The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-04-23

Sweetest Susans lap, and he seemed tc
be very hungry. He tried to make
Sweetest Susan eat some, too, and once
or twice he smiled when she pretended
/ to be eating ravenously. But for the
| most part the child kept his eyes fixed
on Mr.. Ransom, and chung more tight
| ly to Sweetest Susan whenever he
caught the man looking at him.
The result of it all was that when
| the time came for the children to go to
! the house, Sweetest Susan found it i'm
| possible to get rid of the child. He
/ wouldn't allow Ransom to take him-he
! seemed ready TO go into commissions
/ whenever the man approached-and
| finally, in order to induce him to get
into the wagon, Sweetest Susan had TO
! go in with him accompanied by Dru-
| PEELED to lie by the child until he
dropped off to sleep. He held her hand
/ tightly clasped in his tiny fists.
Buster John was impatient, and said
he was going to bed, and Sweetest Su-
san told him to tell mamma that she
and DruSilla would come as soon as the
baby went to sleep. Drusilla, drowsy-
eyed, lay down on the bedclothes and
was asleep before the child was Sweet
est Susan made every effort to with
draw her hand and slip from the wa
gon, but these movements aroused the
? Child and set it to whimpering.
Everything was very still; even the
frogs called to one another drowsily
The mules had cleaned up their ration
of fodder, and were now doing. Under
these circumstances it was not long be-
fore Sweetest Susan was as sound
/ asleep as Drusilla. and, apparently, the
child was asleep, too
Ransom in due time arose from the
1re where he had been sitting, went to
the rear of the wagon and looked in.
and then stood listening intently Moth
ing was to be heard but the regular
heavy breathing of three sound sleep
ers. He went to the spring, got some
water, and carefully put out the fire.
At no time had it been a large one
Then. stealthily. almost noiselessIy. ne
put the mules to the wagon. drove out
at the gate and into the public road.
Once Sweetest Susan dreamed that she
was going to town in the wagon with
Johnny Bapter; but that must have
been when the wagon was going down
the long and steep hill that led to the
Crooked creek.
An hour after the wagon had disap-
peared. Mrs. Wyche. the children's
mother. aroused herself from thoughts
OF her husband, who was in the army,
and remembered that it was long past
the time for Sweetest Susan to be in
bed. She called to Jemimy. Drusilla's
mother, who was nodding by the fire
in the dining-room.
"Jemimy, go to the spring where the
WAGNER is camping and tell Sweetest
Susan and Drusilla to come straight to
the house; they should have been here
long ago. Bring them with you"
Jemimy went to the spring, but saw
no wagon nor any signs of one, the fire
being out. She heard Johnny Bapter
singing near the lot. She called him
and asked about the wagon
EFF faint down dar by de spring.
dunno whar it's"
Jemimy ran back to the house. nearly
frightened to death. Her report was,
Mistress, dey amt no wagon dar!-
''Merciful heavens!" screamed the
lady, II told father to have the man
tied and locked in the corncrib, and
now he has stolen my child, oh. what
shall l do?'
An he got Drusilla!" cried Jemimy,
throwing up her hands wildly.
The White-haired Master came forth
from the library with a troubled face.