Little Falls herald., 1900-12-14
"l1ght years! That's long tine.' y

]
unused Glen.
'|Well, I hope his travels have i'm
proved him, for his college days were
bad enough"
"Heigh no! wish he would sta?
away and not tumble down on us 20
spoil our delightful New Years. urv-
er could stand him."
Clem recalled what a villainncs
tease Ned had been when on his visit
to them during vacation.
"He was Il tease, but he was hand
some boy" she concluded.
! Then casting Ned out Of E<,
thoughts. she stopped to gather gr. IT
armful of the glorious holly.
The distance was greater than Glenn
had supposed, and the afternoon l;:ti
darkened considerably when her fam.
ing branches of berries We're tied With
a Wisp Of gray moss and she turned 1u
go home.
Skirting the edge Of the Branch"
as those streamlets which cut through
the pine forests are called. she came
to a sudden halt.
| W
how rapidly twilight drops into night
these short December days!
OF course she passed that big elm
Ind those pines, and
| Clem was beWildered and had to con-
fess most reluctantly that she did not
know whether she came by the right
or by the left.
| hoo rt
'lOst'' ran through her mind, but she
had lived all her short life more or less
in the woods, SO beyond a slight tre-
NOR Glen was not frightened.
What added to Clenls bewilderment
was the light snowfall, which covered
up all paths and made everything un-
familiar.
| But for that Glen might have real
lied where she was going and not de-
| fected away, as she did toward |
stretch Of heavily timbered swamp
land totally unfamiliar. Night was
drawing on with cruel rapidity, and
the forest shades We're deepening into
black patches and somber yistas. while
above, as Glen looked up, she could
see a few stars beginning to glimmer,
| Suddenly she remembered with ter
ror that she had left the house without
seeing dear old Nance or telling her
anything about her proposed quest
after holly berries.
The wind was rising, and-well.
| was lost in the heart OF the woods.
Clem went steadily forward, knowing
! that II she stopped she would lie a
thousand times more frightened.
At last Clem's steps faltered. Stag
| gering, she sat down exhausted at the
foot of tall pine, in whose branches
| the night Dreezes were playing as on
an Eolian harp. "Oh, Dieu de bonte!"
| exclaimed Glen, lapslng into French,
her mothers tongue, as she often did
| under excitement or when in distress.
But her French blood soon asserted
itself, and, rousing, she peered around
! in the darkness which envelOped all
things. What was that dark object
little way off? Clem got up and be-
gan cautions approach.
| Her heart gave bound of pleasure
on recognizing an abandoned coal burn
| er's hut.
The door, as she pushed it open,
though saggel, still held on its hinges,
| and. feeling around. Glen found 4
piece Of candle sticking to board and
some scattered matches.
Clem's heart was beating furiously.
Suppose they were too old to light?
But the one she scratched .sputtered
| and lit. as did her candle, and Clem
found herself in hut begrimed with
smoke, bare. but clean, in which were
rude bench, a table and a heap Of
dried pine needles in the corner.
Clem sank down with an exclamation
Of hysterical gladness. Placing her
! bunch Of berries on the table, Clem
| closed the door and drew the bench
against 1t, while the wooden shutter
Of the window was held fast by it's
rude fastening.
! Throwing herself on the soft mat Of
pine needles, Glenn sent prayer heav-
enward whose anguished intensity she,
being II years, had never imagined.
There were various vexatious delays.
The evening train On which Edward
Singleton was leisurely smoking was
run at increased speed to make up for
lost time.
Suddenly there were crash, shouts.
cries and a terrific commotion. an aw-
ful humping, a kissing and roaring
noise, shattering Of glass and direful
shrieks, and the coach, toppling half
! way over. stood still.
Tearing his way. out, Ned realized
what the accident was.
Running over a terrified COW, the en-.
+, Eine was deraileu. 1t had torn its way
through an adjoining field, where it
finally stood, painting and kissing, while
two coaches were wrecked, and the one
in which Ned had been was overturned
and ditched.
OF the crew and passengers no one
was killed, but it was asceltained that
there were contusions innumerable,
while night had already come.
Ned was a good walker, and the pros