The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1894-03-13

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Well, half an hour ago | heard her
cry for a moment, just as children dc
at times when disturbed in their sleep.
l started up, but as she ceased crying
almost Immediately l lay down again
with my ear to the ground. About day
light, when a little breeze starts up, it
will be colder, and she will cry again.
Then l may get her; if not, I'll find her
as soon as it is light enough to see the
trail. She is not 200 yards from this
spot, but | don't know the direction ex-
actly.
You take things very coolly. Let
me 60 and get another lantern. Think
of the wretchedness of the parents. Be
sides, the child may chill to death. "
"No fear of her death from the cold.
These little prairie youngsters are very
hotblooded. | have not found it cold
lying here in the weeds and grass.
told the father I'd find his child, and
I'm not going to have all that rabble
rushing down here, tearing through the
corn like wild men. Now, go back to
camp. About daylight let the child
uncle, Clark Lewis, come on his horse
to the cross fence. Then you come on
here, and we will go and get the child. >
But the father, what shall ! tell
him?"
''Give him this little nitten. Tell
him that | have not lost the trail, and
that he shall have his child before the
sun is an hour high. But tell him to
keep this news to himself and remain
quietly at camp. If the men up there
want to ride about the prairies, let them
go-I don't want crowd down here in
this cornfeld.
went back to the camp, and taking
the father aside gave him the little nit
ten and as much comfort as l could. A
great fear that his little girl was dead
Immediately seized him, however.
mo, " said l, she is sleeping quietly
enough. "
Quietly sleepingl How do You know
that?''
For answer | repeated what my cous-
in had told me. When mentioned the
crying of the child, the father wanted
to at once rush away to my cousin.
"No, let him 60 on in his own cool,
slow and sure way. You will make him
nervous and hasty."
Next l sought out Clark Lewis, and
by the time / had told him what was
required of him signs of dawn were Wis
fble In the east. He wished to set out
Immediately, and while he was getting
his horse l borrowed lantern contain
ing half candle in order to begin the
trailing at once, for until after sunrise
the light would be dim among the tall
corn.
Clark Lewis halted at the cross fence
while went on and joined my cousin
where he was literally and very COM
fortably "camped on the trail" He
was glad to see the lantern, being tired
Of doing nothing. Besides he had again
heard the voice of the child for mo-
ment. cit has about had its sleep out
and is beginning to fret because of the
cold, said he.
l wanted to rush ahead with the Ian
tern and prosecute the search, regard
less of the trail mo" said my cous-
in, "for / am not sure of either distance
or direction, except that the faint wall
ing cries came from the eastward. Slow
and sure is the plan"
The old fashioned tin lantern was
found a poor thing for our use. 1t was
only by opening the door of it that a
sufficiently broad light for trailing
could be obtained, and then it fell fan
short of the bullseye.
Between the rows of corn the ground
was covered with pumpkin vines, fox
tail grass and weeds of various kinds.
| could see nothing. Ny cousin, how.
ever, saw everything. When shown,
could see where a pumpkin vine haC
been dragged out of place by the tired
feet of the little one, but | could moi
see the moccasin prints and failed t.
note bent and crushed weeds. As tht
ground was thickly covered and bidder
in most places, it was practically by
what he saw among the weeds anC
plants that my cousin followed the trail
1t was slow work, but by flashing
been dragged or corn blade broker
off we occasionally went forward II
feet at a bound The trail, too, zig
gagged abolt-did not go straight ahead
between any two corn rows.
''She cannot be far away" said my
cousin. ''She has here been wandering
in the dark Darkness came upon he
about the time she turned away from
the fence. All looked alike to her, O
she would have held to the mark which
had guided her so far-the fence.
Daylight found us still puzzling owe
the windings of the trail. In eccen
tricity it reminded me of the trails O
the opossums | had followed in boy
hood. Not a sound had we heard from
the child This worried me, as feared
she had chilled to death.
Nothing of the kind, +" said my cous-
in. She has heard us and is lying low
She is in a condition to be afraid of ev
cry noise she hears.
Sunrise came, and we made bette
progress. The trail had turned an(
was leading back toward the fence. My
cousin, who was about 10 feet in ad
vance, suddenly turned and motioneC
me to move forward. When | came
up to him, he pointed in silence to 1
spot about three steps beyond where we
stood There in the midst of mass o.
pumpkin vines | saw the lower part o
the child's red dress, but her head an(
the upper part of her body were bidder
under some large vine leaves.
The sight gave me great shock
my Godl'' cried l, ''she is deadl The
poor child has persisted. p"
AT the sound of my voice up came
the child's head. For moment SHE
stared at us with wild eyes; then on al
TOURS she began to scuttle away, keep
ing her little body close to the ground
like cat when in pursuit of game. II
a moment my cousin had her in hi
arms. She clawed and fought him like
a little wildcat, but not a word or SOUND
escaped her lips.
She had got back to within so yards
Of the fence. AS we carried her out o.
the field, we tried to soothe her, but she
would not speak and was constantly
struggling to escape. When we hat
carried her to her Uncle Clark, who
was waiting at the cross fence, and h'
had told her he would take her to hei
papa, the wildness went out of her face
at once, and she cried, my papa, my
papai" She was her fathers pet, anC
it was afterward found that it was il
search of him that she had bundled NJ
and sailed forth, knowing that he hat
gone to a neighbor s near the village.
When half way back to the camp, W.
came to the father, who, seated upor
his horse, was waiting to hear from us
The child had hidden its face against
its uncle's bosom, and seeing it carried
in that way the poor man thought il
was dead. Dead, deadl" cried he
my poor little Lizzie is dead Oh,
feared itl''
"Deadl' cried the uncle. No, SHE
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