Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1886-11-09

soft white fakes are oflcn pifilesa
and have brought danger and AK
ely . maaF z ore. az vel IS hltle
Agnea Green. The heroine Of this
story.
0ne 6Eighl winter morning nearly
eighty years aEo. GearEe Green and
his wife ST o1t from home TO attend
. sale some six miles distant. leaving
their house and SIX children Ia chaFgl
OF the eldest sister, Agnes. herself I
child Of nine Il vas q lonely spot,
this cottage Of Bientarn Ghyll, IS Il
Was called. situated On = marrow
gorge In the WralmoEland Mountains
OF England. miles from house d
neiEhb0r. Bur Agnes was . yeFJ
careful and steady child. and sav
father and mother cut Of sight with
out any thought Of fear.
The day passed pleasantly, bat a
i drew towards night the dense set
ting mist and heavy signing in ths
air told Of an approaching storm
and the children watched eagerly
from the windows for 3 glimpse Of
their home coming parents But the
fog closed thick around them, the
snow began 70 fall, and the fast gath,
eEing darkness shut them in. Agnes
gave the children their supper Of 0at-
meal poFridge and milk, and then
they sal around the fire waiting and
tancyiag that every sound was caused
BY the eagerly expected steps Still
the clock struck hour amer hour. and
the snow fell faster and faster, drift
ing through the crevices Of door and
and windows. Agnes, though her
own heart WAS heavy with q name
less dread, tried 70 cheer up the rest.
She put the twin babies 70 sleep III
their cradle, and with the Others, two
boys and 3 girl named Catherine, sal
By the peat fre I'LL the clock struck
twelve. when, after repeating their
prayers, they went 70 bed.
The morning brought no father or
m0theT-only the thickly falling
snow drifting around and blocking
them In. Still Agnes kept up hope
for them all Their parents might,
she urged, have taken shelter from
the storm in some sheepfold, or the
storm might have prevented their
starting; q any rate they were sure
70 come that day. So. struggling
bravely against the desolate lonliness
Of her situation. she dressed the
Others. heard them say their prayers.
and gave them their breakfast; then
with q strange womanly thoughtful
ness for such q little creature, went
about the household duties, wound
up the clock, scalded the remaining
milk to prevent its sOuring, aud.
finding that the meal In the chest was
getting low, she put all except the
babies on short allowance, ekeing out
the porridge with q few -four cakes
baked on the hearth. Then, fearing
that that the snow would block up
the way to the peat stack, she and
the little boys brought in enough fuel
70 last for q week; after which she
made her way TO the barn 10 feed and
milk the COW, she and the boys with
their childish strength, and in almost
terror At the growing darkness, pull
ling down from the loft hay enough
for her feed and bed.
After that il was supper time again.
and then the mosherly child uudress
ed the twins and found voice to sing
them 10 sleep. asd gathering with the
others around the FIRE, listened again
hour after hour for some sound Of
the absent ones. Still the storm rag
ed without. so ieEcely that the
wTeaths Kissing down the chimney
would almost put out the FIRE. Anoth-
eT morning. Agnes woke only u
ind the snow falling thicker than
ever, and her hope failing. Surely
her fond mother, her brave father, &
noted climber, would have made theiE
way 10 them, had not something ter.
rible prevented. So aRother lonely
day passed more desolate than the
others. Agnes, Is she told after.
wards. managed TO get through il b.
keeping her little flock together on
the b arthstone, and making them
say their prayers aloud by turns.
Poor ehildrenl il was well that they
had been taught 70 trust 10 the pro
tecting care Of heavenly Father, or
else how could they have borne the
terrible time Of fear and suspenses
The next morning the storm was
over, and though Agnes, because Of
. brokea hricge. did not dare 70 take
the road 20 Grasmere. the nearest sci
Element, she knew that she could fol
lev low stone wall which was ex-
posed hp the sweeping winds. and
which by q circuit would lead her 70
the place. So, making the children
comfortable. Agnes SCI out. the lit
tie boys going a short distance With
her 10 help her through some stone
walls. The way, however, was long
and unsafe for small children, and
sending them back she made her
journey alene over the vast slopes Of
snow % the nearest house In Gras-
mere.
When she asked for news Of her
father and mother she was met with
looks Of dismAy, and the answer that
though they had been urged rot 70
attempt the dangerous path In the
storm they had started for home the
eveaing OF the auction. In half 40
hour the news that George and Sarah
Green were missing, bad spread
through the village. and sixty men
had gathered for The search. Day By
day the search continued, and Al last,
on the nth. far away from the path,
on the verge Of = precipice, Sarah
Green was found dead Al the foot
Of ~ rocks lay her husband, who
had evidently been killed By The fall
The poor ehildren rec lived their par.
ents they had 50 watched for, but
those parents were speeches. for
their comfort and deaf 70 their scr
row.
The heroism Of Agnes land Think
We all viii admit that she was a true
little heroinel won for them many
friends All the people Of the neigh
boFhoed were eager % adopt the 1t
he orphans. and doubtless VOC viii
be glad to know thai the twins were
kept together, while Catherine was
taken By the family Of the met