The morning call., 1893-10-01
M USic,

cheek and a piercing cry for help rang
through my ears and echoed through the
darkness Of the forest. l sprang to my
feet and looked around me with wide
awake and staring eyes.
L could see nothing. Then from a thicket
little to my right came the means OF a
man as il in mortal agony, and presently a
voice asked complainingly:
where's Mollie?"
Not knowing Mollie or her whereabouts
was of course unable to answer, but as is
usual III cases where ignorance of the ques-
tlon precludes reply. proceeded to pro-
pound a question of my own.
who are you?" / asked.
For several moments there was dead
silence. which I construed 10 mean that
the inquirer for MOllie was doubtful about
the propriety of revealing his own iden-
titv.
The owls. probably attracted by the
sound of my voice, came f1uttering all
around me, and Mt times it seemed as If
they would attack me and drive me away,
an intruder of their own domain.
Then suddenly, toncfingly. prayerfully,
came the voice from the thicket once more
''Oh, Molie! Mollie! Mollie!'
The voice was the Quavering voice of an
old man. ana SO h0pelessly tender and
belplessly beseeching that the cry went
straight to my heart. IL am coming"
cried, and walked as fast as / could for the
darkness toward the thicket whence the
voice came.
A thousand thoughts ran through my
mind and everydirecti0n had heard or read
about how to treat cases in an emergency
flashed through my memory. Who was
this old man evidently. in mortal ngon y.
alone and helpless in the forest? Was his
throat partly cut? WAS he shot through
the body? Was he MANNED and mutila-
ted? / asked myself over and over again.
Then terrible thought came to me. Per-
haps it was an escaped lunatic. a blood.
thirsty mailman. with all a madman's Gun
ming. lying in wait to fall upon and de-
stroy the plying wanderer who CHANGED
to come his way, lurPd toward him by his
pitiful cries in the darkness.
AS thought of this l stopped instinc-
lively and peered around me cautiously.
The dark thicket lay only few steps in
front of me- How easy it would be for a
man with maniac's strength to leap for
wacd. clutch me by the throat with his
powerful fingers, more cruel than the
claws of the fercest wild beast in the
forest.
Isprang back in terror. Nothing moved.
however. There was no moan, no cry.
only the tangled vines and underground,
and darkness 10 front of me.
rs there any one in distress-any one
uccuIuE Uelp Auu dSSiStduCo ClOSo Dys i
asked in loud but Quivering tones. There
was no answer. l walked as near to the
thicket as ! could and peered into the
vines and bushes. but could SEQ nothing.
and was about to withdraw to safe dis
lance again. when voice in faint tones
capped out above my head:
''Help! Helpw
Above me l could only see the inter-
lacing limbs of the trees. with n rift here
and there through which q glimmering
star peeped down from the dark blue of
the summer sky. An owl occasionally
few by and solitary FREELY flashed her
emerald lights as she winged her zigzag
fight through the darkness.
Again and again from the darkness
above ME came the cry for help, and in
such distressing tones that il almost set
me wild with fear. The owls came flut-
ierng around me and the bats darted on
Kissing wings on every side. Then again
came piercing cry from the shicket,
followed by succession Of them, until
my ears rang and the cold sweat poured
from my forehead. sank to The ground
exhausted and hid nv face, Tor never can
the widest Imagination conceive OF the
pandemonium which reigned in the forests
at that hour.
How long lay there or how long the
bats and owls ard the unearthiy noise and
screams lasted can never tell. When ]
raised my hend agaln day was breaking in