The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1882-11-30

| 1,uy 20 hLLle way anu meet
himp" asked Eear.
| "1es, "'-remcmbering that Dear had
been in the house nil day only first
light candle and make the ten, and
| put moro wood in tho stove, and bring
mo Iiptop's night dross, and unite tho
boys shoes, and woar your hood, and
don't le gone long
| Dear had closed the outside door.
ready to start on run, when she heard
old Fans whinnv in the direction OF tho
barn. Papa has come, and is unhar-
Messing Fam" thought she, feeling o
little disappointed that she could not
| meet him and ride home. Instead, she
turned 10 the barn.
AT the stable door stood old Fan.
Steaming rs If she were hav ng vapor-
bath. Papa had load home, -
| thought Denr. as she went up to pat
Fan. But what was that she stepped
| on? A thillp Yes. broken thill. still
hanging TO the harness. Startled,
Dear glanced around the yard The
wagon was not there, and now she saw
that only part of the harness was on
The horse. and that was trailing on the
| ground.
| Before this in hcr heart had time to
take shape, Dear opened the stable door
and let Fan in. and, carefully closing
the door, ran for the street. The road
over tho top of the hill lay like three
narrow foot-pAths. with straight ridges
of turf between. and along these narrow
paths Dear sped with Tying feet strain
ing her eyes to see she dared not think
what
at the brow Of the hill she paused
and looked down. The road wound
like brook down the long hillside,
turning to tho right and to tho left,
with here and there steep pitches and
| many bars, till it was lost in the dark.
ness far down toward tho valley. As
lar rs her eyes could reach there was
noth ng unusual t2 be seen; but ut her
feet lay broken harness strap Up
that road Fan had come, and down That
road Dear must 90.
and on. over bars and pitches,
scar c,y touching the ground, loose
stones hit by her feet flying berorc her,
till, suddenly, halfway down the sleep.
est pitch, she came to place i'll the
road where the stones and tine gravel
had been plowed up rs if by the plung-
| ing OF q horse.
| Here lay the wagon scat. A little
| farther on lay two or three planks across
the road, and ut tho foot of the steep
| pitch lay, on its side, wrecked lumber
wagon, which had run backward till it
capsize |; and across the steep gutter by
the road d-side lay a load of plank which
had slid from tho wagon as it went
| over. Here was part of the bro zen
reins belonging to the harness. with the
ends under the load Of plank.
| The wagon was her fathers, Dear
knew that; but where was her father?
She stood and looked on either side. up
the hill and down into the valley.
| Nothing mo cd; there was not even
wind enough 70 bend tho tall dead
| grasses by the road side, and no sound
was 20 be heard in all the still night but
the pnrling and babbling Of tho little
brooks that had quilted deep channels
i'll the waterways ON other side of the
road. Dear could bear this silence no
longer.
Papa. papa. whore arB you?" md
the wild cry went up tho hillside aud
down into the valley, bringing no nm
swcr.
80 papa, papal what shall | do?''
she called again, and as she listened
with straining ears, she heard, or
thought she heard, q low mo IN near her.
She dropped Oh her knees. 'P,pa,
papa, are you here?' 1t was o DrAvor
now. Surely she heard sound rs il in
answer, and it seemed to come from
the plank that had slid over .he gutter.
In nm instant Dear was over there
pee Ing among the planks. She could
see nothing, but she could hear n sound
plainly now. She tr:ed with frantic
haste to raise the planks but there was
not strength enough in her small arms
Tor that, and almost without thought
fhn
mother, but down into the back valley
at the foot Of the hill where n cart-path
leading from the woods inlcrsected the
road. Along this dark path, overgrown
with alders, Sho went till she came 10 n
low shanty built between two trees,
and, bursting open the door, she criel:
80 Biddy Mccoy! come quick; sOmo-
thing dreadful has happened on the
Hill"
what is't yer sayin'?' said the
startled Biddv, starting from her seat;
but as Dear was already out Of doors,
she added, suiting the action TO the
words: " Here, Bridget. TAX the babby,
and you Mike" to q stupid boy by the
| fire, "got yer lauthcrn and como
| along;" and without waiting to put any
thing on her head she followed Dear.
The child was already out OF sight,
but Biddy won't on at a sounding gallop
till she came to the foot OF the hill.
There she saw the small figure flying
before her and bocHoning her on.
| "ShWe, an somethn' dreadful has
happened" sad the breathlC3S Bddy.
crossing herself as she camo up to tho
wrecked wagon. "Is any ono hurtedP'
as Dear cllled her to help:
Pm afraid-Pm afraid there 8 some
one under the p!anks," gasped Dear,
trying single handed to lift the load.
| Here, gurl, that's no way TO Warruk.
tax the top one first. Mi ike, 20 lazy
sowl, get along wild yer lanthern"' and
her voice went down the hillside liko
the blast of trumpet, starting even the
slow Mike into run.
"There, hould that" said she, hand.
ing tho lantern to Dear, and with Bid
dy's stout arms at one end and Mike 3
at tho other the planks were flung over
into the road. Dear held her breath.
and before tho planks were all OIL thoy
could see that man lay there stretched
in the bed Of the gutter. The planks
were over him like roof, or the cover