The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-04-29

few moments all other thoughts were
lost in the happiness Of the meeting
then he looked about him and said:
where is my little Madge, wife?''
The question fell like the knell OF
doom upon the ears of the astonished
woman. She reeled dizzily backward
and gasped:
why, Robert is she not with you:
She left Yesterday to bring You home,
and I thought she was outside the door
nowr'
The war-worn man groaned IN an.
guish. but said, without anger:
rs it possible, Deborah. that you lie,
that child GO OF alone on such jour.
ney? left camp shortly efter daylight
this morning and have seen nothing OF
her. 1 fear she has persisted in the
woods"
Then the whole story was told, and
the half-crazed mother begged her hus-
band TO let her accompany him on the
search he instantly prepared to make.
''No, no. wife" he replied. ''that
would only add to our troubles. You
must stay here with the boy. But now,
while eat some necessary food, you
had better bake some -four cakes and
put up a bottle of milk for me to take
along. If the child has escaped the
wild beasts, she may be wandering
around, half starved"
wild beasts! Oh, Robert, surely
there are none near here now. 1
thought the cannon firing had scared
them away"
Only into the swamp, poor wife,"
he gravely answered. Il shot my deer,
the most timid of all animals, within
two miles of the house as came home "
! 1t was nearly one o'clock when Lee
got away, and he had barely five hours
OF daylight before him-hours to be
! spent by the seif-reproachfui wife in
such an agony of dread as only a
mother so situated can know. But he
was strong active man, not yet thirty
! five years of age, and knew the sur
rounding forests as student knows
his favored books. The ground was
thickly covered by fallen leaves, and
hence the bare feet of the lost girl had
left no trail. but her father, supposing
that she would naturally select the
most direct route. took his way through
the beech uplands without moments
hesitation. though he himself had come
along wilder track for the purpose Of
finding a deer.
After travelling three miles or so, he
came to region of pine and oak, and
here found certain proof that he was
on the right track: for scattered on the
top of a smooth log, were a few crumbs
Of corrbread, while several fresh marks
on its surface showed that. when eat
ing her lunch, the child had amused
herself by trying the edge of her ak.
The underground of young poplars
and other brush was very dense in this
tract, and even the skilled woodsman
had some difficulty in keeping straight
course. Nevertheless, it was not vet
three o'clock when he came out to a
public road on the north bank of the
river Thames, where stood a settlers
cabin. His heart beat high with hope
as he approached the door; for if his
daughter had got thus far, she was safe,
and it was certain that she would have
called at this, the first human habita-
ton she had seen on her way. On en-
tering the house, Robert Lee found
within only O grief-stricken young
woman and an aged man, the husband
and son having fallen in the late battle
In answer to his inquiry, the poor
widow assured him that no white per-
son, man, woman or child. had passed
there during the preceding four DAYS;
and he turned sorrowfully away. being
now convinced that Margory had lost
herself in the deep woods, and, if still
alive, must have Suffered terribly, as
there had been a quite severe frost over
night.
Instead of returning on his own trail,
the alarmed man now broke into run
and sped away two miles up the high
way, when he came to another lonely
log shanty. But neither here could he
obtain any tidings of the wanderer.
Then, remembering what Margery
had said to her mother about marking
the trees In case of losing herself, he
struck once more into the woods, TAX
ing an obliquely downstream course, so
as to intersect such signs. if any ex-
listed. For nearly an hour he pushed
resolutely forward. and at last, on the
upper edge of the beech tract. came TO
a ''blaze," evidently cut within twenty
four hours. This led to others along
straight. northward- bearing
line, and it was plain that the Devil
dered child had finally begun to travel
in direction exactly opposite 30 the
one she intended to take
Passing with all possible speed from
tree to tree, the sturdy pioneer reached
the margin OF vast tamaracl6 swamp.
and here the guiding marks turned at n
right angle and led away parallel to its
border. Lee pressed forward ON this
new course for about mile. and then.
from far in front, he heard a sound
which, while sending the blood in
terror TO his heart, caused him
TO redouble his exertions.
AS, swiftly and silently. he threaded
the tangled maze, the terrible sounds
became each moment more plainly
audible, until, on peering out from
lump Of heavy underbrush. he saw. not
thirty yards away, bowling pack Of
great gray wolves! The ravenous brutcs
we're sitting on their launches and gaz-
re so intent!y upward at some object.
TO hin: unseen. that they had not heard
lor scented his approach
To sink on one knee and bring his
-ife-barrel on level with two of the
,reat'lres ranging in line was but the
work Of q moment. and as the whip-lite
export rang out, both rolled over in the
hrs q As-z:h u-hiln he re. o. Tie !