The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1893-10-25
IN THE PINERIES.

Hour after hour and minute after
minute the road had become more and
more dim and uncertain, and ns dark
ness set in I found myself deep in the
wilderness, completely lost, hungry
and tired, with no prospect in view
but t. spend the night without any
shelter in the open air.
Although ! hnd TO acknowledge to
myself that | did not know in what
direction | was going, | was still lonth
TO stop. | kept on going somewhere,
stumbling here and falling there, nm
Til Mt last | was too weary to get up
again and lay where had fallen.
| was deep within the pinerics of East
era Texas. Thh ground under foot
was soft and springy and felt ms if il
had been but newly made-frash from
the hand of the Creator. But the giant
pines lowered high above me, and /
knew that the ground was at least as
old rs the trees, not made purposely
that day to bawilder me in its shnd,
Ows and the deeper darkness of night.
As lay upon the ground where Ind
fallen, pcering through the moving
riffs in the tree tops above me, watch
ing the twinkling stars, and the drift
ing gulf clouds, nm unearthly scream
reached my ears. Never before had |
heard cry 30 piercing, q sound 80 I'M
earthly.
Again and again the cry. came
through the darkness, and it was only
by sheer desperation that / managed
to rise to my feet, the better to enable
me TO look about, and if possible to
discover the source from which the
cry emunated. / strained my eyes
looking through the darkness, but /
could see nothing except the nearest
trees rearing their giant forms into
the deeper darkness above me.
For a minute or two after the last
terrible scream there was dead si-
lence, unbroken even by the gentle
soughing of the wind in the tree
tops. Then the hoot of an owl in the
distance reverberated through the for
eat, and its sound, generally startling
and uncanny, seemed rs sweet rs mu-
sic in my ears. Again and again the
owl hooted, and in few minutes an
swering boots rang through the dark
ness from every direction, and soft
futter of wings was heard above as
they flew hither and thither in search
of food or trying their wings in wide
circles for fun and pleasure.
! had begun to grow calm and col
lected again under the soft influence
of the waiting wings of the owls and
their occasional calls to one another,
when suddenly, close to my ear, Il
sharp, rasping voice inquired;
"Where is Mollie?"
I looked around hastily, but could
see nothing, and all could hear after
the voice was hushed was the hutter
of wings and the monotonous boots
of the owls.
How long I sat and listened I do
not know. The sameness of the
sounds of the forest lulled me to sleep
ut last, and slumbered lightly upon
the ground.
1t might have been an hour or il
might have been only minute that ]
had lost consciousness in sleep when
something or somebody tapped me
smartly upon the cheek and a piercing
cry for help rang through my ears and
echoed through the darkness of the
forest. sprang to my feet and
looked around me with wide awake
and staring eyes.
could see nothing Then from 9
thicket little to my right came til,
moans of man as if in mortal agony
and presently voice asked complain
iagly:
''Where's Mollie?"
Not knowing Mollie or her where
abcuts. was. of course, unable to an