Cheyenne transporter. [volume] (Darlington, Indian Terr.) 1879-1886, 1883-09-13

I'm all skeeter-b bites!" sobbed Ar
minda. And the spiteful insects had
indeed cruelty wounded the little girls
face and neck and soft, round arms;
and Theodore, too, bore many mark
of their sharp stings. "Well, we must
hurry and get home," said he, "and
Mother ii cure en-"
So they set out on their Journey, eat
ing the big ripe huckleberries from the
bushes AS they walked, filling their
pals, in case they should come TO
p aces where there were no berries, and
quenchiDg their thirst at the creeks
and small streams which they chanced
upon at intervals. This day, too, wore
slowly away, and once more they made
u rude bed at the spot where darkness
overlook them, and sleplt as best they
could. Sunday came and passed. The
little ones walking hand-in-hand
through the dense underbrush, could
find no clew to guide them out of the
wilderness. Yet all day they kept
moving on.
But that night-the third which they
had passed in the woods-they heard
mother sound far away in the distance.
go no! O-ho-o! O-hO-o-o!"
Theodore recognized his brother S
voice and shouted loudly in answer,
Arminda joining. They called again
and again. But the wind was against
them. The sound they had heard grew
fainter-their brother was evidently
moving away. At last, only a poor
little echo answered their cry, and then
the great woods seemed more silent
than ever.
The next day, while they were walk
ing along, Theodore thought he heard
call, and they stopped to listen.
"Twas over yonder,'' said the boy.
"You wait here a minute, and I'll 90
and see if can get sight of 'em."
He rushed through the brake a few
rods, shouting and calling, and at last
thought he saw man moving among
the trees in the dim distance. But the
figure soon faded from sight.
In the early dawn of the next morn
ing, Theodore leaped suddenly from
the bed of leaves where he was lying,
and looked wildly about him in every
direction. He heard it again, that far
off "O-hO-O! O-ho-O-or' And what
was that, now up, now down, dancing
in and out among the dark trees?
Could it be light. Could it be the
light of his fathers lanternp Yes, it
was! AS the daylight grew he coulG
distinctly see his father with lantern
in the distance. But all his frantic
shouts failed to reach the searcher's
ear, and, in his terror at losing his Sis
ter, Theodore resolved that nothing
should tempt him to leave her.
In the evening of the next day came
the storm. Arminda sobbed and
trembled; but Theodore comforted her
by telling her MOTTO be frightened, "for
he was there with her."
whats goin' to hurt us here?" he
shouted, proudly, amid the tumnlt of
sound. II like to be out in the rain"
IL like to get wet too, Arminda an
swered, weakly. "Itmakes my skeeter-
bites feel good"
Morning came at last, but still the
ragged. Theodore looked rue
fully about him when he arose, and
resorted Immediately for comfort to
the pail of berries he had wisely shell
tered. I'm getting sick of this" he
to Arminda. 1--WE must get
home to-day"
But alas for such hopes! The whole
day Was spent in patient but fruitless
plodding over the leaves, with the rain
still falling, and that night they had to
seek their rest upon huge, sloping
stone under the projecting boughs of a
tree-the driest bed they |
could find.
nthe next day, however, they came
upon brook and began to follow it as
Theodore had planned, and made what
progress they could. They kept along
,he bank of the brook, until, in the