New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1891-12-09
TO THE LEFT OF THE TRAIL.
There it Was That Travellers Found
Marks Of q Tragedy.

uAt1TE<S VI - - . SsA
We sit in our saddles and look
down upon a blood-spot on the dry,
short grass "a few bones the rags
and tatters OF boys clothing. Moth
ing else to be seen. The wolves are
sleeping in some of the dry ravines
the vultures have picked the last shred
OF flesh from the bones and sailed
heavily away to scan the plains from
some better coign of vantage
To the right is the same monotonous
plain-ridge after ridge, valley after
valley out-crop of rock, stunted sage
brushes and sterile sail. A madden
ing almost endless monotony.
70 the left five miles away is the
great overland trail, which winds
across halt a continent. Yesterday
afternoon train of six or eight emil
grant wagons was moving slowly
along the trail There were rough
and rugged men there, brave women,
children full of excitement and curl
osity. Now and then they climb
down from the wagons to run after,
to inspect the grim and lonely graves
to be met with at every mile of the
journey. There are buffalo skulls
whitened to ghastliness by sun and
rain; flowers here and there struo-
Cling for life amidst the sun-browned
grass.
This boy. But who con tell? He
may have Jagged behind-lost himself
IN one OF the raviues aye! even fallen
asleep as he sat down to rest for a
moment. If they missed him before
darkness came their search was fruit
less. 1t their shouts reached his ears
they simply terrified him. He knew,
when the red sun went down and the
long shadows began to stalk across
the earth, that he was lost. Had thew
happened upon him then they would
have found him speeches. with fear.
Had they called him by name he would
have fled from them, mad through
terror.
AS night comes down he runs hither
and yon. He does not shout: if he
could speak aloud the sound of his own
voice would add to his own horror,
By and by his tired limbs fail him and
he falls to the earth and seeks to hide
from the darkness-from the awful
stlllness-from the great fear which
freezes his blood and makes him SILVER
as with winters blast. OF sudden a
sound breaks the Stiffness long
drawn quavering Rowland the bow
springs up with stifed scream and
peers about him. -
All! A wolf! The gaunt beast. his
fur ragged and stained, is only
ten feet away. He has scented and
sighted the boy from afar off and soft
~ crept down upon him. He sees that
the boy is defenseless; he could bear
him down and tear his throat in a.
minute. But single wolf has no
bravery. He has summoned others to
share the feast.
go away-pm afraid of you!'
whispers the child as he looks about
him. .4".
Flee into the darkness to meet 9TH
ers? Stand and hope that men may
come to rescue him? Raise his child
ish voice and cry out in the darkness?
''Patter! Patter! Pattern' From out
the black darkness other wolves ap-
pear-two- ee- fve-six. They
sniff and growl. They rush against
each other and gnash their yellow
fangs. They sneak and skulk about
and the foam drops here and there and
spots the grass.
go away, I say" whispers the
boy as they circle about him. Their
eyes shine like Goals of fire in the
darkness They move as swiftly as
shadows. Their fierce growls fill the
boy with new terror. OF a sudden
they rush upon him and all is over,
We have found the blood spots and
the bones-the tatters of clothing.
Those who are seeking for the lost
will find him not-not even enough to
lay away beneath the baked earth
and raise another gruesome mound
along the overland trail Detroit
Free Press.