The Republican journal., 1880-08-05

OWL uoor, ana was fatnef disappointed
not to see her there. "Shes fixed my
parritch, bless her heart" he remarked,
seating himself to the enjoyment of his
meal, for which he had a pretty good APP
petite, thanks to his long tramp; "she'll
be back anon But Maidie did not ap-
pear, even after he had drained his beer
tankard and lighted his pipe, 50, with a
shght feeling Of uneasinesS in spite of
himself, he put his pipe III his mouth, and
stepped, rather hriskly, over to Mrs,
Browns
"Maidie not home Y repeated the good
soul, aghast, "why, left her here, its
a couple of hours or SO, to 60 see Free
mans sick wife She was darnn' your
sock like lamb, and was tiXin to get
your supper ready in time. She's off
vlsItn' the neebors, likely"
Further inquiry was made, but no one
had seen the child for hours. Then it
occurred to the Sergeant, with a pang Of
terror, that she might have strayed out
side the gateleSs incloSure, and he hunt
g. up the man who had been on guard
that afternoon, to question him. Poor,
slow -wittcd Robbie could at first recall
nothing, but, after cudgcling his brains
awhile, he recalled the song which had
come to him us in a dream, and eXclaim-
ed, contritely, that he must have let the
bonnie BARN run out under his nose the
blockhead that he was.
Beside himself with anxiety, the father
pecrcd about until he detected in the tine
sand Of the court two Or three tiny foot
prints that pointed outward. Strpping
outside he saw some others, faint and
light, to be sure, but undoubtedly his
Maldle'S; such tracks could have been
made by no one else in the garrison.
Restraining his Wild impulse to follow
the dear childs footsteps immediately
Mcleod turned back hastily to beat up
recruits to 90 with him. II she had stray
ed down to the bush, he might need as
siStance to find her, and he trcmbled as
he thought of the hidden horrors of that
fair and deceittul Wilderness
\ number Of the men volunteered will
ingly enough, when the news Of the loss
Of the Scrgcaut's Maidir spread through
the post, for the chid's pretty, bright,
ohligng ways had made her such Il dar-
ling that nearly all the rough, simple tel-
lows would have done anything for her
They tracked Lrr c3sily InWn to the
hnsh hut o,non,r tine stnnns and nnoon.
and t,n0lnd w,Ts rho t,,rn. snn,, Ln,.,,o.
confused and Undecided and at l.n~th
were hopelcsSlv lost. True, they tracked
her for a distance hy means of some of
the flowers She had dropped, which Me
Lcod picked up and kissed and put in
The breast Of his jacket, 50 sure he felt
that she had g,thrrrl thnm Innr bnnrs
tbry searched nnd shnntrd ,1I rIimhnJ
trrts and cnt dnwn hushns ,,nI ,n,.s ,rn,
in.r rynrv wbrrp mn II thn ri,rht dirnrtinn
Il thn nirht darLnnnd 1n,nn.r thn.n
rloouy sh@Jrs thrv shndGrrrL +, hr9r
fhe orowls and rnnrs Of thr hnasts nf n,~y
romino forth from their drns and Iairs IN
seek What they mirht drvnur some of
the men crew DISCOURAGED and weoried
.out. and returned to thr tnrt II aid NOT
seem possible that fine moon. I,9irnip rnnl6
evnr he fnnnd aIivn ~, du,d Lut thn
father wonlI nnt rjyr III thr srarrh ,nI !,
moment H. wnniT h,rn .sr,ynG thnrn III
the bush if cyrry n3n had TN bim ,f
miduight Iirntrnant Ramsay rlnn nlt
with some fresh men IL tid IN thc search
ana Joined tie others ust rs thry struck
the riyer-bcd where Marjorie Ind zone
Wild with delight over the beautiful ana
brilliant flowers Il few hours before
They followed it painfully by the ligbt of
their torches and of the W9tprv moon
shine, until they gained the pooI near the
Gorge. dark and dismal enourb rs fhn
shadows Law upou il. shallow ms if was.
cone of the lions drjnkjnr-pIaces.
said Mr. RAMSAY, aud stoppel ID pick up
something that tluatrd to Ills feet Thcy
an knew -Mailir's little brown hat
with one or two soaked lilies and ferns
fastened 10 it Vet.
Robbie Bell fell On his knees ana sob
bed like a child. "l.ord keep the pujr
bairnie frae the laws o. the lion" he cried
and more than one man added ar Amen
The Door father grulued "Gie Thy
angels charge DER her" then, presently
in Il cheericr voice. he said ..Shrs n
brave lassie. an Il fearless she'd win her
way hetter'n maist Wen fin her so
lanr as the wild beasts dinna."
1t seemed 4 forlorn hope. but on they
trudrcd, compellrl nj times 10 sion ana
rest. strong men as they were. ana at
last their lurid torches nickered and crew
faint in the gray dawn, when the damp
mists rose up from the moist ground, ana
the groWlirgs Of the lions who had been
kept oil by the torch glare grew fainter
and less frequent, and at length died
away altogether.
Mcleod was ahead of the others. with
the Young lieutenant; they had flung
away their torches, and pushing through
a thicket came suddenly upon The sandy
shore OF another lion-pooi, the sand all
trodden down and covered with fresh
marks Of lion paws. A black rock loomed
up out Of the water lust opposite them.
ana hardly had they emerged from the
thicket when Mcleod gave a gasping cry.
and dashed through the water
Malcolm Ramsay could not make out
the reason OF this movement at first. but
in another instant he caught SIGHT of
little shoe floating slowly on the pool. and
next he saw wee form standing in the
water braced against the rock. barehead-
ed, her bright curls falling all about the
tired little face. blue and ghastlv in the
weird light, the ewes round and vide and
strained, with 4 pitiful, Watching look in
them, the two small hands tightly clas,,ed
together and ufODDpu before her.