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

For several moments there was
dead silence, which | construed to
mean that the inquirer for Mollie was
doubtful nbout revealing his own
identity.
The owls, probably attracted by my
voice, came huttering all around me,
and iimrs il seemed ns if they would
attack me and drive me away, nm in
truder of their own domain.
Then suddenly, touchingly, prayer
fully, came the voice from the thicket
once more
"Oh, Molliel Mullicl Molliei"
The voice was the qunvering voice of
an old man, and ~ hopclessly tender
and hclplessly bcseeching that tn cry
went straight to my hcnrt. 'I nm
coming cried, and walked IA fast
ns ] could ior the darkness toward the
thicket from whence the voice came.
A thousand thoughts ran through
my mind and every direction had ever
heard about how to trent eases in any
emergency flashed through my memo
ry. Who was this old III IN, evidently
in mortal agony, alone and helpless in
the forest? Was his throat pnrtly cut?
Was he shot through the body? Was
Lao, Al, .,,1 I
myself over and over again. Then
terrible thought came 20 me. Perhaps
it was an escaped lunatic, blood
thirsty mailman, with all mndmnn's
cunning, lying in wait to fall upon and
destroy the pitying wan1erer who
chanccd to come his wny, lured toward
him by his pitiiul cries in the dark
ness.
As | thought of this I stopped in
stinctivelv and peered around me eau
tiously. The dark thicket lay only
few stcpn in front of me. How cnsy
it would he for n man with manac's
strength to leap forward, clutch mo by
the thront with his powerful fingers,
more cruel than the claws of the ferc-
est wild beast in the forest
! sprang back in terror. Nothing
moved, however. There was no
moan, no cry, only the tangled vines
and underground, and darkness in
front of me.
SIS there any one in distress-any
one needing help and assistance close
by?" ! asked in loud but quavering
tones. There was no answer. / walk
ed III near to the thicket as I could,
and peercd into the vines and bushes,
but could see nothing, and was about
to withdraw Mt safe distance again,
when voice in faint tones gasped out
above my head
"Help! Hclp!"
Above me could only see the inter
lacing limbs of the trees, with rift
here and there through which II glim-
mering star peeped down from the
dark blue of the summer sky. An
owl occasionally flew by, and n solitary
frehy flashed her emerald light ns she
winged her zig.zag flight through the
darkness.
Again and again from the darkness
above me came the cry for help, and
in such distressing tones that it almost
set me wild with fear. The owls came
Tutoring around me, and the bats
darted on kissing wings on every side.
Then again came piercing cry from
the thicket, followed by n succession of
them, until my ears rang, and the cold
sweat poured from my forehead. /
sank to the ground exhausted and hid
my face, for never can the widest i'm
agination conceive of the pandemoni-
um which reigned in the forest at that
hour.
How long lay there or how long
he'bats and owls and the unearthly
noise and screams lasted 1 can never
tell. When / raised my head again
day was breaking in the east aud the
dense darkness was tinted with shad-
owy gray.
I sprang to my feet and looked
about me. Nothing unusual met my
sight, and only the song of mock
ing bird close by greeted my ears.
Tired and weary, 1 wandered away,
and as I went looked around me eau
tiously to see that no lurking harm
would overtake me.
Il was about an hour after sunrise
that morning when l came upon a
small house in clearing in the forest.