The Portland daily press., 1885-03-12

who loved her, or was she child of the
woods. always to go in this terrible way?
With each wild fancy, Christine continued
her hopeless wandering through the long
hours of that dreadful night, occasionally
breaking the deep solitude of the forest by
the heart-broken cry, Papa, 0 papa! where
are your"
Long and weary had been the night to the
weeping mother, for sorrows are always
sharper and burdens heavier during the
sleepless hours; but hope revived when,
with the first gray dawn of the morning, the
colonists gathered by twos and threes, bring
ing guns and dogs ready for search after
The lost child. There were middle aged
men, heavy and stolid in features, with tar
Dished knots of silver in their ears and wear
ing immense wooden shoes, long waistcoats
and leather brooches. There were young
men and boys full of excitement and each
being first to discover the lost girl. 1t was
decided to follow OLSON to the clearing,
form in line, aud at given signal advance
into the woods. each man keeping in sight
OF his neighbor. so as to cover all space, and
when the child was found, fire gun twice
in rapid succession.
The only one of the boys who carried
gun was Peter Swenson, who walked very
erect and exclaimed boastingly:
Ii see bear l shall shoot him skare be-
tween the two eye." And all the boys
looked on admiringly but Nils Peterson, who
whistled to his large yellow and white
spotted dog, and said, quite as boastfully:
Il wouldn't give my dog for the best gun in
the crowd. He isn't afraid of the biggest
bear you ever saw which wasn't so much
OF boast after all, as none OF the boys had
ever seen tame bear, much less wild one.
On reaching the clearing, a line was
formed along the edge of the woods; aud at
the given signal all advanced together, beat
ing the bushes, firing guns and hallooing,
and the search was kept up in this manner
until the MONDAY, when pause was made.
All of Carl Olsson's bright hopes of the
morning were deserving him.
Christine couldn't have wandered so
far" be said. "My poor child has been de-
voufed by some wild beas.o And he sank
upon the ground and buried his face in his
hands.
But barkl Did his ears deceive him?
That surely was two reports following each
other. Wildly he sprang TO his feet and
rushed in the direction OF the alarm aud the
shot. Christine is found! Christine is
fouDdp' ran all along the line. Nils Peter
son greeted them, exclaiming excitedly,
Twas my dog that found herp Add
heard him bark; and when / saw twas
Christine fired the gunW cried Peter
Swenson, close behind.
Joyiully they gathered around Christine,
who was standing dazed and bewilderd, in
an almost impenetrabie swamp.
Tightly clasped III her hand was the pail
she had carried all the while.
Many anxious days and nights of watching
by Christmas bedside followed, for long
fever came upon the overwrought system.
In delrium she once more bent over the
babbiDg brook, drinking, but with thirst
never satisfied. Again, the black form of
the growing bear stood before her in The
path, from which she was ever fleeing, call
ing in heartrending tones for her father, who
sadly strove to soothe the troubled mind of
the sick child.
AT last one morning when she awoke the
wild, frightened CLEAN in her blue eyes was
goHe, and in its place was the old love light.
AS her mother bent ever her she WINS
pered: ooh, such dream as have had
am glad the morning has come"
carl, our Christine has come back to us.
Let us thank Cod" said the mother, softly;
aud there, by that humble bedside, the
grateful, happy parents gave thanks for the
Fathers loving care bestowed on them.