The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1895-09-18

"Where's Polly?" Maggie asked
suddenly, remembering her little sis
ter, who ought to be claiming her
share in all this.
"Why, she stayed in the woods with
you."
"No, she didn't; she went with you
after the daisies
'T haven't see her since came out
OF the woods"
"Neither have I. Oh. dear Polly /!
Polly Mills Polly-e-e-e!"
The two girls beginning to be really
frightened now, dropped their flowers
and hurried back among the trees.
They ran this way and that, calling
all the time to the lost baby, but no
answer camo to their calls. The region
was wild, the woods reached far over
rocky hills and deep ravines, and lit
tie Polly was only four years old al
together the trouble was pretty SER
ious one.
''Sue Murray, you run as fast as you
can to the village and find some men
to come and hunt for my little sister.
I'll stay hers and look all through the
woods apd ell over the field while you
are gone. Don't come back without
some men J"
Without word Sue started away in
prompt obedience toward the village.
Sue ran on as fast as she could go,
and Maggie resumed her almost hope
less search. At first she ran back and
forth through the woods, calling, but
presently she realized that no good
could come of that. Then she sat down
and studied the situation. She had a
clear brain, and was fairly in working
order by this time. She could reason
things out, and she could form some
sort of plan for the work that had to
be done.
Recalling the time that Sue left her
in the woods and went out into the
field to gather daisies, she was sure
that little Polly had gone into the
field also. She remembered hearing
the child call to Sue to wait for her,
and seeing her run in that direction.
Polly had not come back, and Maggie
had seen and heard nothing of hor
since; the field, therefore, was the
place to look for her.
1t was rough place. MS many of
the fields about there. Like most of
the land in that region, it belonged to
"The Company" and the company
made use of it at present. All the
valuable land was away in another
direction, the mines at this side of the
village had been worked out and
abandoned so long ago that not many
people remembered anything about
them. But Maggie thought nothing
about mines or anything connected
with mines; she thought only of her
lost sister, and of the most likely
place in which to look for her.
The only clue that she could think
of at first was the daisies. Polly had
gone there to pick daisies, and when
sho could not overtake Sue she was
likely to go where the daisies grew
thickest. Over yonder, by that great
clump of weeds and bushes, was q
place that looked like a snow drift, it
was so thickly strewn by the pretty
white flowers. Maggie went there,
uhh AOOhtu uuu CNllOu uul llSlGuGd.
Once she thought she heard an an
swer to her calls, but it appeared she
had only disturbed a meadow lark at
rest in the clump of bushes.
She was about leaving the place
when she made n little discovery-she
found some plucked daisies lying
scattered in the grass. Somebody
had been there then! Was it Sue or
was it Polly? Sue had come to meet
Maggie from an entirely different di-
rection; it must have been Polly that
picked those scattered flowers. Yes
there among the fallen daisies was the
crushed fern that Maggie had given
to the baby in the woods. Sue had
brought no fern out with her. Polly
had boen here. But where was she
nowp
Maggie called again. and only the