The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1892-10-08
a CRITICAL MOMENT.

the Clearing, but 1t amt safe for any
OF you to go into the forest"
So spoke Simon Grey to his wife "a
,,o was aho,,,+ -.
"''1 w "ei''f' oi " i''iiV'hs
expeditson'
II Will look out for them husband;
they shan't Get from under NV eva If
Icon helm :, W., ,.;m Ga r.. ~,
-, VIM i''i'' mem ,''
.e '''''i souua Wheh you come oack,
unless we are molestcd here"
lave little OF that; they won't he
ant IN co,,o oloso 20 .i,o 1t !; ~
800 ~ '''' '''''.' III .''e
"aS time, ana IL nave goou luck L
shall be home again before dinner"
Get back as soon as you can; |
always feet little ANXIOUS while you
are away
You needn't worry about me. Now,
| piust be Oil BE careful, Susan"
And swinging his musket over his
shoulder, Simon crossed the clearing
with rapid strides, and disappeared
into the gloom OF the forest.
His wife watched him until he was
hidden from sight and turned to her
work within the cab n. Having dressed
the children, boys OF four and six
years OF age, she said warninrlv:
you must not 90 far ayat, from
the cabin TODAY. bows, pnna savs
that the woods are full of bears and
wild cats that would tenr vo, to
pieces. Ii YOU disobev mo he will
punish you when he Gets back. if the
bears do not carry Won OIL"
Cant weco ont and feed our SOUR
Tcls?" said Harry, the oldest. "They
will want something to eat. and we've
got lots OF nuts for them
Let Ills 20 and see them lust once"
begged Alick. They are lust as cum
ming as they can be-
mo, you are not going into the
woods until your father gets back.
The squirrels will have to find their
own nuts to-day, and | guess they
can find them with their Sham ewes
Remember. YOU must stay in sioht of
the cabin"
Half sullenly the little boys went
ont to plav. In the edce of the forest
IN hollow, hpair OF squirrels were
rearing family. larry and Alick
led them with nuts and other things
they liked ana they had become so
tame that they would eat from their
hands, Every few moments the
children looked lonsinsly III the di-
rection OF the forest where their pets
had their nome. they could tell the
exact spot, Tor near 1t stood tall
Tree.
'ihey became more restless each
moment and 1t was evident from the
glances that Hurry now and
then cast WITHIN the cabin That
he would like to escape from his
mothers watchlul eyes ana hurry
away to that forbidden ground.
Hours passed, ana at length Sus-
ans vigilance relaxed In a measure.
Busy with her work, the children were
Tor time forgotten. Presently, not
hearing their voices, she went to the
door. Evidently they had disobeyed
her and had wandered away.
"Childrenp' she cried i'll Il tone i'll
which We're blended alarm and re-
proof. Harry, where are you? Did
j not forbid you to leave the cab
in!"
But the echo OF her own voice was
all the renlv abe received.
"rhev have gone into the woods"
she thought. what would Simon
sav If he knew II harm comes to
them he will never forgive me-
She closed the cabin door and turn
cd her foce toward the SQUIRRELS tree.
where she felt sure she would find her
nauohtv bovs. As she passed the
woo1nile she armed herself with her
husbands ax. that she might have n
weanon in case it was needed. Then
she hurried across the clearing. and in
n few minutes gained the outskirts of
the forest. A little .arther on was
The hollow treo. As no sound came
from that direction. she bfpan to fear
TINT The children we're not here: ifnot.
whittier could they have wandered?
silently she crept toward the spot.
and to her ioy saw them stretched up-
on the ground, feeding their pets with
the nuts they had gathered on the
way. Susan was approaching them
hurriedly when suddenly she behe!d an
object which arrested her steps and
seemed to turn her heart to ice. A
hupe hear was creeping noiselessly to-
ward the tree. and hardly n dozen
Yards away.
only for a moment did she remain
motionless, and then, graspiny the AK
more firmly in her hands, she sprang