Barbour County index., 1884-01-25

starved out OF the wilderness where
they prowl."
II should like to see painter" said
Sophy.
'Well. / guess you wouldn't want to
see it the second time" said Mr.. Mutt
all.
Just then the women came in, all
bundled up like Arctic explorers.
'.Be sure you take good care of Sissy,
Sophy," said Mrs. Fay. 1.-THE supper
is all ready on the stove, and you
can choose which ever kind of jam you
like. out of the cupboard. John will
be home tonight, and he will look after
| you until we get back tomorrow morn
ing"
Sophy promised faithfully. and the
little girls kissed their mother and
Aunt Hepsy, and stood smiling at the
window until the sledge had driven
away.
There was no doors locked or bolts
drawn; in these solitary wilds there are
no tramps nor burglars to fear. Sissy
got out her paper dolls and began to
play with them, and Sophy curled her
self up near the fire to read delicious
story-book called "Alonzo and Melissa"
which she had rummaged out of the
chimney cupboard. When Sopffy got
book she always lost herself, and it was
very difficult to find her again.
Pretty soon Sissy got tired of her pa
per dolly. and she came to her sisters
| side.
''Sophy," said she, ''will you read TO
me out of the Mother Hubbard book?'
go away, child" said Sophy. wav-
ing her off without lifting her eyes from
the page.
ooh, play checkers said Sissy, lean
ing her cheek against her sisters
shoulder.
''Oh, do leave off teasing! said
Sophy. IL can't be bothered.'
Sissy, thus repulsed, trotted of again.
and, peeping out of the door, decided
that She would go and feed the fowls,
that were stalking around the door IN
very discontented sort of way
So she put on her little red hood and
worsted jacket, tugged to pull on her.
Iubbers, and trudged out with some
cracked corn in tn pan, as she had
seen Aunt Hepsy do.
Sophy read on and on. until il became
| so dark that she could hardly distinguish
one word from another Then all of a
sudden she discovered, from the chill in
the air, that the logs had nearly burned
| out, and from the unusual silence, that
Sissy was gone.
She called Sissy" No answer
! came.
She ran to the door and looked out.
but nothing could be seen save little
foot-tracks in the snow, which followed
along the outlines made by the sledge.
''She cant have gone after mother,
thought Sophy, with Il sudden thrill of
terror-''out into those solitary woods,
and with the painters prowling there,
too"
Sophy was brave little lass. although
she was apt to be careless and neglect
ful at times, so she caught up the ham
mer-the first weapon of attack or de-
fense which she could seize upon--ilung
on her hat and shawl, and started on
run TO follow the small footprints, call
ing ''Sssy! Sissy!' as she went
After little the tiny marks left the
tracks of the sledge, and started off
into the woods. in all SORTS of odd, zig
gag directions a nd with sinking heart
Sophy followed them, until at last they
stopped at the foot of monster pine
tree, which lowered far up into the sky
stopped in a curious confusion, as ii
the snow had been tramped down--and
there, mingled with the oblong shape
! of the little rubbers, were huge, heavy
prints, like those of large dogs feet.
Sophy's head seemed to swim; she
| grew very pale.
1.-The painter! The painter!'' That
was all that she could think of Surely
he could not have torn the child in
| ,N;a onl lnft Al. al
! Or perhaps he had dragged her away,
shrieking, helpless.
And with this horrible vision dancing
before her imagination, Sophy set out
on a run over the snowy path, still fol-
lowing the tracks of the animal.
''lf he has eaten Sissy, he may eat
me, too" said she. despairingly. IL
never shall dare TO look mother in the
face again
AS she ran breathlessly along, sob
bing. faint and half-frozen, far-otf
scream struck upon her ear She STOOD
still to listen.
1t was not the roar of n wild beast.
nor the shrek of a victim; but il was
the sound of laughter and merry voices,
and she could distinctly hear Sissy's
shrill tones, saying:
Won't you take me around by the
bee-tree, John? DO. Picasc do.
never saw IA bee-treer'
"lt's too late now. chickr' Cousin
Johns voice answered. And through
an opening i'm the trees, Sophy came in
view of Cousin Johns tall, stalwart fig
ure stalking along. while beside him
trotted Bruno. the huge Newfoundland
dog. who always went into the woods
with his master and returned when he
did. with Sissy triumphantly riding on
his back
For honest old Bruno was the Great
ure with paws whom Sissy had met,
and whom, after her usual romping
fashion, she had ridden back to meet
Cousin John.
Can you imagine how Sophy hugged
and kissed Sissy? Can you imagine
what weight was lifted off her mind
Between tears and laughter she told them
what she had feared
Sissy laughed at the idea, but John
shook his head and told her she must
never venture out of sight of the house
again by herself.
"It amt SAFE said he 1.-The wild
| beasts are venturesome when the snow
| lies deep, and we cant afford to lose our
little sissy
They all proceeded happily home
ward, and if the panther was anywhere
about those woods he did not get a
chance to devour either of the Fay chill
dren that evening.
And Sophy secretly determined never,
never to relax her care of dear little
Sissy again. ."-Lucy Randall Comfort,
tn Golden Days