lightning.

My name is Hunt. Yer, sir; Anthony y
Hunt. I am settler on this Western
prairie. Wllds? Yes, sir; it's little else
than wllds now, but you should have seen
it when and my wife first moved up here.
There was not a, house within sight tor
miles. Even now we have not many
ncighbors; but those We have are down
right good ones. To appreciate youz
neighbors as you ought, sir, you must
live in these lonely places, 80 far removed
from the haunts of man. ,.:
What am about to tell of happened
ten years ago. I was going to the distant
town. or settlement, to sell some fifty
head of cattle ---tiue creatures, sir, as ever
you saw. The journey was more rare
event with me than it is now; and my
wife had always plenty of commissions
to charge me with in the shape Of dry
goods and groceries, and such like things.
Our youngest child was a sweet little
gentle thing, who had been named after
her Aun. Dorothy. We called the child
Dolly. This time my commission includ-
ed one for her----a doh. She had never
bad real doll; that is, bought doll,
only the rag bundles her mother made
for her. For some days before my de-
parture the child could talk of nothing
else----or we, either, for the matter of that
----for she was great pet, the darling of
us all. It was to be big, big doll; with
golden hair and blue eyes. shall never
forget the chiid's words the morning was
starting, as she ran after me to the gate,
or the pretty picture she made. There
are some children sweeter and prettier
| than others, sir, as you can't but have no.
ticed, aud Dolly was one.
"a very great big doll, please. daddy
she called out after me; "and please
| bring it very soon."
turned to nod ''yes" to her as she
stood in her clean Whitley brown pinafore
against the gate, her nut-brown hair tall.
ing in curls about her neck and the light
breeze stirring them. -
"a brave doll," I answered., ''for my
little one-almost as big as Dolly
NOBODY would believe, I;dare say, how
full my thoughts were OF that promised
doll, as I rode along, or what nice one
I meant to buy. Itwas not often spent
money in what my good, thrifty wife
would call waste; but Dolly was Dolly
| and I meant to do it now.
! The cattle sold, went about N y pur-
chascs, and soon aad no end OF parcels to
be packed in the saddle-bags. Tea, su-
gar, rice, candles-but I need not weary
you, sir, with telling of them, together
with the calico for shirts and nightgown's
and the delaine for the children's new
frocks., Last Of all. went about the doll
and found a beauty. It was not as big
as Dolly, or half as big: but it had faxen
curls and sky-blue eyes; and By dint OF
| pulling wire you could open or shut
! the eyes at will.
"Do it up careful'y.'' / said to the
storekeeper. "My little daughter would
cry sadly if any harm comes to it,
| The day was pretty we'll ended before
| all my work was done; and, just for a
moment or two, t hesitated whether I
should not stay in the town and start for
home in the morning. 1t would have
! been the more prudent course. But
thought Of poor Dolly's anxiety to get
her treasure, and of my own happiness
in watching the.rapture in her deli: hted
eyes,, So with my parcels packed in the
best way they could be, l mounted my
horse and started. It was as good and
steady a horse as you ever rode, sir; but
night began to set in before I was we'll
! mile away from the town; it seemed as
if it were going to be an ugly night, too.
Again the thought struck me--should
turn back and wait till morning? had
the price of the cattle, you see, sir, in
my breast pocket; and robberies, sir,
aye, and murders, also, were not quite
unknown thlrgs on the prairie. But I
| had my brace of sure pistols with me.
and decided to press onward.
The night came on as dark as pitch,
and part Of the way my road would be
pitch dark beside. But on that score I
had no fear; knew the road well, every
inch of it, though could not ride so
fast as I should have done in the light.
L , was about six miles from
one less welcome: Was it trap to him
der me on my way and ensnare me.
There might be midnight robbers who
would easily hear of my almost certain
ride home that night, and Of the money
should have about me.
I don't think, sir, am more ii aid
than other people---not SO much SO per-
haps, as some; but I confess the idea
made me uneasy. My best plan was to
ride on as fast as could, and get out Of
the mystery into safe quarters. Just here
was about the darkest bit of road in all
the route. Mounting my horse, was
about to urge him on when the cry came
again. 1t did sound like g. cbild's-the
plaintive vail Of child nearly exhausted.
r3<I1'
what to do. AS T sat another moment
listening, I once more heard the cry
fainter and more faint. I threw myself
off my horse, with an exclamation.
"Be it ghust or be It robber, Anthony
Hunt is not one to abandon a child to Gle
without trying to save it.'''
T., But how was / to. save itl--how find
ite The more I searched about the less
could my hands light on anything, save
the, sloppy earth. The voice had quite
CO :sed now, so had no guide from that,
While stood trying to peer into the
darkness, all my ears alert, flood of
sheet lightning suddenly illuminated the
| plain. At little distance. just beyond a
kind of ridge or gentle hill, caught a
gimse of something white 1t was dark
again in a moment, but made my way
with unerring instinct. Sure enough,
there lay a poor little child. Whether
I boy or girl I could not tell. It seemed
to be three parts insensible now, ,as1 took
it up, dripping with wet, from the sloppy
earth. ~. ..~g III .t!sz1 >s,rss. : q .>,s4
AMY poor little thing" l said as I
hushedit to me. @"We'll go and find
! ,mammy. You are safe now" $40 7''.'' -
i And in answer the child; Just put out
its feeble hand, moaned once, and nestled
close to me-, I.ssz!z*.,s.s a-.7s5 gzzS,. .y3:
~ With the child hushed to my breast I
rode on. It's perfect silence soon showed
ME that it slept. And, Sir, I thanked God
that he had LET me save il, and thought
thow grateful some poor mother would be
But Iawas full of wonder for all that
I wondering what extraordinary fate had
taken any young child to that solitary
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