The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1882-07-13
.ould not have stopped if he had wanted

could not have stopped if he had wanted
to.
The mare stretched out her neck,
plunged forward and rushed along the
path at the top of her speed.
Luckily, neither of the riders was
thrown. Silas, with his feet out of the
stirrups, took firm grip with his knees.
Tom chung with life-and-death clutch
to Silas, while the basket on his arm
pounded his little side with hard blow
at every leap.
Drop the basket TommyI drop itr'
cried Silas.
Tom made no answer How his side
and arm achedl How sorely he was
tempted to lower his arm and let the
weary load slide Off
Silas was bent forward over the
horses neck. His long hair streamed
out in the wind. At every bound he
gave old Bets cut with the end of the
bridle-rein, and pounded her ribs with
his heels. CHANGING over his shoulder,
he saw that the boy still clHng to his
load. He saw, too, that they were not
gaining on their pursuer.
"Drop the basket, Tommy; drop i'll
It may stop that beastn' he shouted.
No, Silas, 1 can't. / must not I
promised to carry it to gran ma said
Tom, more as an answer to himself,
than with any thought that it would be
heard by his companion.
The terrOr-stricken boy had not be-
fore this looked behind him. He turned
now for an instant. He saw the little
white pools of water in the hollows of
the path. He saw the shadows of the
trees and bushes rushing by. And
around a short curve, not more than
twenty yards behind them, just where
the moon poured flood of light, he saw
a large animal leaping after them.
He could see its eyes shine. He could
hear it pant, aud could hear the stroke
of its cushioned paws on the wet earth.
This he saw and heard in one brief mo-
ment. His own heart beat his breast as
loudly, he thought, as the mares hoofs
beat the ground.
A moment more and the mare shot
out of the woods and into the nam
road. The light IN the kitchen window
at home burst upon their view. A pair
of Mr.. Elroy's deer-hOunds opened out
with vOluble welcome, and the good
mare, trembling all over, soon slowed
up at the barn-yard gate with her nose
to the ground.
The hounds whitfield the air moment,
and then dashed of in the direction
from which the riders had come. The
chase was over. Silas and Tom climbed
off on the horse-block and sat down.
Back at last, are yeP' said Mr.. FL
roy, coming through the gate.
why, gran'pa, thought you were
sick" began Tom.
I'm well enough, child, now, but
there's sorrow at home for you, poor
boy"
:.What IS the matter, gran pa? Is
mamma''-
=. You know yer mother went over to
Thackrey's airly this mornin' to spend
the day. Well, the children over there
took yer little baby-sister out to the
barn, an laid her down under the big
locus tree by the wOods-pastur' fence,
while they hunted fur eggs. An when
they come back she was gone, an we
can't find a trace of her. My poor lit
tie boy, what will you dop' And the
old man looked as if he were going to
cry.
Silas heard nothing of this, but calmly
lifted the basket and carried it into the
house. On account of the trouble in the
household, it stood on the table I'M
noticed until it caught Tom eye as he
sat on his mothers lap with his arms
around her neck, trying to comfort
her.
80 gran'ma! there is basket of
something for you from the gypsy.
would have dropped it when Silas told
me to, if l had not promised faithfully
to bring it to you" said Tom, wiping
his red eyes.
Mrs. Elroy mechanically raised the
lid and turned up a corner of the
shawl.
mercy on u.s. Mercy on us! Why,
it's the babyr' she exclaimed
Everybody rushed towards the table,
but the mother, quickest of all, had
taken the baby from the basket, and
was pressing her recovered treasure to
her breast.
YOU'RE the little calf the egyptians
got the jug of cow milk for, are you?'
cried Tom, dancing around his mother.
The baby had been dosed with some
drug to quiet it, and this fact accounted
for its stiffness during the ride. But in
a. day or so it got over the effects of
the drug, and was as bright and lively
as ever.
In the morning, Mr.. Elroy and some
of his neighbors started for the gypsy
camp, by way of the path through the
woods and found tracks in the mud re-
sembEng those of a panther. A few
days afterward, a ferocious beast, which
some of the old hunters said was
painter" was killed in the Fallen
Timber near where Silas and Tom were
chased.
The gypsy camp was found deserted.
The Kdnapers were gone. The cold
ashes indicated that the Migrants had
not staid in their camp over night, They
were traced to a landing ON the Ohio
River, not far away, where it was
learned that they had shipped on q
Memphis boat for some point down
South, and were never afterward seen
or heard of in the Elroy neighborhood.
1t was always supposed by the Elroys
that after stealing the baby the gypsies
were either afraid of detection, or had
concluded the child was too young and
would make them too much trouble, and
so had given the basket to Tom as the
safest way of getting rid of it. They
knew that the Elroys would find the
baby's parents. And as we have seen,
they did find them. and they didn't
have to go beyond their own house to do
so. YOUTHS Companion.
Is Vaccination Safe
Of f<,-