The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-02-17
LOSE ROSIE
1zoUNTz TEE c0NJURER.

overgroWn with ths dark green foIiag,
aid crimson, yeiloW-throated blossoms o
the Trumpet vine, that it seemed par
of the wild, beautiful nature around it
Out Of its low door stepped slender girl
with the olive skin, the black eyes and
black-waved hair, of the native Louisian
ian. Over the lugurtance of the hair ~ as
thrown red-barred :erchief aud the gir
father shaded her ev.s with her hand a,
she stood and looked first around the yard
then over into tho felds and across tt
the grand Open woods that surrounded
the clearing, all the time calling "Rosic. u
in shrill but potunpusical voice. She
stood still momens, and then ieapinp
tho low fence aa 1ishtly.Na ID fSwn, ra q
down to the tiny stl4Igg As tito foot
of the little rise on which the house
stood and searched among the bushes,
w.1So greepness betrayed the waters
course. A noisy crow Knocked her call
overhead, and scattered o handful of pe.
can nuts upon her from the boughs he
was robbing; an oriole few out from q
scarlet haw bush and flashed away, star.
tied byshcr cry Of Rosie" but no pretty
treble piped, "Here I am, sister," in
answer to her call. u
Returning to the cabin, she took @
horn from over the door and blew blast
upon 1t that set half d dozen dogs 10
yelping, and after the lapse of few min.
utes, brought her brother, q boy of fif
teen, i.Som the field.
Have you seen Rosie 2" was her aues.
tion as he stood before her, his homespun
clothes spotted with cotton fakes, and
further c.namented by two or three
striped catapillars, which were industri.
ousiy measuring the length of his pnnta.
looms.
''Seen Rosie No, not since she brought
me my canteen of fresh water this morn.
ing. She came back home, though. ]
saw hor runnin' race with Wolf clear
up to the turnip patch"
"She did come back, but she slipped
away awhile ago when I was talking to
some one,t and I haven't seen her since. u
"Talkin' to Zumy Karlsc, I 'spose. ]
saw. him comm this way, riding that
mustang like the mad devil he is."
"lt's no matter whom was talking to
Rosie is gone, and che must be found
right away. We must go and hunt her.
Take Wolf with you, he will help us nd
her."
"Where Is lvnlf? He mus. hs With
the child. He always follows her, you
know. Oh, she is safe enough: if any
Wolf back hero bowling like pack OF
his namesakes."
II cannot trust to that; I feel as il
something was wrong with her. She
never dJes 60 father than her little
grapevine swing th1ye in the bottom, and
alway comes when CALL You remem-
Der little Pierre Verne, who was missing
last year and never found, and the couple
Of little darkies that disappeared the year
Of them aftefkarda."t
"Ihsy won't. down tho throat of the
Giack Devil = jules sAid, referring to 40
overgroWu alligator that was known to
haunt 2 neighooEing bayou, but whose
scaly hide, messed and thickened by
many winters, seemed builctt- proof, since
frequent, shots from rife and mus.
ket had no other effect than to yyndeI
him moro cunning and more rarely to be
seen, but Rosie would never GO go far
asthe bayou; more likely she's dropped
asleep over her play under some pecan
tree.ne;he boy added hastily, seeing the
ghastly terror th.s overspread his sisters
face at the mention OF the alligator.
In an hour they had searched the opan
woods for half o mile around, making
them echo with the child's name, and
looking carefully for little tracks, which
they, found in plenty around the house
end n the patches, but the freshest were
near ths bank. OF the little stream close to
the child's grapevine. swing. But the
tiny threads Of water was too shallow to
drcwn even Rve-yesr.o old Rosie, who of.
ten waded In 1t ankle deep. The brother
and sister now carefully followed it,
course for several hundred yards up aud
down, but could not sec no further sign
of the little bare feet they were in search
off, t-aa
The nearest neighbors lived mile
away, but Maiine had n faint hope that
the child had gone to tho house of one o.
these-a hope that was disappointed
when they reached the drst cabin, whert
the cowa were being MIXED for the even
ing, and tho children and dogs were
fighting over the formers supper of clab'
ber and bread poured into cotton.woOl
trourh in the yard, to be scooped up with
wood N spoons aud dirty palms.
But If these people had rough exteri
OTIS, their hearts were tender, and theI
reused at5onee with keeh;interest anc
pity Mt the story that orphan Rosie wa.
missing. Remembering their own LITTLE
Fierre, who went out last year to gathe
dewberrles aud never was heard Of after
wara, the VAynes turned out their whole
capable force, male and female, to hum
for the lost child, followed by small
army Of dogs, and intending to collec
piIe knots, as soon as it became dusk
and continue the search until the los
was found, isssA (
They went at once to the bayou, ans
divided so as TO search path lis SOFT, mud
dy banks up and down, fos foot. prints o.
other signs.s~I In d little while they swert
Joined by other neighbors and formed
themselves into q GORDON. searching th
Tv0dis III a75Ty direction within !. oircui
Of several miles sssonnd Rosie's home
TIC wild beasts Other than harsailess rae
coons and opposahms were known TO lurl
In the neighborbocd, but the party o
searchers stopped long aud held thei
flaming torches Of resinon8 pfne over tn
deep, black Wsterthele under o ,steep
oysShapging hf o. ,sheE& the alligeto
they called Ba Black Devil wiiS kaeaii
to hare. his hiding place. As the do,
approached, tho 81 sSon gradually mar
rowed until, IS the sun rose, hey stooi
before the lost child's cabin iome still
and amOkeless, and with Nc sign of lif
about it. Again the woods rang will
the name they had echoed so ofien du
ring the night, and Maline went mp b
the cabin, scarcely daring To hope tha
the child; might have returned during th
night and laid down to sleep in her ow
little bed. ~ ~
But the bed was untouched, the it'll
room empty. and Rosie's wooden doll ls