Los Angeles herald., 1891-05-03

looking up l saw big, bearded face
bending over me. The man had dog
with him and gun. l couldn't speak.
Another great crack of thunder came.
I could only cling to him and cry.
"Lost, s'pose" he asked, taking me
| up in his strong arms
eyes, Yes, sir!" / finally stammered.
"Umph!" exclaimed my deliverer.
"Wall, reckon I'd better take ye to the
cabin and dry ye off, and then we'll see
where ye belong"
The dog bounded ahead, and the big,
kind faced man carried me easily on one
arm, and, shouldering his gun, made
great, bold strides through the woods
He must have known them well, for a
black night was coming on and the rain
was binding. We had gone only lit
tie way when bright and ruddy light
appeared. Here we were at the "cabin."
The door opened into a cheerful
kitchen, and at the threshold stood
young girl holding lantern.
"Here ye are, popw she cried in well
come. "Look out, Jackr' to the dog,
who, covered with mud, made leap at
her.
"Why, pop. what on earth have you
got there?'
"Gal," was the only reply of the big
man.
"Ga1! Lost? Oh, the poor little thing!"
cried the girl, and then was put in
chair by the kitchen fire, and my wet
shoes and stockings were pulled off and
80 was my dripping gown, and was
wrapped in a big. warm shawl and
given cup of hot milk to drink.
They were very kind and gentle to me,
rough people though they were, and
neither papa nor 1 ever forgot their good
ness to poor little stranger.
When 1 could speak without shivering
I told them my name and where lived.
II shouldn't have come into the
woods" ended. ''Ive been told not to,
but was running after the rabbit to see
where he lived, and ran on and on and
forgot"
"Why, pop" exclaimed the girl, 'it's
Mr.. Harvey's little girl"
"Oh, yes" said the man, 81 know
squire Harvey"
please, SIR" I asked, "are you the
hunter?'
"Aye, spose so," answered the man,
''leastways, hunt most of the time"
"Then," said, beginning to cry again,
"then Pm far from home, way at the
other side of the woods" l had heard
of the hunters cabin. "Oh," went on,
"what will they say athome? They will
be so frightened What shall do?'
The man went to the window and
looked out.
"The storm is ragin'," he said, and in
deed we could hear it.
II tell ye, little gal, you'll have to
wait till mornin'. No one could ever git
through them woods tonight"
felt dreadfully, careless as I was.
knew how they would suffer at home,
and yet there was no help for it.
cried and sobbed, and after while
the girl carried me up the little rickety
pair of stairs to her own tiny room.
There were only two rooms up stairs
the girls where 1 was taken, and her
fathers. 1t was a poor little room. but
quite clean, and the bed was very, very
narrow.
"There," said the kind hearted girl,
tucking up my little body under the
warm quilt. II reckon I'll have to sleep
on the floor; I've got some bedclothes
down stairs put away, so I'll git 'em
out. Now, I'll just leave you the candle,
and I'll be up in an hour or two."
Then she went away, and left me alone
in the strange little room. I looked
about me as I lay. 1t all seemed so odd
and my head felt so queer. and now and
then cold shiver would run up and
down my body.
I couldn't sleep; my eyes were wide
open.
There was an old rag carpet on the
floor, and over in the corner funny old
fashioned chest of drawers and poor
little table on which the candle stood,
and one worn out chair.
Bang! bang went the shutters! Oh.
how the wind howled, and then would
come the sudden, fearful crashes of
thunder that seemed directly above my
bed!
trembled so that my teeth chartered
| should have been very warm, for the
coverings on the bed were thick and
plenty, but still I felt very, very cold
and shivered dreadfully. 1t was silent
except for the noise OF the raging storm
without.
was frightened up there, all alone, in
that strange place.
The candle fiickered and made ugly
shadows on the wall, and, oh! 1 wished
that the girl would come up stairs. |
thought of papa and Maria, and longed
for the day to come that they might
know was safe and sound.
And presently knew nothing, for a
few moments, it seemed to me.
Bang! bangl went the shutters again.
sat up, wide awake, with dreadful
terror in my heart.
In the moment that had slept had
dreamed of the old woman in the blanket.
l was not cold now; seemed to be
burning up, and l tried to call out. l
wanted some one to come to me; I was
so afraid, what with the storm and my
dream and the strange, lonely place.
My voice seemed very faint and weak,
so crawled from the bed and it was
hard to move. The candle was still
Pickering on the table, and cast but a
dim light into the little passageway.
Ireached the stairs, but all seemed ST.
I IL. H. I. i