West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1891-08-27
"eoD KNOWS"

VIC han oeen rlulng Tor tive long
days over the dreary plains-the
same monotonous scenery ALWAYS i'm
siew-rough sterile ground-out-
cropping OF rock--a lone tree or
brush at long intervals--the ground
baked and cracked under the SUM
incr SIN. The prairics were made
to enrich the farmor-the plains to
revenge OH man and beast. Only
the serpeut can live there. Over
these barren stretches TO birds fly-
on them no wolf can find living.
The monotony is maddening-the
sterillty appalling.
The sun was only an hour high
as the column obliqucd more to the
left in search of camping ground.
Those of us in advance were just
ascending n large swell covered with
large boulders when Il trooper sud.
denly cried out in alarm, and petn-
ted to something on tho ground at
his horses feet. We gathered
around him, and for q minute no
one spoke. There, cuddled against
tho rcck, was a skeleton--a clean
picked, bleached skeleton, with
never n bone missing from its place.
1t was. as all saw at a glance, the
skeleton of a child not over six or
seven years of age. The shoes,
which had rotted from the feet the
few bits of cloth ; the buttons lying
about proved it to be the skeleton
OF n little girl. 1t had sought
what little shelter the rock afforded,
and it had died therc-died as il
the grim messenger had come IN its
dreams. 1t lay on its side, the
head resting on the right arm. and
the limbs were rs composed as il
death had brought no pain.
Whose child ?" asked SER
gcant, whose child, and when ?"
"Ah /! who could answer (! Fifty
miles away was the immigrant trail.
One-two = three - perhaps five
years before, II wagon had left the
convoy for some reason and became
lost on this desolate expanse. a
child had wander away from camp
in search of nowcrs-had been left
sleeping in the grass by accident.
No one could toll how 1t happened,
but every one conld imagine what
followed. A child Of seven left
alone in this awful region, where
The voice OF bird is never heard
where rattlc-snakes sun themselves
on every le ige-whcre the starving
wolf fits by like shadow as he
hastens to other fields. The very
terror of it would strike her dumb.
She would stare about. hor with an
awful wildncss in her cyes-her face
would be whittier than snOw-hpr
lips would part, but no word could
pass them. Then she would fee,
attempt to run away from the lone
lines and dcsolatlon. She might
live two days--;hrce--four. Then
hunger and thirst aud mental tor
turc would overcome her, and she
would lie down to die.
Whose child, and when ?"
asked the sergeant as others came
pack TO look down on the bleaching
skeleton.
This time a captain answered.
brcnzcd faced, gray-haircd man who
had seen many mysteries OF the
kind. Removing his cap he turned
his face to heaven and answered {:
"God only knows"
Hearts had acbed-heaYts may
have broken hearts might be
aching then and for long years to
cone.
We went to the wagon for spades
and head-board. A. few feet from
the rock we dug a little grave and
the skeleton was tcnderly lifted up
and deposited therein, and as tho
earth covered them up a score OF
she men uncovered their heads and
tho capita in said
Earth to carth-ashes to ashes
dust to dust The mystery is
with The, Oh, Lord ~
Aud on the head-board VIC carved
the legend which men may read to-
day
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