The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1881-06-17
ESTABLISHED IS!

woods: every step of ground had sone
object which was attractive to her. ar.I
never feeling of fear entered her ham.
heart. First. she spied, shining eveni1
the dusky cleaning, a tree of late ed
plums, and although ont of our way. ,be
must have some. Next, in going Through
a little marsh she went into rapture oss,.
the tall, waving swamp grass, with It's
feathery heads of seed. A bouquet vas
rapidly made for her of the various kinds.
then we climbed a fence and were IN the
main road.
az do hope, now you viii see nothing
more to stop for said Mary, who wa
constantly hurrying us along. Butevel
the bare clay bank of the ROADSIDE was
festooned with bits of October's oveli-
ness, and Annie's eyes spied IN ontplace
bright scarlet they rs "a a,.1, ;iIe
clusters on long vines. These she
climbed the bank for, and twisted them
all around the large shade hat she wGe
Now I'll run with you, she said, 10
make up for lost time But we SON
came to hill so steep we could oaiy
toll slowly up At the summit, Lille
way back from the road, stood the one
dwelling that we passed. AS we ap-
preached ii a number of dogs ran out TO
bark at us, and the moon showed her
full face in the trees, having risen abOye
a film of clouds, and shone out as oily
the hunters and harvest moons do.
''But the bright moon light only made
us feel how belated we were, and We
began to run in real earnest down the
slope the other side of the house. half
way down the hill we were aeeosted by a
man eomi ng up with bucket on each
.rm.
"'Any spring here about?' said be.
And we gave him directions to one very
near. Then Mary and l looked at esch
other in blank dismay
"'What is the matter?' said Annie, ess
used to country customs than we. DO
YOU think the man is crazy; it seems n
crazy thing to me for a man to be lok-
ing for a spring this time of night
"'It means there's camp near Us,
said we both in reply. almost fearing to
so on.
"A camp?' Annie answered. Well,
come on; campers won't bite us and
she resumed her run and we follOVed.
At the foot of the hill we had to eros
pretty stream, shallow and clear, with
pebbly bottom; the tiny valley on its
sides was a spot very attractive TO eoln-
try-loving Annie, and she always wanted
To loiter there. Now, she said, as she
ran on ahead of us, Il shall beat you to
the log over the creek. for I'm not afraid
of campers, aud l want to see how my
little valley looks in this lovely noon
light
'When we came to where a sight of
the tiny vale greeted US, this is the pic
ture we saw, and the one Eddie must
paint some day.
"a bright fire burned near the edge of
the stream, making the pale moonlight
so dim that the forest outside the small
circle lighted by the ruddy fire-light be-
came dark frame to the bright picture.
4 wagon with gfeHp~a s.s7ss.sssss4 ,ssveI..
was just within the ligRESicb pv t,To horses
tall gum tree undsfbe fire stood q tall
were feeding. IsSessed IN a brilliant col
s,I1 slile"S VoI11esess, her neck encircled with
oieu lpeLS1ses-colored kerchief; her head was
az and masses of coal-black hair were
oiled at the back; her face was a marked
one. by reason of the large, clear-cut fea-
lures less than by its expression of surly
ii humOr. In her hand she held a
knife, ready to turn the slices of bacon
that were frying and kissing in a skillet
Dn the Goals But her face was turned
from the fire, to look upon what she evi-
IDENTIFY felt to be an intruder, In the per-
son of Annie, who stood close beside her,
warming her hands at the fire, while she
glanced around; first, up into the cross
face of the woman, then Mt the wagon or
horses, evidently enjoying thoroughly
the novelty of the scene.
81 often think of that dear friend of
those gone-by DAYS, but never can re-
call her looking as pretty as on that Oc-
tober night, standing by the Amazon-hke
at the campfire. She wore a
dark brown merino dress, frightened by
4 red scarf, which, finding it too warm
her shade hat was pushed back, that she
might see the better, and the spray Of
red berries fell over one shoulder, peep
ing at a cluster of the plums she had
pinned into the brooch at her throat, and
'he held in her hand the great boquet of
grasses That's my picture, don't you
hink it is a pretty one?"
= I" Splendid 70 cried the children in
chorus "But do tell us how you got
home at last
goodnight when she saw us coming, and
hough she received a curt reply, she was
n merry mood for the remainder OF our
walk, and seemed determined to add one
adventure to another, for after we had
cached Mary's and had tea, she was the
,ause of great excitement among the
children of the family. I'll put on my
bonnet now, however, and as we walk
llong I'll tell the rest -
On the street, with Eddie holding one
land and Rosy the other, grandma re-
,umed her story:
ave were sitting quietly around the
ire, more quiet than was our won't, but
,nly waiting for the baby of the house,
lold to go to sleep, when cry Of some
title animal in distress was heard.
Gas soon as the baby was safe in slum-
Annie said, What is that cry-
ngF'o
Pray be content, Annie, to stay in
loors the rest of the night.
"'You need not go, returned Annie.
but must see what it is, for it makes a
most pitiful wall, and it grows weaker
80 saying she took a candle, and we
III followed. Mary and j and two little
BOYS, MARY sDIOlneIS. we soon fOund
he sound came from the ground, not
rom the roof, and that it was among the
w vines growing in front of the house.
went to one corner of the house and the
,thers In different directions, but was
he discoverer of Waif, for so Annie at
nee named the tiny dog that lay there
ihivering and almost dead. The bows
eagerly but tenderly seized him. and
carried him to the fire. 'Seemother' thew
cried. heres a dog that just came tous:
you can't refuse to let us have him al
though you said we should never own
another dog Yes, replied their
mother. We can't turn off this poor
thing, but it is very young and very cold.
am afraid he will not live NY Puss1l
take him and let him live with her and
Nttie, said the younger boy. A propo-
sition all of us laughed at, but Annie, who
said, Bring Puss and her box here bv
the fire, little cousin. and well try her.
Gently Annie laid Waif beside the kit
Ten and exclaimed: Bless her motherlv