The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1902-08-14

Ia ths tagged Cumberland mountains /
shish <kirt D,ckcnscn count, on the West |
The stranger IL pointed 10 a elf where IN /
the bleak month Of December 1856.
ists.e hoy Who had only passed his thiFd
,ailssions was frcsep 10 death. The ciif
10 situated m segoestereG place and
looks like a. II n would afford some shell
ter a. protection in the dead IF the vim
ter. The surrounding cocntry attn has
the appearance, I imagine, Il had IN those
primitive dsys -ben Mild beasts rosmed
The forests unmoiested BY man. IL il
true some iavasions have been made up
on shSse ~ilds and little farm mas been
opeaed here aud there and rude log cab
ius are sighted bv the passers by. This
story i very teaching one and will go
straight to the hearts Of parents, Who
have these little prattlers about sheir
knees.
The mother vas at a neighb0ring house
weaYing cloth upon hand loom, as vas
then the custom. when three Of her
children. the boy Of whom | write, and
two elder ones followed her. When she
saw them her mofheris instincts so forgot
her that IN something Of a passion sent
the children away telling them 10 60
home, aud strongly repfoving the elder
ones tor vcnturiug oui into the snow storm,
which Was then prevailing. As they
turned TO rctrace their steps homcward
the little boy asked the mother for some
bread and milk, but she impatiently told
him 20 20 home. Alas that a feeling
like this should he ia a mothers heart.
when such fate T. impending, The
children isfi. 10 was growing nichtfall-
The storm became more violent, in fact,
binding and the children become sep
arsied. the two elder ones reaching home
Nithout the younger one. when the
mother reached home and saw the terri
bile state Of Affairs. she gave the alarm
and the few persons that could De collect
ed in that sparsely pcopicd ncighhorhood
began a search, but all Thorough that
( long dreary night their efforts 20 hud the
missing one were fruiticss Morning az
/ lcnsih da-ncd aud the earth VAS covered
/ vita mantle OF SNOW. ahich the angry
I winds chilled every heart when they
/ thought ofthc poor lost child. The search
was Kept Up for three or four DAYS. The
men from surrounding country turned oui
cumassc To- Join the search, but all TO uo
purpose. m the child had been carried
from the face of thc earth, every trace OF
20 could not have been more completely
olIierated The search was abandoned
a- useless, aud the heart broken mother
had fo bear BIER grief alone, For the father
iusi closed. Time passcd on. some two
Years had come aud gone since thc sad
lrveut ~hich brought Che people TO riil
I-nd fcars bad Occurred when Mr Suindai
o. farmer of that vicinity, happened %
pass under o. elm and found piece of
child. dress and some bones which De a
,ouc, took Co hc What remained oi OBJ, ht
'tlC vandcrcr who all alone Boo thc dark
Iucss OF that bleak December night sauEh
shelter irem che cruel binding snow ou
dor the ovcrhanciur mass oi rock. ih'
mau took the piece oi cloth to the motho
uho recognized Be- al piece of her Dos
Guilds dress. She had a0vcu it hcrscl
'uron an fashioned loom. ou shich she un
Inl,iur thr shutties when she so NcruI
-cut thc Nitio hos away 60 meet him u|
mnfe. this side ot thc shores of eternity
iho ancci oi death called upon that moth
rr sorc years ago and Def us hope she o.
ioIued her little one aud that che litfc
'rssf b.. au forgotten Lebanon Ncus.