Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-12-27

A Lost Man Rescued and Starving nesg
Saved by the spirit OF Her Father.


From the Philadelphia Tines
Ichecked NV horse, and after one long.
straining look around owned 10 myself that I
was lost had suspected the fact some time
since. but had stubbornly fought down the
suspicion though my horse evidently realised
With patient endurance he plodded along, res
ignation plainly expressed in the drcop OF his
tail and ears In place Of the ranch, the hearty
welcome. plessan, cords. bed, supper, and nrs
had expected 10 reach by sunset there vs.
nothing TO be seen before. behind, on either
hand, hut the dead level OF the plain There
were paths in plenty; in fact. the trouble VAS
there were too many-all narrow and winding.
for whose mesndering there seemed not ne
slightest excuse except the general tendency 20
crookedness most things animate and insnsr
mate alike possess. But IL would have taken
the instinct of blood hound or q trailing In
dian 10 have said which paths had been made
by horses feet or those of cattle.
Now that the sun was gone. L found my
knowledge Of the point Of the compass gone
with H. As sat perpleNed and worried the
gloom 81 twilight gathered fast and tho chill
Of coming rain smote me through and through.
while IN the distance there the roll OF
thunder. CHANGING up i saw that the masses
OF cloud had closed together in n curtain OK
gray mist. Nv horse strobe on OF his own &C
cord. and hoping that his instinct would lead NJ
80 some house. 1 let HIM have his wall.
Presently AZ began a. rain. sort Of heart
broken passionloss weeping. but with steady
oetefmnation TO perseNere all night, that
awoke graver apprehension in INV bosom than
any amount OF clustering. shosery downPour
could have done. This hne. still rain was &C
/ companiod by low. soughing wind that added
It's desolate note 20 the general droarinese OF
4 the hour. or course l did not mind a little
/ ram. but the prospect Of spending the entire
night exposed 20 il was ANYTHING but agreeable,
and grew really violent IN dehunciation OF the
MI lss.g
country, 20 attempt to find anything less than
q Volcano IN active eruption hald prairie.
| lhe Texans are a fine people. IN many re-
spects the most admirable of hosts-but indi-
Nlduallv and collectively they lack any appre-
citation OF distance This is due. OF course, 10
them having so much space around them; but
! 10 a stranger ignorant Of the extent 20 which
the phrases "a little piece Of out" and Just
outside o town" be stretched. this con-
! temptuous regard of miles is little misleading.
| But IN the face of that dreary. monotonous moan
ing OF rain and wind. even anger at my own folly
could not burn long, and though chilled 20 the
bone and tired and hungry, Plodded on duly.
grateful that no night even the longest. could
/ last forever. 1t was now quite dark, and very
dark at that though at short invervals close 20
the horizon faint CLEAN of lightning showed.
| too distant To cas-. brightness on nv path and
Only sufficient TO intensity the backness about
! me.
| All nj once I saw a man walking about fifteen
feet in front of me. Yes. I know said IL was
intensely dark. but all the same, l repeat IL
, saw man walking in front of me. and further
more l could see that he was a large man,
| dressed in rongh. but Violating elofher; that
! he wore a heavy red beard. and that he looked
| back a. me from time 10 time with an express
SION of keen anxiety on his otherwise rather
| fixed features.
''iiallo." cried. but as he dii not hal. con-
| ciuded he did not hear me. As a second hail
produced no result spurred my weary horse
up 10 oyertake the stranger But. though the
aal,x
| able under the circumstances, L soon found
that this strange pedestrian did not intend TO
let me catch up with him. Not that he hurried
| himself. He seemed without any eSertlon To
keep good fifteen feet between Us. Then /
began To wonder how, with the intense dark
| ness shutting me in a. four black walls. was
yet able 10 see my strange companion so clearly,
| to take in the details of his dress and even the
| expression OF his face, and that at a distance
more than twice my horses length when :
could hardly see his head before me. ! am nq<
given to superstitious fancies and my only led
ing was OF curiosity.
We went on in silence for nearly half an hour,
when as suddenly as he had appeared. be was
gone. looked around for hmm. halt afraid,
from his instant and comp ete disappearance,
that lad been dreaming. when perceived
| that was close to "A small low building Of some
sort. / refined IN and shouted several times,
but not the slightest response could hear. and
at last rode boldly up and tapped on the wall
! Win The batt of my riding whip. Then, "a Tins
elected no sign of life. 4 concluded that had
stumbled ON some deserted house. or that it
was the abode Of my eccentric friend; 50. dis-
mounting and tying the gray, 4 resolved TO
spend the res. of the night under roof or TO
find some good reason Tor continuing NV jour
new. L felt nv way along the wall tll reached
a door. and trying this and finding that 1t
yielded 20 me. stepped inside, striking match
as did so. Fortunately, carried my matches
in air-tight case and a. il WAS dry the one I
struck gave me hight at once. found my
IL.
which rude shelf placed, and on TINS
raantd saw a. oil lamp, to which applied
my match.
On the hearth was heaped a quantity Of
| ashes and over these croucued a child. Little
girl of five six. At the other end Of the
room, which was plainly and scantiiy furnished,
| lay a man across a bed. and az L raised the lamp
| saw that he the same had been follow
ing. but there something in his attitude
and face that struck me AZ peculiar, and was
about to go forward and look at him. when the
child. who had at first seemed dazed at the
light. fairly threw herself upon me.
Have you anything for Nelly TO eat2" she
said, ana then: ''Oh. Nelly so hungry
L ran my hand into my pocket and drew
forth what had been a paper bag Of chocolate
candy, but was now a PUPPY manipulating
mass. l must confess 90 a childish fondness
for sweets, which usually carry IN some form
about me. handed the remains Of my days
supply to the child and then walked over to
the bed. Yes, it was the same man, red beard,
rough clothes, but setting oil the magniiccnt
frame TO perfection; the same man, but dead
long dead.
took his hand only TO find it stiff and cold,
while his face had the dull gray aspect never
seen in the newly dead. As 1 stood gazing
down on him little hand touched mine.
Nelly 80 hungry said tine child.
slave you eaten all the candy L asked
her.
Yes, yes, But me hungry, for me had no
dinner, no brekkus, no supper and papa won't
get up"
The house. which consisted Of the large
room. a smaller kitchen. and q shed. where I
found quantity of hay and fodder, seemed
quite bare OF food, but by dint of searching IN
the hay discovered a nest, which Nellie IN
formed me there, and in il two fresh eggs.
These boiled for her. H'I.n she had hnished
l soothed her TO sleep on a bed i made for her
before the fire. Then after had put my horse
in the shed room and fed him 1 performed -
well as 1 could a service for the dead.
When day dawned was able TO discern st
some distance from the house line OF tele-
graph poles and taking the child with me fol-
lowed these TO the nearest town, where L nota-
fed the authorities Of the death.
The dead mans name was Frederick Barn
staple He an EnglishInan, so 1 found, .
| recent arrival in those parts. His daughter was
q, sl.a IA