Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1881-05-13

and water that could not be found at
home. Jose and his man followed
their tracks all day, and just at night
fall found them lying in the dry bed of
a stream-dead or dying, every one.
Utterly broken-hearted, the farmer
returned to his house the next day;
he packed up a few of the more valu-
able effects, with the last of the proyi-
sions, placed them on the lean old fam
lily horse-the Others had died-and,
with his family, set ont on foot for the
coast. Once there, he knew the gov
eminent aid commissions would give
him food.
The road was deserted, and nearly all
the farm-houses were closed; the sun,
reflected from the glaring sands, was
like furnace. To save their strength,
the party travelled at night and rested
during the day at some wayside hut
They advanced slowly, for the children
were young and weak, and little used
to such hard work; their tender feet
were swollen and blistered, and often
Jose had to carry the little ones in his
arms.
On the second day no water could be
found, and they suffered terribly; when
at Light, they took to the road, the old
horse could hardly stagger along; after
travelling a mile or two, he fell to the
ground and would not rise again.
With heavy hearts the farmer and
his wife selected the most valuable ar
ticles from the pack, making some into
light bundles for the children, and di-
viding the rest for their own backs.
Then they went on, Jose dropping be
hind to cut the horses throat with his
hunting knife. "Poor beast" he said
cts all that / can do for thee"
The packet of provisions was scant
enough, and they must needs use il
very sparingly; the children, who could
not understand why they were denied,
went crying with hunger. Even then
the basket was soon exhausted; on the
fifth day they had not a morsel to eat,
and the children began to lag behind.
The father helped them as best he
could, but he had denied himself OF
food for their sakes, and his own steps
were faltering. As often happened
during the drouth, the mans strength
gave way before that of the tender little
ones. Already on the sixth day he
staggered from weakness, and often
rested by the roadside. Maria and the
children begged at the few doors which
were not closed, and sometimes re-
ceived scraps of food, but Jose would
not touch it.
On the seventh evening, as they were
starting, he fell fainting to the ground;
from that time he never rose, and
though Maria had bit Of dried meat,
the remnant of the last aims, he could
not swallow it. With weak and trem-
bling hands the widow scooped out a
shallow grave by the roadside and bur-
led the body, putting a rude cross at
the head. Then they wandered on.
1t was the old story-the story of the
great stampede, only here was one
party where before there had been
thousands. On the ninth day the
youngest child died, and the mother
dry-eyed and despairing, left it I'M
buried by the roadside. On the tenth
day the mother and her surviving
children reached an inhabited village
and were saved. Kind arms supported
their skeleton frames, and kind hands
gave them food, pitying ears heard
the story Of suffering Beyond that
they could not ask for help where sc
many thousands were as miserable as
they Like the rest they were utterly
destitute; the last of their little treas
ures had been abandoned, and they
had no friends. In time their clothes
became 50 ragged that they could hard
~ cover themselves with decency.
After some days Maria took hel
children to Fortaleza, where nearly
100000 refugees were gathered in rude
camps. The government fed them
literally but took little care for then
health, and in time great pestilence
came sweeping off hundreds every day
the corpses lay rotting, for they coulc
not be buried fast enough. Their
Maria, with many others. went t.
Baturite, where there was another
another camp of $4,000 or more. There
through wise sanitary measures, the
pestilcnce had been stayed. The aiC
commissioner, DIR. Comes Pereia, was
one of the kindest and best of men il
the province, and his camp was {
model for all others.
One day Dr. Pereira rode through the
camp with an American gentleman
who was visiting him. The refugees
were sitting in rows, waiting for theil
rations, Maria and her children witt
the rest, utterly broken hearted anC
hopeless. She was weeping quietly
when DIR. Pereira noticed her. ''Wha
is the NATTER" he asked kindly.
Through sobs and tears the woman
told her story-a story common enough
there, but strangely terrible to the
American. The good doctor sighed
"What can dor he said; 'she is one
among thousands"
"At least | can do something" sale
the American, feeling for his purse.
cit will do no good; you cannot re
store the woman's dead husband, no.
her lost home; she has food enough
and will give her some clothes fol
herself and her children. There ar,
others who need your money more"
The gentleman coaxed little Mia tt
his side; she came shyly, but by and by
gained confidence and submitted quiet
ly to his caresses. He wondered at the
beauty of her soft brown eyes and rip
Cling hair. Perhaps it was the pleading
look in her face that made him ask:
Would you like to go with me t
American"
Mia looked frightened as it very
far there?n she asked.
Very far; but it is beautiful coun
try, with green trees and fine fields; anC
people are hardly ever hungry there.
He spoke half in jest, but the child
had been trained to earnestness in /
terrible school; she could only take
him at his word. Looking up, trusting
ly, she said: Twill goif mamma Maris
will let me-"
The gentleman's eyes were moist a:
he turned away, AMI all that day he
was very thoughtful. ~ = ~
In the eyeninghe spoke to the Com
missioners about the woman. "Woulc
she let the child go?" he asked.
why not; there is nothing but pov
erty in store for her. The farm was
only hired, and all she had has beer
lost"