The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1903-03-31
HUNTING THE HILLS


children in the basement of a gray
aouse on gray street in the gray city
If san Francisco. The poor little room
N the basement had nothing bright in
4. II. too, was dull and gray like the
house and the street, and when the
,old fog rolled into the crowded room.
as II always did in the evening. IT set.
lied about the faces and forms Of the
children and made them look pale and
wraithlike.
"Evermore. Evermorev' Rosa had
heard the word az Sunday school. and
It haunted her. she asked the good sis
ter what IL meant, and she had smiled
kindly and said II meant always, eter-
nally." Rosa looked at the sister
thoughtfully with her big solemn
eyes. I'VE have evermore babies at our
house." she said.
And 80 II was. When Rosa, the little
cider sister had taught the last thin,
brown baby little patois and encour-
aged II 10 take n few steps. another
wailing stranger would demand those
offices. ROSA loved the brood of little
ones. hut Abe tired sometimes Of their
weak cries. aud her thin arms and mar
row shoulders ached from the burden
OF carrying them TO soothe their cries.
and her head achod woefully.
Rosa was n dwarfilke girl with well
developed head. pale. olive skin aud
big brown eyes that would not permit
you to forget her There was haunt
ing earnestncss. wistful questioning
I'm them that you recalled sometimes IN
gny crowds where tho hungry orhs
were out OF place. They followed ana
troubled YOU us does the gaze Of dog
that has lost its owner. There was
mn animals pain In them and u human
unrest. They reminded you of tie eyes
Of woman whom you can never iur.
get. one who had looked uruu tie woes
ana mockcrlcs OF life uHti, Fhc prayed
To die. Il was with such % prayer .n
her eyes tlut Rosa Giovanni loo u'
the fnrvuy hills The two rWEiiu-.
brown bubics were asleep lh" Others
were piuyig m another lIum N,,I
children WHO were old enough to r,r"
for thcm. So tire small. brown hands
were Idle lug oarc. They lay rrc. 'od Zoo
the lap ~ tl.p dreamer.
Tic ryuat. rrp'n E.lis' ilo" trr
ana hrauHul they look, li.a NOT %i'..
the ucisi hor. ic'd Der 10 wHs tirr' ''n
flowers grew. thc dcWy, dclicair nov.
ers which Size had seen q cuuHtyWHu
OF hers sclllag go tie place where maAF
streets rrossodf Size lad caught t.r
breath of some OF those Gowcrs onur.
aud % ,gHus sweet us sweet us heaven
uud the lll.s ~ to have so"9e of 'lcr
IN rrr lap rt This mowcn'' 70 p1C
her hot forehead ugaIus, th"ir cHu.
softuoss and rn forget TINT o. urbcd So
terribly
The hair 81 scd eyes opened wide.
They starred 20. wild way ut tlr bills,
4 resolve was bclng h1ru. 20 resolve
that spuug from her ignorance urJ
uJlu She would 20 Ia the hills. They
were NOT very far Same uut had Hid
th,y were fur away. hut they h1d com,
cluspr to her They seemed tu hc open.
mg their sDfl green arms to her She
would sea. she would come back again
to the brown babies. hut she must seek
that coulucss uud rest aud the iluwcrs,
she ran up the narrow street amd
among the curs and wagons az the
crowded crossing. Nobody noticed the
ragged little figure. Tor the haunting
eyes did not seek their faces and chal-
lcnge their curiosity. Those strange
eyes loohcd past the hurrying people 10
the strip of yclyety green beyond the
roofs. She sped along the street, stop.
plrs not Tor questions. She could not
hc lost Did she not know where she
WAS going uud was II not to the hills,
which her ewes never left for a mo.
mouti She shiyered. hut mot from fcar.
rhr fug hand wrapped her about in ils
r,rUNhy VmurWcc. but she thought.
"'Ihc hills W. take care OF me. They
are warm and kind"
Tier uruih came shorter She was
ilUL hut uut as when she LETT the eel.
t'r ur the lr'y house, for was she not
coming NEARER to that wayy line OF
svcu at every stepy Once She fcll.
'ut she drew herself up again and
walked ou more slowly this time. Rw
,av lDorish lisht Ia her eyes had bee.
culJc a hcrye tlame. Her cheeks burned.
ihr hills we're coming closer She
,lud uut walk much farther They
tt.vW iL and they were coming To her
II found her lying across the curh
She was stretching ont her arms ON tht
sidewalks and saying something like
An, hllls' I've found YOU. She must
have hcen there an hour on two. fu
she WAS cold as the stones of the slide.
walk"
The blk policeman put the stmtrd
form into the matrons arms.
Poor httle lambv' she said. Sht
was used To sad sights but tears Hnol
her eyes as she looked az the drawn
dark features uud warped body.
After they had mld her In the snowy
he'd she opened her wandering ewes
upon rows OF clean cots, whereun sht
saw the faces of children She Looked
nc the motherly face bending ahov,
her then through the window al IN,
sunshine falling upon a waving line Of