New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1879-01-01

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ing baby, being sure enough that he would be
found in some ridiculously safe corner. It is
q large house with many spare room and
closet in which child could hide, and it took
us some time to look through them all. But
through them all we looked not once, nor
twice, but many times, without finding trace
Of him. Then through the barns, the cow
houses, the stables. the very pigsties, and
every out-ofice of the place we went with
lanterns and candles, seeking BERTHE and find
ing him not, calling Berthe and getting no
answer. ~
Then we set ourselves to search outside the
gates, holding our lanterns carefully TO the
ground, and all at once in the deep clean snow
we saw the print Of little feet amongst larger
feet. Away dewn the road we followed them,
always tracing them easily amongst mems
feet and horses feet for full two hundred
yards away from the house. There we found
the mark OF where our little man had set him.
self down to rest, and there, alas! we found
one OF his little boots, with sock in it, and
from that point forward could trace the little
footprints still, the mark of the boot a4d the
mark of the wee naked toes now side ~ side.
Some fifty yards or SO, however, from where
we found the boot there were signs of his hav-
snow; there were signs of trampling there by
other feet, and there all trace was lost. Not
another footmark could we find beyond this
point, nor any footmark that indicated that he
had turned to go home again. It was clear
that our little man had first wandered outside
snow, and lost his way; had wandered on and
on, further away from home 1--WE fancied how
the poor little thing cried, heartbrOken) and
had at last lain down overcome with cold, and
slept. fs.l
And all this while the poor mother was
with us. But now at last by main force she
had to be taken home, and. with her, while
the rch was continued wifhOnt ne
At every neighboring house our people
called, hoping to gain some clue, but gaining
none. At every house, as soon as it was
known what the trouble was which sent these
white faces from neighbor Gordon's to break
in upon their happy Christmas eve, some
join the searchers.
How weariseme was that search, and how
eagerly conducted; or how much more weari-
some the terrible waiting at home, to me, to
Helen, and to the aged men who had will.
diff Guilty been Kept at home, need not tell
God forbid that should ever again be wit
ness to such agOnizlng distress as that of my
poor sister! She sat and swayed herself to and
fro, moaning low, and refused to be comfort
ed Then she left US, and by found
her kneeling at her bedside better, hoped,
for the tears which had come, but little short
OF crazed with grief.
And SO the two weary hours seeming a
Whole mis- ut rather-wOre away, and at last
we heard our friends at the gate again, talk
ing low, as if in consultation, and then we
heard quiet "good-nights," and heard Kitty
led slowly away, and heard the footsteps Of
two or three coming into the kitchen, quietly
and not speaking to each other. And we
looked into eacn others faces with dull, lead
en- eyes, and no one roseto 20 out and ask the
news. afa gt5>#
1t was like house into which death has
entered with the unwonted silence and quiet
The very dog shared in the gloom, and allowed
any one who liked to pass and repass without
bark or a motion, as If it knew, that the
house had lost its treasure, and that there was
no need to keep watch and guard any more.
Then came in my husband and Edwin.
Their news was soon told. They had driven
along the south road 10; about an hour. till
they had Overtaken poor woman whom they
questioned as to whom had passed her. It
proved to he our poor Frenchwoman, and as
Edwin talks French tluently, they soon learnt
from her that nc one had passed her who
could BY any possibility know anything of the
child. The poor creature had to stay and rest
SO often that che had made hardly any prog
ress on her journey, and was already long
ing for any place where she could stay the
night. She soon gathered from Edwin that
the lost child was be whom she had fonded
in the morning, and then she forgot her own
care and eagerness to pursue her way, and
begged to be taken back to help in the search.
So they had brought her with them, and she
was wandering about alone with a lantern,
not content till she had looked for herself into
all the places where we had all looked before
her.
The sad summary of it all was that no one,
of all who had been searching, had gained the
slightest trace Of poor. lost BERTHE.
BIT CHAPTER III.
MARROW ESCAPE OF MADAME GU1LLoT
hoe the reader will never make one to
ab0ut our fire when the search was STAYED
The big Christmas tree stood in its pride,
decked with all its fruit of toys and presents
and loving inscriptions. Tables groaned sun-
der the jolly Christmas cheer that waited for
the oven.
You are not to suppose that search was
abandoned. We "ere sitting only while we
coulc decide what to do next. Not one Of us
but felt it would be more endurablc to wan
der searching, even against hope, amongst
| the snow through all the livlong night, than
to sit there nursing our own sad thoughts.
We might nave sat in this way perhaps
half an hour-all of US together except Davie
and Frank, who were still out with the
Frenchwoman--wh when suddenly We were star
tied by loud scream Of fright. repeated two
or three times, and each time checked, as it
| seemed, by force, and, accompaniment BY a
sharp, savage growl.
Rushing out to the door, whence the sound
came, we found poor Madame Guillot (f0r this
was her name on her back, securely held
down by Fury, whom Dave and Frank were
trying to remove, without success. Fury's
heavy paw was flung across her throat, and it
was only when he raised it for an instant that
Madame was able to scream. When she did