Sharp County record., 1880-10-28
TED AND KITTY.

and SQUIRRELS. and the different kinds or
trees. and how to make bOntlre5 and
little stone ovens; and they could shoot
with bows and arrows, and swim. and
climb trees, and split kindlings, and
take care of chickens, and ducks, and
turkeys, and do a great many Jolly and
useful things which city children hard-
" get evena chance to do. Well. once,
when thev went on visit with some
cousins to an uncle'e on the other side
of "Bir Woodsy," as they called the
mountain, they did not get home that
night.
The uncle thought they had gone
home. and the father and mother
thought they had remained overnight
at the uncle's. So nothing was done
about it until noon next day, when the
uncle came Jogging over on horseback,
TO look at a COW ne thought Of buying,
and the mother asked him if Ted and.
Kitty were not making too long visit.
Then the uncle said, ''GOod gracious .
they are not at our house; they started
for home last night, along with the Eld7
erkins, I think.
Then the mother turned very pale,
and said. in faint voice, "Ihey are.
lostm -.
"Oh. no." said the uncle, mot bit
of it. The Elderkins coaXed EN- home
with them. Of course. I'll ride round
their way when IgO back and start EN-
hOme.'
But the pale look wouldn't leave the
mothers face, and in short time who
should come but the Elderkins them
selves. to spend the afternoon, they
said. with Ted and Kitty. Then there
was a fright, indeed. The father
walked down to the gate, and looked
anxiouslv up the long, winding noun
tain road. as if that would do any,
GOOD, and the mother followed him,
calling out, -,
"Oh. John! John! where are our chill
dren?n
The uncle rode off in one directiOnr
and the father quickly sadded horse
and rode in another, to inquire at all
the farm-houses if anything had been
seen of Ted and Kitty Curtis. And no
one had seen them. All the EtderSirS
hadtO say was that Ted and Kitty had
told them there was nearer way to
reach home than by following the dusty,
roundabout road, and they had run OF
through the woods to find it. The Ell
derkins chose to follow the road be-
cause they had on their new lawn
dresses. trimmed with tOrchon and
'didn' want to get all scrambled up
by the briers.'
So. while the uncle and the father and
all the neighbors we're hunting up and
down the forest, and the mother was
stavin9 in the house with dear, calm
grandma and the little twin babies to
keep her from going qllite crazy, will
tell you what Ted and Kitty were doing
in the Big WoOdsv.
After they had run on quite a way,
the bushes and brambes began to be so
thick they were obliged to drop into a
walk, and finally to climb and crawl as
best they might, for they never found
the ''nearer way,o and the ground was
covered with fallen trees and rocks,
while the briers caught them sometimes
as if they never meant to let 60.
By-and by the pleasant light OF sun
set beran to fade away, and they sat
down to rest on a messy log and looked
at each other very sOberly.
81 don't know which way We ought
to 60 said kitty.
.?No more don't l." said Ted
"Weu, then, we must stay right
where we are, stead Of trying to go
on. Cause, don't you know, lost peO-
pie always 90 round and round and
round and never get anywhere, and
inst wear their hoes out, and get tired
and hungry, and nobody ever can find
'em You amt arrd are you, Ieddy?'
Moor answered Ted, with scorn-
full emphasis; "cOurse not. WHY, it's
only Just camping out. We've always
wanted to camp out, you know. An
it's warm, an there's butnuts, an -
an'-maybe wen find partridge nest
and Ted looked around at the deepen
inc shadows, and bravely winked back
the two tears that had gathered in his
eyes.
GU klOW JuClC lNll u tJu LlllllS III
these woods that can hurt us said
Kitty, cheerfully. Papa said there
was no use for those hunters to come
here last year, cause there's moth
in bigger'n woodchueks anywhere
round
" But somebody killed a bear here
the summer | was a baby said Ted.
Yes, but he was the last-the very
last-and its just as nice and safe here
as If we were camping out in our or
chard. And let's fix up a house right
away. Let's play we've gone West and
got some land of our own
Then the two children went to work.
They were scared a little in spite OF
their brave talk, but they were soon SO
Interested III Jner Camp-Dullulnr thlt
they forgot their fear First, the,
cleared away the sticks and stones be-
side the log where they were sitting
Then they pulled large pieces of bark
from Il partly-fallen tree, and leaned
them against the log, making shelter
large enough for very small sleepin--
room. Over the bark they laid boughs
of blttcruut and maple. with long stick
placed crosswise to keer them in place
Then by the time they had gathered
few armiuls Of dry leaves to place uu-