Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1898-05-26
Chapter x.-(Contin ued1

After hair an hours repose she again
set forth on her way. that now led
through the green Savannas stretching
toward the cypress swamp.
Twenty minutes walk brought her
within its venerable shades. There had
been long dry season. and the verge
of the swamp scarcely deserved it's
name. 1t was more wood than n
swamp. She penetrated yet half Il
mile into its interior. and here lost in
its imperviouS shades. she sat down
upon the fallen trunk of a thunder
stricken tree and yielded herself up to
the new. delightful feeling of freedom
and safety. In these thick shades who
should find her. True, she was heated,
tired aud hungry; but the fresh shades
of the wood would cool her fever; the
velvety ground invited repose; the
trunk Of the fallen tree offered pill
low; she would sleep and forget her
hunger. So. folding her arms under
her mead, with a deep sigh of satisfac-
ton, she closed her eyes and yielded
herself to sleep.
1t was early in the afternoon when
She fell asleep: it was late in the
night when she awoke.
At first she knew not where she was
so profund had been her ,!eep, so
perfect had been her forgetfulness.
Ard now. when she awOke and found
herself alone in this Southern wood.
with the yelled glory of night above,
and the subdued melody of nature
around. she felt strengthened. COM
forted and cheered.
lit would seem easy to die here. and
return to the bosom of mother so full
of benignity; and even if do not die.
feel that | shall be delivered, in some
other way, from the destruction that |
so much dread" she said to herself as
she arose from her recumbent posture
and sat upon the trunk of a fallen tree.
Here she sat. entranced. for the next
hour, watching that beautiful, slow
process. in which the sober glory of
the night merges into the magnificent
splendor of day.
When the sun rose flooding the
whole landscape with dazzling light.
bathing it in brilliant color. and kind
ling it into jubilant life; and the birds
aWOke. filling the air with their joyous
matutinal hymns: and the flowers un-
folded. breathing forth their morning
offering of incense; then Astrea joined
the worship of nature in her great
temple. and bowed her head in prayer.
This finished, she arose and walked
forth in quest of such food as the wild
could afford her.
On the outskirts of the wood she
found some fine dew berries upon
which she made luscious breakfast
c1,
toward the interior of the wood with
crly the single object of getting as far
as possible from the neighbOrhOOd Of
the plantation house.
AT sunset she reached the very heart
CT the wood, where, pausing to look
around, she said to herself:
'"This is Arcade. and here I could
live, with my mother nature and her
it were not for my loved ones at
homer
At these words-t'my loved ones at
home'-the song she had been thrilling
died away from her lips and out of
her heart, and she sat down pensively
at the foot Of great tree.
Hank!
What sound is that which breaks
upon her charmed ear?
A melodious, soft cry, exceeding
strange and sweet. yet not the note of
any bird of the air. nor the voice of a
creature of the wood. 1t rises and dies
away.
She murmurs to herself:
'These woods are as full of music as
OF beauty and lifts her head to listen.
Again those soft. clear chimes rise.
bell-like, upon the air. and now they
are followed by a swift pattering, as
of raindrops upon fallen leaves, and a
ruStling in the branches near.
She starts to her feet
Oh. heaven! it is the bay of the
bloodhounds! and they are on her
track!