The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1890-07-03

This IS the way" l said, pointing to
my right.
And we walked off without the slight
est idea where we were going.
We talked about the future at first,
wondering how soon we would come to
some pslatial residence, and on what
sort of beds we would sleep that night.
"We must get out of these woods, or
We'll have to sleep right here on the
ROOTS" said Lulu, at last. I'VE won't
find any palatial residences in this
wood. I went through most Of it when
Tom Briggs took me nutting last fall"
''People say it is twenty miles long,"
answered.; land there's no telling
end of that twenty miles. We must
push right on"
So we kept going, but presently Lulu
said she was hungry, and then we found
out that neither of US had thought to
bring any thing to eat
Of course there was no use worrying
over it; we simply had to endure it; but
we got hungrier and hungrier the. fur
Their we went.
I'VE must have gone at least twenty
miles," Lulu said, at last, land Pm so
tired out can't go any further"
Well, if hadn't known how to talk to
her, she would have sat right down
where she was, and starved to death,
for all know.
But kept my presence of mind, and
told her she must go on whether she
wanted to or not: that sitting down was
not to thought OF for moment
Then she began to talk about home,
and to. wonder what her little sister
Eva was doing, and if Bonnie had cried
after her. And saw she was beginning
to feel sorry she had left.
II don't believe like running away,
after ALL" she said, teacfully; land il
you'll just tell me where we're going to
sleep tonight, Anna Sophia, I'd be
obliged to YOU"
l didn't like her tone at all, but !
kept my temper-for I am glad to say
that have it under good control-and
l told her that we were at least fifteen
or eighteen miles from home, 1 felt
sure, and if we pushed on bravely we'd
come to a house soon; there couldn't be
any doubt about that.
Lulu said it was very we'll to talk
about pushing on, but her feet were
sore, and she'd torn her dress, and it
was nearly dark, and she was afraid OF
bears and snakes; and if she was killed
in those woods it would be all my fault,
for I'd been the one to propose running
away.
I said she might blame it on me if
she liked, but that she had been the
one who had put the idea into my head
first, with her stories of rich old gentle
men adopting girls and leaving them
money. My feet were sore, too, and my
dress was torn, but l wasn't going to cry
about it.
= Lulu was a little ashamed Of herself
then and we got along very we'll for
awhile, but the woods began to grow
dark and the owls and the whip-poor.
wills began to screech, and every story
had ever heard about snakes and
bears and wildcats came into my mind.
If we lay down to sleep was sure wild
cats would come and kill us.
It grew so dark after time that we
couldn't see our hands before our faces,
and we hung on to each other in deadly
terror.
Every time Lulu stepped on root
she screamed out, thinking it was q
snake, and once a. bat flew right into
her face.
But we didn't dare sit down, and
though I was beginning to think we
would hare to stop soon. we kept strug-
Cling on.
All at once we saw light ahead of
us. Yes, it was really light, and what
we felt when we realized that you can
perhaps imagine.
1t was house at last, we felt sure.'
We were so tired we couldn't 20 any
faster. and it seemed an hour before we
stepped out at last into little clearing,
in the middle OF which stood small
cabin, covered with morning-glory and
wandering Indian vine. -.
The door was open, and there was q
woman sitting with her back to it, at a
table. There seemed to me something
familiar about the place, but was too
tired to pay any attention to it, and we
just staggered in.
''Please can we sleep here to-night7''
asked. 1--WE have walked all tho way
from Bondville, and are worn out"
: The woman turned sharp around, and
the light of the candle fell full on her
face. II acds Keziah
Good land" she exclaimed, SIT II
amt Anna Sophia! All the way from
Bondville, be We? Well, that ain t but
half mile off," and she burst out laugh
ing.
told her didn't think there WAS any
thing to laugh at and prese ntly she
stopped,