The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1906-03-09
Lost Twice--AGirl
An Intensely Thrilling and Interesting
Story.

The most desolate feeling on earth
TO a human being is to realize that he
IL lost So long as a hunter in some
dense forest fancies he has his bear.
ings. he is all right, but once let him
discover that he has lost his land
marks. he at once collapses into a
state of frenzied despair. and never
fails to go tearing off in precisely the
wrong direction.
Whenever word reaches a man that
some human being is missing from his
accustomed haunts, and is probably
lost, no effort will be spared to hunt
until the wanderer is found and re-
turned to his friends.
am going to write true story, not
from hearsay. but from personal
knowledge, concerning girl who was
lost twice.
Many, many years ago, before time
had put the frosting on the writer's
head 1 lived in a little village noted
for its piety, temperance. social and
moral culture. The citizens were ex-
emplary people, and lived more like
one large happy family than a COM
munity of 1000 souls.
On Sunday morning the big bells
rang out their solemn peal, calling the
people to church, and for a couple of
hours the homes were left unlocked
and practically deserted, while the
population was Offering its devotion to
God.
Among the numerous children OF
that quiet little village was a girl. Nell
lie Holings. six years of age. OF
course that was not her name, but
names cut no ice in the stories of life.
1 remember her well. She was well
formed, sprightly little creature. with
great big brown eyes that always
seemed to be looking clear through
you. Her hair fell in tumultous show
ers of crinkled gold over her should
ers, and her skin looked like goblet
Of milk lit up by a streak of red sun
shine. In my boyish imagination i
thought her mouth the most perfect
bit of dainty perfection ever turned
out of Natures workshop. To be hon
est-and God knows everybody is
sometimes thought Nellie Holdings
the most perfect little scrap of an
gelic humanity on earth.
She was six years old was TWEEN
ty. Every man, woman and child
in the village knew her, and they all
idolized the merry laughing little
beauty. If day passed and Nellie
was not seen on the village street,
alone, or in company with some mem
Der of the family, everybody felt like.
something was wrong.
/ will never forget the shock of ter
ror i felt one bright spring morning
when a man rushed into the store in
which / was employed and exclaimed,
Little Nellie Holdings is lost in the
woods. She went out with some older
children in search of berries, and got
lost. They have searched for her for
hours, and have found her tracks in
the mud near the river, and believe
she has fallen in and has been drown
ed"
The package l was wrapping fell
from my hand. The customer did not
even notice it, but started hurriedly
for the door. The proprietor of the
store dropped his pen. grabbed his
coat, yelled TO me "Close up the store"
and fastened out. l followed as
quickly as possible and soon Joined
a crowd of men, women and even
children, who were hurrying up the
bank Of the river. l remember that
did not even lock the storehouse door.
No man would steal anything in that