The Arkansaw traveler., 1888-04-07


 suppose, and I knew the time must be close upon midnight, when the storm which had been brewing broke. The thunder roared, rain fell in torrents the best could do was to press on- ward in it.
 All at once, as I rode on, cry startled me; a faint, wailing sound, like the cry of child. Refining up, I sat still and listened. Had I been mistaken? No, there it was again. But ill what direction could not tell. I couldn't see a thing. It was, as I have said, as dark as pitch.
 Getting off my horse, I felt about, but could find nothing. And while I was seeking the cry came again-the faint moan of child in pain. Then I began to wonder. I am not super stitious, but I asked myself how it was possible that child could be out on the prairie at such an hour and in such night. No j; a real child it could not be.
 Upon that came another thought one less welcome. Was it trap to hinder me on my way and ensnare me? There might be midnight robbers who would easily hear of my almost certain ride home that night and of the money should have about me.
 I don't think, sir, I am more timid than other people; not as much SO, perhaps,as some but I confess the idea made me uneasy. My best plan was to ride on as fast as I could, and get out of the mystery into safe quarters. Just here was about the darkest bit of road in all the route. Mounting my horse, was about to urge him on, when the cry came again. It did sound like child's; the plaintive vail of child nearly exhausted.
 "God guide mel" I said, undecided what to do. And as I sat another moment listening, once more heard the cry, fainter and more faint. threw myself off my horse with an exclamation.
 "Be it ghost or be it robber, An thony Hunt is not one to abandon a child without trying to save it."
 But how was to save it?-how find it? The more I searched about, the less could my hands light on anything, save the sloppy earth. The voice had quite ceased now, so l had no guide from that. While I stood trying to peer into the darkness, all my eyes alert, flood of sheet lightning sud- denly illumined the plain. At little distance, just beyond a kind of ridge or gentle hill, I caught glimpse of something white. It was dark again in moment, but I made my way with unerring instinct. Sure enough, there lay poor little child. Whether boy or girl I could not tell. I seemed to be three parts insensible now, as took it up, dripping with wet, from the sloppy earth.
 "My poor little thing~ I said as hushed it to me. "We'll go and find nanny. You are all safe now"
 And in answer the child just put out it's feeble hand, moaned once and nestled close to me.
 With the child hushed to my breast I rode on. It's perfect silence soon showed me that it slept. And, sir, I thanked God that he had let me save it, and thought how grateful some poor mother would be. But I was full of wonder for all that, wondering what extraordinary fate had taken any young child to that solitary spot.
 Getting in sight of home, I saw all the windows alight. Deborah had done it for me, thought, to guide me home in safety through the dark ness. But presently I knew that something must be the matter, for the very few neighbors we had were col lected there. My heart stood still for fear. thought of some calamity to one or other of the children. I had saved like one from perishing, but what might not have happened to my own?
 Hardly daring to lift the latch while my poor tired horse stood still and mute outside, went slowly in, the child in my arms covered over with the flap of my long coat. My wife was weeping bitterly.
 "What's amiss?" I asked in faint voice. And it seemed that whole chorus of voices answered me.
 "Dolly's lost"
 Dolly lost Just for moment my heart turned sick. Then some instinct, like ray of tight hope, seized upon me. Pulling the coat off the face of the child l held, I lifted the little sleeping thing to the light, and saw Dolly!
 Yes, sir. The child I had saved was no other than my own, my little Dolly. And l knew that Gods good angels had guided me to save her, and that the first flash of summer light ming had shone just at the right mo- ment to show me where she lay. It was her white sun-bonnet that had