The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1893-05-05

'''htlhilt away. Out the next Gay al
noon. while Mrs Lee was preparing the
frugal dinner. the front door quietly
opened and. glancing up. she shrickcd
with joyful surprise a. her husband
himself stepped into the room. In lieu
81 knapsack. the tired soldier had
strapped on hrs back afifty-pound bag
II flour and "A fitch Of bacon; and while
one hand held his long rifle the other
was employed in balancing on his
shoulder the headquarters Of freshly
killed deer.
As wife and child rushed forward. he
dropped gun and venison to the floor
and claspcd both i'm his arms; and for n
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 l
doom upon the ear, Of the astonished |
woman. She reeled dizzily backward |
and gasped:
''Why. Robert. is she not with you?
She left yesterday 10 bring you home.
and thought She was outside the door
now.''
The war-worn man groancd in an
guish. but said. without anger:
lis il possible. Deborah. that Won let
that child 20 off alone on such "A jour-
ncy? left camp shortly after daylight
this morning and have seen nothing Of
her. fear she has persisted in the
woods
Then the whole story was told, and
the haiscrazed mother begged her hus-
| band 10 let her accompany him on the
search he instantly prepared to make.
NO. no. wife he replied that
would only add To our troubles lou
must stay here with the boy. But now
while eat some necessary food. you
lad 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"
1t was nearly one o'clock when lee
got away. and he bad barely five hours
Of daylight before hm-hours To be
spent by the sel<-rcproachful wife in
such an agony Of dread as only a
mother SO situated can know. But he
was a strong active man. noty thirty
five years OF age. and knew the sur
rounding forests as student knows
his favored books. The ground was
thiclSly covered by fallen leaves. and
hence the bare feet Of the lost girl had
left no trail but her father. surprising
that she would naturally select the
most direct route took his way through
the beech upland~ without moment
hesitation. though he himself bad come
along a wilder track for the purpose OF
finding 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. we're few crumbs
of cornbread. 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 undergone tn Of young poplars
and other brush was very dense In this
!. tract. and even the skilled woodsman
had some difficulty inkeeping straight
course. Nevertheless. il was not yet
three o'clock when he came ont 10 L
public road on the north bank of the
|
cabin. His heart beat high with hope
as he approached the door: for If hi>
daughter had got thus far. she was safe,
and IL was certain that she would have
= called at this. the first human habita-
y lion She had seen on her way. On en-,
terinr the house Robert Lee found
! within only gricf-stricken young
, woman and an aged man. the husband
and son having fa Hen in the late battle
In answer to his inquiry. the poo'
y widow assured him that no white per
son. man. woman or child. had passee
there during the preceding foEr days
= and he turned sorrowfully away. beint
now convinced that Margery had los
herself in the deep woods. and il still
Q alive. must have suffered terribly. a
there had been a quite severe frost over
night
y Instead OF returning on his own trail
y the alarmed man now broke into -ul
and sped away two miles up the high
way. when he came to another lionel,
y log shanty But neither here could IN
?. obtain any tidingS Of the wandercr.
Then. remembering what Narger.
had said to her mower auOul iDarNhi
:" the trees in case of losing herself. h
struck once more into the woods. TAX
ing an obliquely downstream course, :
as to intersect such signs II any cN
listed For nearly an hour he pu>hc
rcsolutely forward. and ut last on tn
upper edge Of the beech tract came :
..blazc." evidently cut within twenty
four hours. This led to Others along
tolcrably straight. northumberland
line. and il was plain tina; the bcwi
, dcred child had finally begun To travs
in direction exactly opposite 70 tn
one she intended 10 take
Passing with all possible speed froI
> tree to tree. the sturdy pioneer reache
the margin " a vast tamarack swami
and here the guiding marks turned at
right angle and led away parallel To y
border Lee pressed forward on tn
new course for about a mile. and thei
from far in front he heard SCUM
NJ which. while sending the blood J
Or curdlinr terror 10 his heart caused hi
TO redoublc his cxertious.