The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1881-04-07

over every night by coyotes, Just as well
as Nep knew it, it didn't need to affect
me as it did him. 1 wasn't afraid of no
coyote.
"One night, however, after 1 had
made a very long and mighty tedious
days tramp, 1 thought the dog was
mighty unsettled about something; but
after rousing up a couple of times and
finding nothing laid down and fell
into a very heavy sleep, from which 1
did not awake until near sunrise.
| don't suppose should have awoke
when did only that thought heard
a child's voice saying:
100 mus not make such a big noise
wiz 90 noser'
swell, sir, opened my eyes, and
there standing beside my face was o
four-year. old girl, holding Nep by the
ear with one hand and shaking the FORE
finger of the other hand at me, repeat
ing:
No; 90 mus not make such big
noise
II was not, and never had been mar
ried up to that time, and didn't know
much about children, but 1 began right
there to feel like father. / took the
little blue-eyed, red-cheeked, white
haired plumpness, and sitting her upon
my breast, l was just going to COM
mence talking to her when she said,
pointing:
".Look at 90 dog
"And, sure enough, there was that
fool dog just a-tearing around camp.
a-walloping his tail on the ground, and
every now and again jumping high over
me and the young one, as if he had
plumb lost his Material senses. He was
the gladdest dog ever see.
Now" 1 said to the young lady,
"what is your namep"
"'Lainey.'
"Where do you liveP
"'In ow wagon
"Where does your mamma liver
"'Oh, my other mamma, she's dead!
the bad Ingins killed her. Now mes
got another mamma
Where does the new mamma
live?'
"'In ow wagon
"Where is the wagonr
".Down there pointing forward.
"Down wherep said l, rising, with
the child in my arms.
"'Down there pointing again.
"'Oh, no; there isn't any wagon
dow n there. That's away off the road.
XNo, w dSA . uOS. AAo hhO"S.
81 looked inquiringly at Nep, but he
had fallen into his old. solemn, sleepy
looks again.
".Where did you sleep last night?'
$500 know. l sleep wiz 90 and e
dog
"I held the child in my arms, and
looked all about the sage-covered plain,
and up and down the lonesome, desolate
dust-line or road, but 1 could see no sign
of camp smoke, nor any object indicat-
ing civilization.
".How far did you walk, to come
here?'
".Oh! such a long, long wayne
and e dog. / so tired go to sleep,
and e dog tiss me in e face and wake
me up; then-then-we walk long
way. some more. and come here to sleep
wiz oo.'
".Well, now. Miss Lainey, you set
right down here on the blankets, along
side of the dog. until I get US some
breakfast and put the child out Of
my arms.
".Me vewy hungwY.'
IAN right! Wen soon have some
breakfast. Which do you like, Miss
Lainey, tea or coffeeP
." ".Toffee, and heaps Of sugaw.'
"And so, chattering along to the
child, fused around until got our
little breakfast ready in the midst of the
wilderness.
"She was very hearty young lady,
and did justice to my rough efforts tc
please her palate, and after breakfast
she insisted on a large pan of hot water
to .wass e disses.' but as I could no,
afford that luxury in the midst of per
petual drought, we compromised the
matter by my agreeing to let her ride
ON top of the pack-animars pack. This
arrangement delighted her no little fol
q while. and also suited me first-rate
until she got into the idee Of standing
up like q circus rider. She never haC
much sense of fear. argued, and ever
scolded against this circus business, bu
it was no use. and finally gave her ,
rope send in each hand, which suiteC
her mighty fine, until she got to beins
sleepy and laid down on top of thu
pack and fell fast asleep, while walked
beside the jack to see that she didn'
fall of.
"I didn't reckon we should go fal
without hearing inquiries for los
child, yet, as passed immigrant wag
ons, and was passed by other immigran
wagons, they had none of them lost
child or heard of child being lost.
"My little procession wasn't quite s,
solemn after we got Lainey, cause tn
dog. instid OF walking behind with hi
tail dropped, now marched in front
with tail and head up; and Canary, cal
culating to keep up with the dog
stepped heap more lively than he dit
before, and ye-hee-hawed splendidly
And now If you think that when Laine
was standing up on top of Canary
pack that we wasn't some circus, ye'
mistaken.
al don't know what the immigrant
and s.age-drivers took me for-whethe
they thought was q Mormon runnin
away from too much wife, or n widdeI
, er in distress, or q man what had kille
! q family in order to steal agal-baby an
jack and black dog-but took mysel
, for man with powerful responsible
ty on his hands.
"The fust two or three days I wa
awful feared wouldn't find any one
take Lainey off my hands. Then, b
, jing, 1 began to dread meeting or finG
, ing any one who would take her. AnC
I at last, to tell ye the truth, lei
the reg'lar stage road and sneaked o
! over the Sierra into California by an ol
! shadowed route.
II got some changes Of clothes fc
{ Lainey here and there from immigrar
; women, piece at time, and by th
: time I got down into the coast cour
, ties-scow counties some calls EN-
) l was mighty handy in taking care Q
!, that young lady.
az got down to my stopping-plac
: well on into November, turned my jac
? out on q rancho, rented a little cabi
{ in little town-not such very ittl
z town-and went to keeping house an
7 attending to my hoss speculation.
l hired an old Mexican woman to loo
. after Lainey when wasn't at home.
3 ssAt last 1t came Christmas day, an
H., ha hanA ovainD n,