The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1879-11-14
THE LOST CHILD.


child-his treasure-his most precious
thing on earth. He must 60 home and
tell its mother that the bov was not
found He would never be found now,
the man felt sure of Chis.
All his life he had dreaded this-all
the little life Of that baby boy. He had
been like a man who wandered amongst
thieves with diamond in his possession
in full sight Of all eyes. 1t seemed to
him that some one must rob HIM of it.
All the old stories of Cypsies who stole
children had troubled him sorely; and
his heart had ached over the pitiful tale
Of the little chimney swcUner who. more
than Il hundred years ago. while plying
his trade. came down the chimney OF the
nursery from which he had been stolen
! when a timer fellow still. and rtcOgniZ-
. ing it and his mother, WAS restored to
. love and home at least.
often III the night had the thought SO
overcome him that he had stolen from
his bed in the darkness to feel the little
head of his sleeping boy on the pillow of
his crib. Even his wife. the child's
mother, who had loved him so. would
have laughed ut his fancics. SO he kept
them 10 himself Only Once-once he
was forced to tell Ler. That was when
he tattOoed the child's foot.
Right on the instep he had marked it
with l.ttle blue VI. Tt was painful
every prick hurt him worse than it did
The boy. And the mother. coming
home, had been angry and grieved, and
then he told her
If the child were stolen we should
know him, though his face were altered
though he forgot his name and as
That is why | did it.
And She had said People have chill
drcu enough of their own. Children are
only valuable to their parents. You are
. SO r0mantiC-sO foolish
Now il had come. ThC foolish fear
was realized. Lost or stolen. the boy
was gone. and that tattoo mark was the
only thing ccmtortcd him. Alive or
dead. ihcy should KNOW him, now or af-
ter long wears. for those marks were in
GolIhie. and no OH, else would mark his
foot with a tiny " and the TIMER cross
that followed
Alive or dead Gould the boy be dead :?
He cast UP his hands in his agony and
uttered CIV that rang through the
,e j q street. People turned i'm their
beds. and said themselves that there
mus. be night or that some drunken
man WAS making night hide0us. Some
early risoIs ended their sleep then and
there. Tor 10 one knew why the man
cried ont, or who me was, or where he
Went, save the solitary policeman, who
gave him grave salute rs he passed.
Neither asked the other. Have YOU
found he child :" They knew the ques-
tion was useless.
But III home. when ne lights had
burncd all uirht the mother, who
paced to and fro, asked it, Though she
knew the answer would He - @.
-'1ou haNenOt searched everywhere, -
plara-sorue ones house where he may
have goae. go ON. araiu-go. I VIII
90 also. Youtyld me you would bring
bins back, or J would not have Hrau !yIt
ut home. 90 -
The man turned Oh hisvery threshold.
u thought lie might Ae here ne
said -'aud / wanted to tell you-tnC
tu.toc maTk-wc snail be sure
Then ctclI ON his face. For twenty
four hOurs he had uct tasted food, but
only his faiutuesa told him that he was
uUugry-
Then ;he mother remembered that
she was also a wife. The wretched
peOp.e ate and draHk-Stones and sea
water, for aught they knew; hut they
looked for their child IN every direction
The river was dragged, and The hospita!
even the prisons. searched.
They spent their small means in adj
yeTtIsug. They posted notices Of thcil
loss on the walls. All in vain.
After others knew that they had fol
lowed Il f0riOru hope they still pursued
T. il as earnestly as ever. And So weeks
rolled 10y. he months faded, the year
followed. Theirs was a hard ease. l.
C death had taken the boy il would hav,
Ieca easier 10 bear; but they did mo-
believe him dead where was he: Il
s f.., 4
= them ana for home Had he been i'll
used-beaten They knew nothing, an,
the suspense wore their lives away. /
was an ola story to others very soon; j
/ was always terribly new to them. \
2 any moment it seemed to them that th
door might open and their child enter
and the patter OF litCle feet upon tn
stones set their sad hearts beating wild
J. ly. This when ten years had passed
and the child OF four would have been
child no longer, hut a youth taller
. doubtless than his mother.
r No other children came to these pee
pie and they were very miserable. tn
man seemed crushed-he bad the
ambition noreucTgy. The woman wen
about her daily toll in a duh. listles
manner. Their hair grew gray. au
their broW5 wTinklcd. very early
Friends We're pitiiul but grief does no
inyi1e-it rather rcpelS.
At last they seemed to stand alone j
the world old acquaiuJaECes and reis
tiyes were gone. or had forgotten then
They made 10 new ones. Poor, lonely
sad. they clJHg to each other. ard Sh,.l
ed each others sorrows and trials.
There was no Joy to share. This chlI
would have been Is years old-was,
he ljvei-When what Is called piece c
good iuck happened to them. y fl.
away relative died ami left them lit.
fortune. he hai not taken much ID
tice of them during life, but ne ba
given them tEagght on his Gylng-be,
They were comparatively rich. " he
they knew it the same thought came
each other at once. The woman utte
ed il first.
Martin. " said she, perhaps we ca
end our boy. after all. When once W
hava the money We viii advertise hi
q over the length and breadth of Il
NJ lie may not remember, hut Il
blessed mark Won put upon his foot. thi
!. he VIII know of. He VIII come to us
p, feel sure ct it-at last Martin, .at last.
Al es. it may be SO. Agnes, - the ma
u- said 1t may bc So the tiuse has bee
IL long. the days woefui, but we may
ID happy, after all that has gone. Agne
y. [ believe it viii be so.
90 They kissed each other. and ma,
lc ready for the journey which they mU
SSee take To enter upon their inheriianc
ut And they travelled together over q