The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1881-03-25
PA. FRIDAY, MARCH 25.

l knew I had not been mistaken. / felt
that must forget myself and help the poor
creature in distress cit is very good for
strength to know that some one needs you to
be strong" No longer hesitating, / hurried
into the little cabin, struck a light, and went
in the direction whence the moan had reach
ed my ears. | thought of the shot / had
heard. 1t was quite possible poor wound
ed deer was lying in the bushes. Yes 1
could now see its skin-unmistakablya a fawn
spotted dun color. 1t lay quite still-per-
haps that moan had been its dying gasp =
and so / came quite close to it, leaned over,
and, paralyzed with horror, saw my moth
er's face, only young and very beautiful, as
she must have looked when a girl. Deathly
pale, dead, possibly, she lay-natted hair all
about her face and clothed in doeskin.-
Just then she stirred it was not death. All
wonder ceased within me, every feeling
fed before the thought that this being
whatever, whoever she was, might be saved
to live.
l dragged her the few steps into the house,
laid her on my hemlOck boughs, untouched
by me since the sickness visited us. Then l
found a wound in the poor creatures side
and bound it up, bathed her head, and, in
the quiet, now again felt startled at seeing
my mothers image, young and fair, before
me, and. when at last her great eyes opened,
it must be that sister lost to me till now, and
sent back in this sad hour to take my moth
er's place 1 leaned forward, in an excess of
Tenderness, to welcome her, when a look of
fright, an auimal-like, wild terrer took pos
session of her face, and low sort of snarl
broke from her human lips.
The start she gave caused fresh flow of
blood; dimness passed over her eyes. Again
l staunched the wound and prepared nour-
ishment in case she wakened. Too busted
in these ways for further speculation, only
with a strange weight at my heart and wear
iness of body, suddenly felt the gleam of
eyes watching me. Such strange eyes No
human expression about them a stealthy
look in them now. Gently as | could l APP
preached her side. She trenbled and tried
to hide her head when offered her my care
fully prepared food. 1 moved away and
stUdiously avoided an appearance of watch
ing her Yet ! was intensely conscious of
her every movement 1 could see her eyeing
with a wretched, famished look, raw veni-
son steak tnat had been forgotten and lay on
the table close beside her. Stealthily, like a
beast of prey, her feeble hand stole toward
it, and in a moment she had torn it in pieces
and devoured it.
Horror filed my heart Could this crea.
+ ture be human l sat still in the corner
where, myself unseen, l could watch and re
strain her if necessary, and soon-weakness
. having overcome her, after this last effort
she lay tossing i'll an uneasy sleep.
/ Oh ] was so weary and so very lonely
/ The dreadful night was almost at an end
! 1 went to her side, threw myself on the beC
beside her, and put my arms about her neck
Again her wonderful eyes opened full in my
face. l fixed them with my own caress
/ ed her, called her by the endearing names O.
/ old. / besOught her to be gentle and to low,
me. I told her she was my own, the ONLY
+ creature left to me % love and care for
+ One short second it seemed as if a soul look
ed out of her glorious, deer-likc eyes then
with a groan, as if she gave the struggl
J over, and with that low, fearful grow again
. she fastened her white teeth in my hand.
Shriekng with the pain, tainted. Whel
/ I came to myself dawn was struggling in a
the window fear shadows fickered on tn
floor. A fearful pain in my hand reused m
. at length, and consuming thirst drove m
into the woods toward the spring to allay il
1 struggled through the underbrush, an,
there, close to the water, discemed a con
fused mass. There lay my poor sister, dead
her head pillowed on a wildcat of the woods
shot by the same hand, probably, that hau
wounded her fatally.-AppIeton' Journal.